Group R&I Operations Manager

Job overview

The R&I Operations Manager is responsible for leading the setup and delivery of clinical research across the GESH NHS Group, ensuring all activity aligns with the organisation’s strategic priorities and the objectives of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and other funders. . The role centres on facilitating efficient study approvals, maintaining strong governance frameworks, and supporting researchers in the initiation and delivery of high-quality clinical studies. As a member of the management team, the post-holder oversees teams responsible for the setup and oversight of both GESH-led and hosted research projects, providing expert line management, mentorship, and troubleshooting support to ensure smooth operations and accurate reporting. With extensive experience in clinical research, the post-holder will drive growth in research activity by working closely with clinicians and research teams to identify new opportunities and improve performance. They will manage NHS research setup staff, collaborate with delivery teams, academics, and support departments, and monitor infrastructure performance through data analysis and reporting. The post-holder will review and interpret research budgets and awards for appropriateness and hold delegated responsibility for managing these budgets to ensure financial sustainability and compliance with NHS research and financial governance.

Main duties of the job

• To provide leadership and accountability for the safe, effective and efficient operational delivery of services within research.
• To develop systems to ensure research compliance of Group wide research activity including research conducted where the Trust’s acts as sponsor.
• To manage and support the delivery performance standards for GESH, including administration of performance management and monitoring, ensuring the development of systems and processes to ensure the achievement of key national and financial targets.
• Manage and lead the administrative & operational team responsible for study set up and auditing of research
• To develop robust and sustainable business cases working with finance and performance partners.
• Develop local initiatives to prioritise and grow the NIHR adopted research portfolio along with balancing the needs of the organisation.
• Support the process and allocation of research resources and finances across the Group
• Represent the unit at relevant meetings

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Operational Oversight & Performance Management

• Raise the research profile across the Trust’s and Public domain, supporting and encouraging staff to participate in research
• Proactively identify research opportunities within the NIHR portfolio and with commercial partners, where the Trust’s might be eligible to participate, and promote these to potential investigators.
• Support research active clinicians to develop new research proposals, including providing advice about funding sources and signposting to other sources of assistance to maintain study integrity and support delivery
• Advise on feasibility aspects of studies, working with research governance colleagues.
• Ensure governance and compliance requirements of GESH led and hosted research
• Contribute to the effective oversight of the organisational Quality Management System
• Work with research teams to support sustainable and cost-effective research infrastructures.
• Develop systems and processes within EDGE to monitor and improve research infrastructure and support services.
• Act as escalation point for setup issues including contracting, NCVR, AcoRD, and sponsorship.
• Ensure that Department of Health, NIHR and HRA guidance and other government policies affecting NHS research are implemented in the trust.
• Work closely colleagues to provide guidance, training and support to researchers in order to promote robust research methodology and compliance with research governance

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure robust governance arrangements & systems are in place tp ensure compliance across GESH with all relevant regulations and legislation, for example Human Tissue Act, Medicines Act, Data Protection Act, GDPR, HRA, MHRA and EMEA
• Provide research governance expertise ensuring quality assurance across the directorate
• Support investigators and their research teams with incident reporting and to research governance, including supporting with corrective and preventative action (CAPA), with the R&D Auditor and research monitors
• Manage standard operating procedures (SOPs) and research governance guidance related to research Governance and research Performance activity
• Ensure that the identification and clarification of sponsorship responsibilities between GESH and external collaborators, such as City St Georges UoL,
• Work with the R&I Auditor and any wider team to oversee the study risk-assessment process and give mitigation advice to the highest-risk sponsored studies that are referred, escalating as appropriate

Collaboration & External Engagement

• Promote collaborative working across Trusts, regional partners, and NIHR/CRN.
• Attend RRDN South London meetings and build networks with key research stakeholders.
• Liaise with commercial companies to negotiate Clinical Trial Agreements and costing templates.
• Form relationships with research leaders and operational managers to promote research engagement.

Financial Responsibility

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with R&I Finance Department to ensure an accurate and efficient service for researchers undertaking clinical research in relation to the costing of their research.
• Liaise with post-award administration staff across collaborators and R&D Finance within the Trust to ensure accurate and timely management of research funding and transparency of financial information between organisations.
• Advise on financial implications of research decisions and identifying cost efficiency opportunities in research management
• Contribute to financial planning by providing accurate information and activity estimates for projects and initiatives.
• Budget management of expenditure for specific research awards, such as NIHR/RRDN, including regular monitoring and reporting of variances, and escalating significant deviations to senior management for review and corrective action.
• Lead on the development and management of the R&I operational budget where required, including forecasting, resource allocation, and monitoring against agreed targets
• The post holder will have research budget sign off responsibilities

Staff and HR Management

• Provide line management to the NHS R&I set up and auditing team across the division
• Liaise closely with all research active support personnel
• Identify and contribute to own personal professional development through the appraisal process.
• Work across all sites and attend external meetings on behalf of the Trust
• Ensure team members stay updated on national research governance changes and complete mandatory training.
• Develop training programmes and competency frameworks to ensure that the Research Governance team are fully trained in line with SOPs and internal guidance across GESH trust’s

Communications and Liaison

• Nurture key relationships and maintain networks internally and externally
• Promote collaborative working across trusts, and between trusts and NIHR/RRDN.
• Communicates the results of research studies and local analyses in a variety of ways, eg. to the Board of Directors and the Patient Participation Group
• Co-ordinate and disseminate information regarding Trust research activities
• Form relationships with research leaders across clinical divisions and with relevant operations and service managers to promote engagement with research.
• Disseminate research training / funding opportunities to staff

General

• Have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to always comply with the requirement of the Health and Safety Regulations.
• Always ensure confidentiality, only releasing confidential information obtained during employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
• Work in accordance with the Group’s Equality and Diversity policy to eliminate unlawful
• discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
• Always promote equal opportunities for staff and patients in accordance with the Groups’s policies to ensure that no person receives less favorable treatment than another on the grounds of: age; disability; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (ethnicity); religion or belief; sex (gender); gender reassignment or sexual orientation
• Ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Group and Trust policies and professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role.
• Comply with the Group’s No Smoking Policies.
• Harness performance through teams – champion positive change, develop staff, create a culture without fear of retribution, actively listen, value contribution of others respect diversity
• Undertake such duties from time to time that are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service

This job description is not an exhaustive document but is a reflection of the current position. Details and emphasis may change in line with service needs after consultation with the postholder.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.