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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of our East Midlands RRDN leadership team, as the The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings. This is a job share to work alongside the current post holder. The opportunity to work between 22 to 24 hours a week over 3 days across Monday to Friday with normal office working hours.
The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings is a senior leadership role that has a focus on the strategic oversight, deployment and delivery capabilities of the RRDN’s Agile Research Delivery Team. The role leads a multi-professional team to deliver National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) Portfolio studies across various settings. This role leads a team of regionally based, flexible, multidisciplinary staff to support the delivery of NIHR RDN portfolio studies in diverse specialties and settings. The post has a dual function, managing and leading either research delivery and/or research support for wider care settings, dependent on regional need. This role also involves working closely with key stakeholders within region, across other regions and at a national level. The role involves working closely with the ARDT Senior Manager and reporting to the Operations Director.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings is a senior leadership role that has a focus on the strategic oversight, deployment and delivery capabilities of the RRDN’s Agile Research Delivery Team. This role will work alongside the Head of Partner Liaison and Planning to co-lead the work of the Study Support Service Team with a focus on out of hospital settings .
East Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network
The NIHR RRDNs have three key roles.
First, to provide support to research sites to enable the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England.
Second, to enable the strategic development of new and more effective research delivery capability and capacity. This includes bringing research to under-served regions and communities with major health and care needs.
Third, to work jointly with the Coordinating Centre in the strategic oversight of the NIHR RDN. This ensures that the Portfolio is maintained as a cohort of high-quality, fully-funded, viable and deliverable studies. It also ensures that the NIHR RDN as a whole serves the needs of researchers and R&D teams and is responsive to the changing domestic and global environment for health and care, life sciences and health research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
- Act as a senior leader within the RDN, providing strategic direction and guidance
- Work as part of a community of senior leaders across the national network, exercising shared leadership and promoting the consistency of experience across a nationally-harmonised Agile Research Delivery Teams and study support services for out of hospital settings
- Co-develop and lead on national projects as required
- Collaborate with National and RRDN Specialty and Settings Leaders to align regional operational activities with national strategic objectives
- Offer strategic leadership to research delivery sites, contributing to strategic planning (including the development of three-year strategies) and proactively tackling operational challenges as an active partner
- Lead the implementation and cascade of a range of national strategic directives within the region and the local RRDN, reporting on local learnings, successes and challenges
BUSINESS PLANNING
- Contribute to collective national business planning for the Agile Research Delivery (all settings) and Study Support and Partner Liaison services for out of hospital settings
- Contribute to coordinating, reviewing, evaluating and approving research site delivery plans, and have delegated responsibility for periodically performance monitoring against those plans to ensure that RDN funding is being used appropriately and effectively
- Lead on regional business planning for the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service, ensuring effective implementation and reporting
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
- Oversee the regional implementation of the Agile Research Delivery Team, ensuring its effectiveness and alignment with regional and national objectives
- Contribute to the regional implementation of the Study Support Service, working as part of a national network
- Work closely with Setting Leads to ensure there is robust strategy for delivery in the primary care, community and residential care settings
- Manage programmes and projects within the remit of the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service. This may include national projects, the oversight of local programmes of work, and coaching and supporting team members in their project management
- Lead communities of practice and events for senior leaders, facilitating system-level collaboration and learning to solve operational challenges and pursue opportunities for strategic development
- Lead a dedicated team to provide Agile Research Delivery Team services, ensuring a collaborative and inclusive team environment
SERVICE IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
- Promote a nationally consistent customer-centric approach to service delivery, ensuring that the needs and expectations of stakeholders are met or exceeded
- Maintain awareness of research process initiatives undertaken with other national bodies to support future integration into the study support service (e.g. just in time site activation, digital recruitment, Be Part of Research)
- Maintain an excellent working knowledge of relevant legislation and processes, and work with national colleagues to respond and incorporate these into RDN business
- Keep up to date with innovative study design and delivery methods, exploring opportunities for promotion and roll-out within national and regional delivery operations
- Develop trusted relationships with partners, and promote a culture of seeking and acting on feedback from customers and partners, so as to provide a responsive service and identify opportunities for improvement, sharing insights and learnings across the national network
- Identify, implement and lead strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service operations regionally and nationally
- Support the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service team members with solving identified challenges in study delivery, particularly in more complex or sensitive situations
- Lead on building capacity and capability for study delivery across specialities and settings, including: In collaboration with RRDN Specialty and Settings leads, oversee horizon scanning to ensure there is the capacity and capability within the research system to accommodate new and emerging technologies Under the RDN Operating Model for strategic development, and Research Delivery Models lead and participate in projects to address any opportunities or challenges identified Assist in the development of research delivery staff
- In collaboration with RRDN Specialty and Settings leads, oversee horizon scanning to ensure there is the capacity and capability within the research system to accommodate new and emerging technologies
- Under the RDN Operating Model for strategic development, and Research Delivery Models lead and participate in projects to address any opportunities or challenges identified
- Assist in the development of research delivery staff
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
- Oversee the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service
- Develop and implement strategies for ensuring service delivery meets or exceeds established benchmarks, including targets and obligations specified in the RRDN Host Organisation Contract
- Develop and implement strategies and systems for quality assurance, including audit and review of the work, providing feedback, development and support as necessary
- Ensure seamless coordination with other services and functions within the RRDN and across the national network, working with other teams to provide a consistent experience and work as one organisation
- Identify and support the dissemination of RDN impact across RDN and RRDN activities
LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY
- Champion the RDN’s capacity and capability to support Life Sciences Industry research and the contribution of the Life Sciences Industry to the NHS
- Be responsible for ensuring that RRDN Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support services provided to the Life Sciences Industry are provided consistently, within the required timeframes to a high quality standard and in line with identified national RDN requirements
- Oversee the business development activities of the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support services, including providing clinical research expertise and knowledge to support optimal research delivery in discussions with commercial organisations; and attending meetings and presenting at events, webinars etc
Person specification
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Highly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments
- Proven interpersonal skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations and the ability to develop strong working relationships with senior stakeholders
- Demonstrable ability to use autonomy to undertake actions as a result of own interpretation of policy and guidance, providing a source of expert advice to the organisation
- Strong problem-solving skills, including a proactive approach to identifying and addressing potential future issues
- Ability to communicate highly complex and difficult information both orally and in writing, both internally to colleagues and externally to a range of audiences, including in pressured and politically sensitive environments
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and to make judgments regarding a range of highly complex management issues
- Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex programmes and projects, involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities, to tight deadlines
- Good IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, Google Workspace applications and MS Office applications
- Empathetic approach to resolving conflict, with the ability to work with sensitivity and tact
- Attention to detail
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Specialist knowledge of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patients
- Specialist knowledge of the range of life science industry’s needs and requirements with regard to health and care research
- Comprehensive understanding of governance and legislative framework for conducting clinical research in the NHS
- Comprehensive understanding of the UK research pathway and funding
- Knowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research in NHS and non-NHS settings
- Knowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework, and good understanding of performance management techniques
- Extensive knowledge of methods, tools and techniques for problem-solving and continuous improvement that are relevant to system-level health and care working
- Experience of health and care research management at a senior level, including the support of studies pre-approval and post-approval
- Experience of chairing and facilitating meetings, including with sensitive or political topics
- Experience of managing health and care research support services including workforce planning and the management of people and finances
- Experience of developing and managing high quality customer centric services for commercial and non-commercial customers
- Experience of working collaboratively and in partnership with other organisations, with demonstrable experience of delivery across organisational boundaries
- Professional operational research leadership at a senior and system level
- Experience of direct line management and managing teams to deliver clear objectives and performance targets, including through organisational change
- Experience of business planning, financial management and operational implementation, preferably within an NHS organisation.
- Experience of contributing to the development of national policy or strategies, and translating those into regional plans
- Experience of leading continuous improvement
- Project management experience in a leadership capacity, delivering complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals to tight deadlines
Desirable
- Professional strategic leadership at a senior level
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
- Management qualification
- Evidence of continual professional development
Desirable
- Project Management qualification or equivalent experience
Values and Personal Qualities
Essential
- Flexible approach to working and enthusiastic attitude towards challenges
- Acts as a champion for patients, carers, the public and their interests, ensuring the public voice has an impact on RDN activities
- Highly motivated, with the ability to influence and inspire others
- Constantly strives for improvement, bringing a 'can do' attitude and seeking out innovation
- Goal-oriented, with a focus on tangible results that are aligned with overarching national objectives
- Committed to ongoing learning and development, proactively seeking opportunities for personal and team growth
- Takes a professional approach to all interactions, remaining diplomatic under pressure and fostering a solution-focused environment
- Role models and works in accordance with the values of the RDN and the employing NHS Trust
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This advert is for Head of Research Delivery and Support for Wider Care Settings with University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in Leicester, Midlands, England. It is listed as a Band 8 role. The advertised salary is £66,582 - £77,368 pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 22 Jul 2026.
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