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Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity to play a key leadership role in shaping and delivering the strategic development agenda for the North London RRDN, while also contributing to national programmes of work across the NIHR Research Delivery Network. The post holder will lead the regional delivery of key NIHR Research Delivery Network strategic plans, with a particular focus on strategy, stakeholder engagement, communications, public engagement, study participation and research inclusion.
The successful candidate will provide senior leadership across a complex regional health and care research system, working with NHS organisations, non-NHS providers, voluntary, charity and community sector partners, the NIHR Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre and wider NIHR infrastructure.
The role will be pivotal in ensuring that engagement and inclusion opportunities are considered strategically and delivered in a coordinated way across North London. The post holder will provide intelligence to support the strategic development of RDN services and will help ensure that the North London RRDN contributes effectively to the delivery of national research priorities across all specialties and settings.
For further information about this role, or to arrange an informal discussion with Reggie Pestininkas, Strategic Development Director, please contact sandra.shaw@nihr.ac.uk.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Strategy, Engagement and Inclusion will have overall responsibility for coordinating and delivering regional responses to key RDN strategies, ensuring all engagement and inclusion opportunities are considered synergistically, supported and optimised for all stakeholders. This role will be pivotal in leading a consistent approach to engaging participants and communities with the vision of the RDN and providing intelligence to support the strategic development of RDN services. The Head of Strategy, Engagement and Inclusion will have the opportunity to work at national and supraregional level to ensure the function of a single RDN organisation in providing a consistent experience for stakeholders. This role will be pivotal in developing regional strategies to deliver key national research in health and care priorities and analysing data underpinning increased capacity and capability in research delivery, across all specialties and settings. This role will have oversight of Strategy, Communications, and Study Participation Inclusion (stakeholder engagement, Public Engagement, Digital Engagement and Research Inclusion) domains, and line management of the Study Participation Inclusion Senior Manager, the Communications Manager and Corporate Services Manager. Line management of staff members will include undertaking staff reviews to identify training and development needs, and establishing how those needs will be met, and managing performance against agreed objectives.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person specification
Other
Essential
- Flexible approach to working and enthusiastic attitude towards challenges Attention to detail
- 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
- A strong visionary leader, who brings together ideas and expertise to deliver strategy
- A resilient and open individual demonstrating clear understanding of the RDN vision, routes for influencing strategy, engaging with diverse groups of people and continuous improvement
- Role models and works in accordance with the values of the RDN and the employing NHS trust
Skills
Essential
- Good IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, Google Workspace applications and MS Office applications
- Highly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments
- Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver highly complex projects, involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities, to tight deadlines
- Ability to prepare and deliver presentations and business cases to diverse audiences at regional and national events
- Ability to analyse and interpret specialised, confidential research management information and ability to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex research management issues
- Ability to work autonomously
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Proven leadership skills, including leadership in the management of change
- 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
- Able to analyse performance of area of activity in relation to performance targets, strategic objectives and make appropriate suggestions
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research (industry and academic sponsored) in the NHS
- Understanding of latest population-wide engagement techniques, including off and online
- Understanding of governance and legislative frameworks for clinical trials, including GCP
- Good understanding of quality assurance and performance management techniques
Desirable
- Knowledge of utilising business intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework
- Understanding of workforce planning
Experience
Essential
- Professional operational and strategic leadership in a related field
- Management experience within the NHS with understanding of operations across all sectors relevant to the respective Health and Care systems
- Experience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management
- Experience of business planning and robust financial management at an appropriate scale
- Evidence of managing effective collaborations and partnerships
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
- Management qualification
- Evidence of continual professional development
Desirable
- Project Management qualification or equivalent experience
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Head of Strategy, Engagement & Inclusion with Barts Health NHS Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 8 role. The advertised salary is £75,328 - £86,114 Per annum inc. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 10 Aug 2026.
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