Research Delivery Practice Educator

Job overview

The  Research Delivery Practice Educator will have responsibility for enhancing the research delivery skills and clinical competence of the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) Agile Research Delivery Team.

Main duties of the job

This will include providing relevant research education and, where necessary, improving research and clinical skills for research delivery staff. This role also involves working with and supporting research delivery partners to determine skills gaps to be addressed through design of  their own research education and clinical skills training programmes where development of this may be required. This role is part of the RRDN Workforce Development function. This role will ensure all clinical research delivery staff within the Agile Research Delivery Team are trained and competent in line with employer statutory and mandatory requirements, as well as applicable Research Delivery Network (RDN) training and development programmes and relevant study sponsor requirements. This role may also provide clinical research delivery support to studies delivered by the Agile Research Delivery Team when required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Working with the Workforce and People Senior Manager, proactively contribute to and inform the regional delivery of the RDN Workforce strategy to support the strategic, system-wide development of the research delivery workforce across a broad range of roles, specialties and settings
• Working with the Agile Research Delivery Team leaders and managers, provide effective leadership in training delivery/facilitation skills and act as a role model, to thus motivate,  support and enable the evolution of the Agile Research Delivery Team service. This will involve:  mentoring new Agile Research Delivery Team members provide formal learning interventions   deliver constructive feedback
• mentoring new Agile Research Delivery Team members
• provide formal learning interventions
• deliver constructive feedback

• Act as an ambassador for the RDN and wider NIHR

BUSINESS PLANNING

• Contribute to annual planning and reporting activities with the provision of workforce and learning data and expertise
• Develop and implement key innovative opportunities for increasing research delivery workforce capacity and capability across the RDN, drawing upon learnings generated from the Agile Research Delivery Teams

INFORMATION & ADMINISTRATION

• Plan, coordinate and facilitate key national and regional level meetings and working groups to ensure delivery of key milestones and identification of risks
• Provide day to day management and coordination of regional and, where appropriate, national programmes of learning and development for RDN Agile Research Delivery Teams, including design, delivery and evaluation
• Oversee the processes used for administration of regional and national training delivery supported by administration colleagues, with a particular focus on oversight of training undertaken in the Agile Research Delivery Team

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT

• Lead and effectively manage the provision of research delivery practice education and clinical skills improvement to ensure capability of the Agile Research Delivery Team
• Work with all relevant stakeholders and alongside all levels of clinical staff to provide expert guidance, mentorship, teaching and assurance on assessment of competence
• Motivate, enable and support staff in their professional and personal development
• Provide professional nursing/AHP leadership and support, under the direction of the RRDN Health and Care Director (NMAHP), to enhance clinical practice and strategy
• Work within Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Code of Professional Conduct and adhere to the organisation’s policies and procedures
• When working outside of area of professional expertise, seek advice and guidance from colleagues and ensure appropriate clinical accountability is in place
• Maintain appropriate level of clinical skills necessary to perform procedures, e.g. venesection, drug administration
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the RRDN Host Clinical Education Team, educators in the region and key contacts in Delivery Organisations
• Proactively inform the RDN understanding of regional workforce needs and actively contribute to the design and delivery of solutions with the Workforce and People Senior Manager
• Assist in the delivery of local induction programmes for all RRDN staff with particular emphasis on the Agile Research Delivery Team
• Provide highly specialist advice on all aspects of the research process and research delivery practice, including expectations of clinical skills and required competencies across research delivery settings
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Agile Research Delivery Team policies and SOPs by interpreting national directives and Trust guidelines for local inclusion
• Provide guidance, direction and task delegation to administrator colleagues to utilise their strengths and attributes to maximum effect to achieve objectives, ensuring they meet expected levels of performance and receive appropriate support and development

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

• Actively contribute to the development and delivery of national projects and initiatives to drive national and regional impact
• Lead and deliver programmes of work identified as crucial to the development of research leadership that enables a positive ‘One RDN’ culture and behaviours
• Demonstrate comprehensive, informed understanding of regional and national research delivery learning and development needs and partner in the development of high-quality learning that is inclusive and meets the needs of a diverse workforce.
• Work as a collegiate partner with colleagues across the Network to ensure consistency of the development opportunities provided to staff, customers and stakeholders
• Working with the Workforce and People Senior Manager, and other RDN colleagues, contribute to national collaborative working groups and the RDN Service Delivery Group for Workforce and Organisational Development, to ensure that all learning and development opportunities are designed with equality of access, diversity of input and are delivered in a range of formats that promotes inclusivity
• Ensure effective use of the tools available through the NIHR IT infrastructure, implement, promote and maintain approaches to informal learning that are cost effective and reflect the needs of learners and organisational systems and priorities
• In collaboration with the Agile Research Delivery Team, contribute to the assessment of new projects with special consideration to education and training needs

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

• Responsible for the delivery of a quality assurance and improvement programme for learning and development programmes, including measuring activities against quality standards through the collection, analysis and reporting of appropriate data, including recommendations for change across multiple services or sites
• Proactively identify, develop and coordinate appropriate service improvement projects in response to performance in quality assurance metrics, particularly feedback from attendees

LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY

• Enable, where appropriate, collaboration with the Life Sciences industry in the development of the research delivery workforce within new sites and increasing capacity and capability to deliver a range of studies, drawing upon learnings from the RDN Agile Research Delivery Team across all RRDNs
• Champion RDN Life Science Industry research and the importance and contribution of industry to NIHR, NHS and social care within learning and development activities

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively contribute to the development of business cases/options papers for the RRDN leadership team to inform decisions regarding workforce and organisational development

• Manage financial resources to successfully develop and deliver high quality, cost effective learning and development as well as regional and national meetings or events to ensure value for money

SPECIALIST RESPONSIBILITIES

• Curate and provide expert advice and guidance on clinical governance requirements and related regulations to guide safe and appropriate training development and delivery.
• Provide expert research delivery practice education, clinical skills and clinical skills training in line with Host Organisation and Sponsor requirements, and in accordance with requirements of all relevant regulatory bodies
• Provide leadership and mentorship for a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues working across a range of specialties and settings
• Support the development and implementation of multi-disciplinary undergraduate student placements where appropriate
• Meet requirements for continued professional development to maintain professional registration necessary for the role.
• Support registered nurses, midwives, AHPs, CRPs and other practitioners in maintaining their professional registration
• Support currently unregistered practitioners to achieve professional registration as a CRP where appropriate and required.