Study Support Service Senior Manager

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated senior leader to manage the Study Support Service at the East of England Regional RDN. This is a key leadership role, offering the opportunity to lead a diverse team and shape how research is delivered across the NHS and wider health and care system. You will be responsible for providing clear direction, inspiring your team, and ensuring services are delivered consistently to a high standard, while contributing to the strategic aims of the national Research Delivery Network.

As part of a highly collaborative national leadership community, you will work with colleagues across regions to strengthen the consistency, quality, and efficiency of research delivery. Locally, you will lead a supportive and ambitious team that values collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. We are committed to building strong partnerships with health and care organisations and making a tangible difference to research delivery.

Our culture is open, respectful, and based on shared leadership—your expertise will be valued, and your ideas will be heard. In return, we offer flexible working, excellent development opportunities, and the chance to influence and lead at the heart of the NHS and NIHR research system. If you are motivated by making an impact, thrive on leading people, and want to shape the future of research delivery, this is the role for you.

Main duties of the job

As Senior Manager, you will lead all local operational aspects of the Study Support Service, ensuring delivery of both pre-approval services (e.g. planning and placement, and national cost attribution tools) and post-approval services (portfolio oversight and on-request support). You will manage a multi-disciplinary team of 12, including 5 Study Support Service Managers, providing strong leadership, clear direction, and support for professional development, while also contributing to national business planning and strategic priorities.

The role requires a confident and innovative leader who can work autonomously, make sound judgements, and drive improvements in how services are delivered. You will work closely with health and care organisations across the whole of the East of England, collaborating with delivery leaders to troubleshoot challenges and build capacity and capability to deliver research. You will also act as the primary escalation point for complex issues requiring regional or national resolution.

Examples of decisions you will make include:

• Determining the most effective allocation of team resources to meet service priorities.
• Deciding on the appropriate handling and escalation of complex study issues.
• Approving site delivery plans and making judgements on performance monitoring outcomes.

This is a role for a proactive leader who can balance operational delivery with strategic influence, fostering innovation while ensuring high-quality, consistent services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• 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 Study Support Service
• Collaborate with Local Specialty and Settings Leadership to align operational activities with strategic objectives
• Provide strategic support to research delivery sites, drawing on and contributing to national network intelligence
• Manage the Implementation and cascade of national strategic Study Support direction within the region and the local RRDN
• Support the contribution to collective national business planning for the Study Support and Partner Liaison services
• Contribute to 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
• Contribute to business planning for the Study Support Service and Partner Liaison functions, ensuring effective implementation and reporting

Please refer to the Job Description for the full specification of responsibilities and requirements for this post.