Job summary
This role is to become a member of the senior leadership team in a new service, the NIHR RRDN (National Institute for Health & Care Research Regional Research Delivery Network) supporting the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England for the benefit of patients, the health and care system and the economy.
Working together, the two RRDN Health & Care Research Directors (one Medical and one Nurse, Midwife or Allied Health Professional, (NMAHP)) will be the senior officers responsible for working with health and care professional leaders to support the development of research delivery leadership and associated staff. They will play a key leadership role in the on-going engagement, development and oversight in their respective communities of practice. The Medical Health & Care Research Director will coordinate the RRDN Specialty Leads.
The RRDN Health & Care Research Directors will develop and maintain positive and constructive relationships with health and care leaders in the RRDN region to ensure capacity and capability of the professional research workforce and facilitate cross-specialty and cross-setting collaborations and research.
This post is part time at 0.4WTE.
Full details of the role and expectations of the successful post holder can be found in the Job Description and Person Specification.
Main duties of the job
In collaboration with the RRDN Strategic Development Director, the RRDN Health & Care Research Directors will assist the development of the RRDN 3 year Strategic Plan. This plan will be in line with the national RDN (Research Delivery Network) strategic priorities and initiatives but translated into deliverable priorities for the RRDN region.
In collaboration with the RRDN Operations Director, they will coordinate the provision of expert proactive advice regarding study design to optimise deliverability and assist in the identification of sites and Principal Investigators, and provide reactive advice and support where study delivery or performance is an issue.
Alongside their regional responsibilities the RRDN Health & Care Research Directors will co-develop and lead national programmes of work in collaboration with the RDN Coordinating Centre (RDNCC).
For an informal discussion and further information regarding the opportunity and Directorate, please contact: Morag Burton on [email protected].
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion. We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Be accountable for appointing, coordinating and supporting the work of RRDN Specialty and Settings Leads. The Medical Health & Care Research Director to support the Specialty Leads and the NMAHP Health & Care Research Director to support the Settings Leads Facilitating and promoting cross-specialty and cross-setting collaborations Developing and maintaining positive and constructive relationships with health and care leaders to ensure capacity and capability of the professional research workforce Ensuring expert advice is provided to RDN leaders and their teams, along with RDN stakeholders regarding study design and delivery to optimise deliverability and assist in the identification of sites and Principal Investigators Providing expert advice to the research delivery workforce regarding study delivery Responsible for working with health and care professional leaders to support the workforce development of research delivery leadership and associated staff including clinical and non-clinical staff Working closely with the Regional Research Leadership Office to develop complementary activities regarding strategic workforce development Supporting and enabling RDN national strategies in the RRDN region to build research capacity and capability, particularly in respect of commercial research Coordinating the work of RDN Setting and Specialty Leads in the development and delivery of national and regional strategic development priorities Maintain expert and in-depth knowledge of the capacity and capabilities of the infrastructure, settings, sites and investigators available to support and deliver research in the RRDN region (particularly in respect of commercial research) Being a visible leader and actively promoting a culture of staff development, collaboration, positive staff experience, wellbeing and inclusion, and embedding patient, carer and public involvement within the RRDN at all appropriate levels of decision making Develop, lead and deliver significant national programmes of work on behalf of the RDN Board Actively promote equality of opportunity, inclusivity and diversity in the RDN, for research participation and RDN staff Engage effectively with NHS organisations to maximise reach, impact and delivery of the RDN and its initiatives Enable collaborative relationships through effective network leadership, acting as a role model for others Work with partners across the RRDN region and nationally to progress improvements and transformation activities ensuring the RDN can realise the opportunities which come from working across the wider health and social care system Be accountable for the development and delivery of strategies for increasing research capacity and capability inside and outside of the NHS, working with NHSE regional offices, ICSs, AHSNs, patients and the public Actively contribute to national NIHR community engagement initiatives to increase access to health and care research for under-served groups and lead regional strategies to deliver this across the RRDN region Establish mutually beneficial relationships with life sciences industry partners in collaboration with the RDNCC to maximise the opportunities available for the benefit of our population Champion the RDNs capacity and capability to support life sciences industry research and the contribution of the Life Sciences Industry to the NHS Drive forward the RDN strategies to support the needs of Life Sciences Industry research regionally and nationally Ensure that RRDN services provided to the Life Sciences Industry are provided consistently, within the required timeframes and to a high-quality standard and in line with identified national RDN requirements
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for further information.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Professional registration as a Medical Doctor
- Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register
- Masters level qualification or equivalent
- Management qualification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Comprehensive understanding of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patients
- Experience of working in the health and care research sector, the health and social care service sector or academic environment at a senior level
- Comprehensive understanding of the UK research pathway and funding
- Experience of co-creating and implementing strategies to build capacity and capability for the delivery of health and care research
- Experience in the design and leadership of health or care research in the UK
- Experience of developing and implementing remedial actions to support study deliverability
- Experience of identifying the need for and developing professional workforce development needs
- Professional research leadership, both strategic and operational at a senior level
- Experience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management
- Knowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research in NHS and non-NHS settings
- Experience of working collaboratively and in partnership with other organisations, with demonstrable experience of delivery across organisational boundaries
- Evidence of managing effective collaborations and partnerships
- Good understanding of performance management techniques
- Political astuteness and understanding of the health & social care context
- Comprehensive knowledge of programme sponsorship and management
- Experience of leading continuous improvement
Desirable
- Understanding of governance and legislative framework for clinical research in the NHS
- Executive level experience
- Experience of being a Chief or Principal Investigator for a health or care research study in the UK
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Highly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments
- Proven leadership skills in the management of change
- 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
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
- 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
- Ability to deal with challenging situations in a formal setting
- Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations
- Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information orally and in writing, both internally and externally, to a range of audiences
- Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments to a high standard (Board level quality)
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex management issues
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Ability to grasp critical issues and distil them into clear arguments/cases and be able to articulate these verbally or in written form
- Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities to tight deadlines
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to understand the long term or widespread implications of decisions
- Willingness to challenge existing practice
- Good IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications and MS Office applications
- Ability to travel to different locations across the region and nationally to attend meetings and conferences, representing the RDN
- Ability to use Google Suite products
Values I Behavioural I Attitudes
Essential
- Highly motivated with the ability to lead and inspire others
- Appreciation of the impact of organisational culture on service delivery
- Lives by values which include openness, collaboration, responsiveness, inclusion, personal integrity and creating positive cultures where these values thrive
- Commitment to supporting the development of staff and understanding of workforce planning
- Flexible approach to working
- Attention to detail
- Outcomes focussed
- Acts as a champion for patients and their interests, ensuring the patients' voice has an impact on RDN activities
- Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards in all they do
- Able to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the public
- Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others
- Consistently looks to improve what they do and seeks out innovation
- Self-awareness with regard to emotional intelligence, biases and sensitivities
- Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
LCRN Management 570000
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 3HD