Operations Director

Main area: Research and Development

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8d

Contract: Permanent

Hours:

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (3 days in the office, 2 days working from home)

Job ref: 196-SMT1658

Employer: Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Guy’s Hospital

Town: London

Salary: £96,340 – £109,849 per annum incl. HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 16/01/2025 23:59

Interview date: 17/02/2025

Operations Director

NHS AfC: Band 8d

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Job overview

We are looking to appoint a highly motivated, experienced and enthusiastic individual to undertake this newly created senior role of Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) Operations Director. You will be the senior officer responsible for the operational services of the RRDN. These services are delivered for the RRDN, partner organisations and research funders, with particular emphasis on addressing the needs of the life sciences industry (across both commercial contract and commercial collaborative research). The expectation is that the successful applicant will commence in post by no later than 1 July 2024.

Main duties of the job

The RRDN Operations Director is the senior officer responsible for the operational services of the RRDN. These services include Study Support, Agile Research Support, regional support for Active National Delivery, Financial Management & Business Operations. The RRDN Operations Director line manages the Service/Team Leaders for the defined operational services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Be responsible for ensuring research sites have an appropriate level of funding in line with their plans to support and deliver the core NHS service support activities.
• Be responsible for working in collaboration with regional R&D departments in order to support those departments in the delivery of their studies.
• Be responsible for the management, coordination and delivery of the following key RRDN services: Study Support Service (including Enhanced, On-Demand Study Support); Agile Research Support; Active National Delivery (regional contribution); Commercial Services; Financial management (including Excess Treatment Costs); Business Operations.
• Be responsible for the coordination of AcoRD (Attributing the costs of health & social Care Research and Development) Specialists and National Contract Value Reviewers.
• Budgetary management for the RRDN hosted services, NHS support costs allocation and the Operations element of the RRDN funding allocation (total RRDN funding to be £35m per annum per RRDN on average).
• Leading regional and supporting national initiatives to support research delivery needs of the life sciences industry, including acting as a key account manager.
• Developing mechanisms and support for RRDN partner organisations to recover costs from commercial research funders in a timely and efficient manner.
• 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.
• Support the development of a 3-year RRDN Strategic Implementation Plan in line with the RDN strategic aims and national 3-year plan.
• Be accountable for ensuring that all necessary contracts or agreements required are in place before funds are provided to research sites.
• 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.
• 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.

Person specification

Knowledge/Qualifications

• Masters level qualification or equivalent.

Experience

• 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 managing health and care research support services including the allocation of both funding and human resources.
• Experience of developing and managing high quality customer centric services for commercial and non-commercial customers.
• Comprehensive understanding of life science industry’s needs and requirements with regard to health and care research.
• Experience of contributing to the development of national policy or strategies and translating those into regional plans.
• Professional research leadership, both strategic and operational at a senior level.
• Experience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management.
• Significant experience of managing a large budget with solid knowledge of financial process requirements.
• Direct experience of business planning and robust financial management at appropriate scale.
• 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.
• Knowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework.
• Political astuteness and understanding of the health & social care context.
• Comprehensive knowledge of programme sponsorship and management.
• Experience of leading continuous improvement.
• Understanding of governance and legislative framework for clinical research in the NHS.

Skills

• 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.
• 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 and behaviours

• 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.
• Outcomes focused.
• 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.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitably according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or studies at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation, we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Your e-mail address is important to us – We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

Please apply for this post by clicking “Apply Online Now.”

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