Clinical Research Programme Lead (12-month mat cover)

We are the UK's specialist blood cancer charity and our vision is clear: we’re here to beat blood cancer. We fund world-class research; provide information and support to patients and their loved ones; and raise awareness of blood cancer. In this role, you’ll lead major clinical research programmes, including a strategic clinical trial funding scheme, build strong partnerships across the research community, and oversee the UK Blood Cancer Research Network. You’ll help shape funding opportunities, ensure robust programme governance, and champion meaningful involvement of people affected by blood cancer to drive impactful, patient-centred research.

We’re looking for someone with experience delivering research funding programmes, strong knowledge of UK clinical research, and excellent communication and relationship-building skills. You’ll be confident managing multiple projects, using data and technology, and working with diverse stakeholders. A relevant science background and ability to improve systems and processes will help you thrive.

We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. In line with our strategy, we welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minority communities, and applicants with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, governance, and delivery of strategic clinical research programmes, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy and funding priorities.
• Identify and develop new clinical funding opportunities aligned with the organisation’s research strategy.
• Establish and oversee programme governance structures and committees so that funding decisions, performance management, and risk oversight are robust, transparent and evidence-led.
• Foster engagement and collaboration across clinical and research communities to support innovative blood cancer research and strengthen relationships that accelerate clinical research progress.
• Oversee the development, coordination and governance of the UK Blood Cancer Research Network (including its clinical study groups, patient network and early-career researcher network), which identifies research priorities and develops impactful studies for patient benefit.
• Promote inclusion, involvement, and career development across the research community to ensure diverse voices shape research and that early career researchers and clinicians are supported to thrive.
• Lead strategic research programmes to build capacity in blood cancer clinical research, including access to clinical trials, and addressing barriers to clinical-academic careers and research delivery.
• Embed meaningful involvement of people affected by blood cancer in programme design and delivery so that research priorities and study development reflect community needs and experience.
• Collaborate with internal teams to integrate research initiatives effectively across the organisation, including impact measures and reporting for clinical programmes.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including across our systems influencing work and clinical trial support service, aligning strategic projects and insights from clinical practice to inform programme development.
• Manage the operational budgeting for clinical programmes and network, working with the Deputy Director of Research, to ensure accurate planning, forecasting and reporting that supports organisational decision making.
• Lead, support and develop the Clinical Research Administrator so that high-quality operational support underpins programme delivery and team objectives are met.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

• Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of the clinical research funding and trial delivery sectors in the UK.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a science subject relevant to blood cancer research.
• Knowledge of science subjects relevant to blood cancer research (e.g. biology, biomedical sciences, oncology).
• Familiarity with strategic research funding and programme delivery.

• Strong relationship management and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills for engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including the ability to translate complex information for different audiences.
• Project and time management skills – managing multiple projects efficiently.
• Comfortable with and enthusiastic about using technology, data, and new ways of working including an understanding of grant management systems.

• Experience of delivering large-scale research programmes, for example in research administration and management (pre-or post-award).
• Experience working with and delivering outcomes for diverse stakeholders in research environments.
• Proven track record of improving or adapting systems/processes in a research funding or programme delivery setting.

About Blood Cancer UK

We welcome conversations about part-time working, job shares, and all forms of flexible working right from application stage. You can get in touch with us if you want to ask us anything about flexible working.

Benefits

• 30 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme and Life Assurance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, as well as study leave and a day off to move house
• Wellbeing is a priority for us, we offer a wide range of individual and team support in our Wellbeing Hub
• Our Academy is our in-house Continued Professional Development (CPD) learning and development programme, including an internal mentoring scheme.
• Cycle to work and season ticket loans
• Opportunity to take sabbaticals

Location

Working agile means we changed from having a culture where people are expected to be in the office from 9am to 5pm to one where we’re much more focused on what they deliver. We’ve built a positive culture where autonomy, trust, wellbeing and flexibility allow us to recruit and retain the very best people.

How to Apply

We ask you to send us a CV and cover letter. In your cover letter, we’d like to know why you’re interested in working with us at Blood Cancer UK. It’s also helpful if you tell us why you think you are a great candidate for this role based on the skills, knowledge and expertise section above. Your cover letter doesn’t have to be too long – 1–2 pages is ideal.

Why Work at Blood Cancer UK?

We’re the 9th best charity in the UK to work for according to Best Companies 2021! When you join Blood Cancer UK, you don’t just become an organisational employee – you become part of a collaborative community dedicated to funding research into beating blood cancer.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. To this end we would welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minority communities.