Participant Management Lead - 24 Month FTC (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and Lo[...]

Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, focused on creating a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project, we support the NHS’s world-first national whole genome sequencing service and run the growing National Genomic Research Library, alongside delivering numerous major genomics initiatives. By connecting research and clinical care at national scale, we enable immediate healthcare benefits and advances for the future. Our mission is to provide the evidence and digital systems so that by 2035 genomics could play a role in up to half of all healthcare interactions, whilst securing the UK’s position as the best place to discover, prove and benefit from genomic innovations.

We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody. Behind the Healthcare and Research outcomes, Genomics England delivers through designing, developing and operating complex healthcare software systems. We’re on the cusp of big changes with the real prospect of genomics becoming the fabric of everyday healthcare through the lifetime – from birth to old age.

Genomics England is looking for a Participant Management Lead to develop and advance the organisation’s approach to participant management, ensuring that individuals are recognised, supported, and engaged throughout their involvement with the National Genomic Research Library (NGRL). In this role, you will be responsible for establishing a robust vision and strategic roadmap, laying the groundwork for effective and ethical participant management. This will include overseeing the ongoing management of consent preferences and facilitating appropriate opportunities to reconnect with participants for future research initiatives. Success in this position will require a deep understanding of previous methodologies across various participant groups, such as supporting children as they transition to adulthood, to create a consistent and enduring experience for all.

The Participant Management Lead will work in close partnership with colleagues across multiple teams to embed a dependable, participant-focused system that underpins long-term research, engagement objectives, and Genomics England’s ethical commitments. Please note this role is based on a 24-month fixed term contract.

Everyday responsibilities include:

• Shape and communicate the long-term vision for participant management, ensuring it supports Genomics England’s mission and can be applied across programmes at different stages.
• Define and establish the foundations of participant management, including processes, roles, and ways of working that enable consistent, ethical engagement and consent management.
• Understand the needs of different participant groups and use these insights to inform system requirements, service design, and future engagement approaches.
• Develop and maintain a practical roadmap of short, medium, and long-term priorities, integrating plans with organisational governance and risk management.
• Task manage a small team with expertise in service design, user research, product management, ethics, and clinical knowledge to deliver the roadmap and key initiatives.
• Collaborate across teams including data, engineering, clinical, ethics, and research to ensure participant management is integrated and not siloed.
• Oversee the definition and implementation of participant-facing processes, such as consent capture, preference management, withdrawals, and recontacting participants.
• Champion ethical, transparent, and participant-centred practices, supporting decision-making, strengthening public trust, and ensuring responsible data stewardship.

Skills and experience for success:

• Experienced in leading complex, cross-team programmes and turning emerging or unclear areas into structured plans.
• Skilled at influencing senior stakeholders and building alignment without relying on formal authority.
• Proven track record in designing or improving services, systems, and processes at an organisational scale.
• Skilled in shaping business cases, procurement processes, and build vs. buy decisions.
• Communicates clearly with technical, clinical, operational, and senior audiences.
• Values-driven, thoughtful, and comfortable working in ethically sensitive or regulated environments.
• Collaborative, pragmatic, and calm under pressure, able to navigate ambiguity and long-term challenges effectively.
• Experienced in engaging with participants, patients, or service users over time.
• Knowledgeable in consent, data governance, and long-term records management.
• Background in health, research, public sector, or other complex organisational environments.

Qualifications: MSc or equivalent in a health related field.

Additional Information: Salary from £90,000. The successful candidate will be required to come to our Canary Wharf office once per week. Please provide a cover letter explaining how your skills and experience align with this role and its requirements. Closing date for applications - Friday 6th March.

Being an integral part of such a meaningful mission is extremely rewarding in itself, but in order to support our people, we’re continually improving our benefits package. We pride ourselves on investing in our people and supporting them to achieve their career goals, as well as offering a benefits package including:

• Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, additional leave for long service, and the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
• Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
• Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
• Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.

Equal opportunities and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace: Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background. Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part-time or employed under a permanent or a fixed-term contract or any other relevant factor. Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties. Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity. We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us.

Culture: We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage, in order for us to achieve our mission. These behaviours help us all work well together, deliver on our outcomes, celebrate our successes and share feedback with each other.

Blended working model: Genomics England operates a blended working model as we know our people appreciate the flexibility that hybrid working can bring. We expect most people to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month. However, this will vary according to role and will be agreed with your team leader. There is no expectation that people will return to the office full time unless they want to, however, some of our roles require full time on site attendance e.g., lab teams, reception team. Our teams and squads have, and will continue to reflect on what works best for them to work together successfully and have the freedom to design working patterns to suit, beyond the minimum. Our office locations are: Canary Wharf, Cambridge and Leeds.

Onboarding background checks: As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We therefore require applicants to disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may mean we are unable to proceed with your application due to the nature of our work in healthcare.