At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead improvements in medical physics for health research, streamlining study set-up processes.
- Company: Health Research Authority, dedicated to enhancing health and care research.
- Benefits: Flexible working hours, professional development, and a supportive environment.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to inclusivity and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in health research and improve patient outcomes.
- Qualifications: HCPC registration, honours degree in physics, and significant medical physics experience.
The predicted salary is between 65808 - 75961 £ per year.
The Health Research Authority (HRA) is offering a new and exciting opportunity for senior, experienced members of the professional Medical Physics community working in health and care research. These roles will contribute to improving study set‑up by streamlining processes and supporting sites to take assurances, to reduce the time taken to set up research to 150 days or less, in line with the ambitious government target. We are seeking expert input and leadership to support this work, and appointments will be made from this pool of experienced professionals. Roles will be fixed‑term secondments, for one year with flexible whole‑time equivalents, recognising that they will be undertaken alongside existing professional responsibilities.
Successful individuals will work on behalf of the HRA to help develop improvements in set‑up and technical assurances provided for research involving radiation. We aim to support the NHS and Health and Social Care organisations (HSC Northern Ireland), reducing the need for local duplication where study level assurances and information can be provided, improving time to study activation in the UK. Successful individuals will work closely with HRA staff and existing experts who advise us, to support change in the NHS and HSC (Northern Ireland), encourage more colleagues to become registered technical reviewers, and to provide expertise and advice to industry sponsors and our UK partners.
Main duties of the job
- Help HRA increase central technical reviewer capacity so there are registered radiation technical reviewers in every NHS/HSC organisation selected to be a chief investigator or participating site.
- Help NHS/HSC organisations develop consistent approaches to study set‑up for radiation, building a standard way of operating when setting‑up research.
- Recommend improvements that could deliver quality Sponsor information and radiation technical information for set‑up.
- Deliver an agreed work package to develop and test new initiatives and existing assurances to improve their impact on site set‑up, removing unnecessary duplication of activity where possible.
- Further improve effectiveness and use of lead MPE and CRE reviews linking early information provision to feasibility at site selection, through to set‑up and NCVR.
- Help to develop and implement improvement initiatives that will strengthen industry confidence and study start‑up timelines.
- Contribute to the development of ideal pathway models aligned with the embedding of study‑wide assurance approaches and information for site set‑up within digital research systems.
- Contribute to the production of evidence for a long‑term operating model by December 2027.
We are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive working environment where we actively invest in the development and empowerment of our staff, enabling them to perform at their best. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
- HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist
- Honours degree in physics or other related subject (or equivalent)
- MSc in Medical Physics (or equivalent)
Professional appointments
- Appointed to a senior medical physics post (typically band 8b or higher) and acting as a Medical Physics Expert for one or more hospital departments that use ionising radiation
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Significant experience as a Lead MPE conducting IRAS ionising radiation reviews in Part B Section 3 or of carrying out set‑up as MPE in departments using ionising radiation in compliance with IRMER
- Current evidence of Continuing Professional Development
- Experience of local, regional, national management/planning/co‑ordination of radiation exposure reviews
Lead Technical Expert: Medical Physics in Bristol employer: Health Research Authority
The Health Research Authority (HRA) is an exceptional employer dedicated to enhancing health and care research through innovative leadership in Medical Physics. With a strong commitment to employee development, a supportive and inclusive work culture, and the opportunity to make a significant impact on study set-up processes, HRA offers a rewarding environment for professionals looking to contribute to meaningful advancements in healthcare. Located within the vibrant NHS framework, employees benefit from flexible working arrangements and the chance to collaborate with leading experts in the field.
