Lead Manager for Research, Development and Innovation in Burnley

The post holder will provide operational leadership for the R&D Department at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH) working closely with the Director of Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I), the Senior Research and Development (R&D) team, and over 80 research nurses and research active clinicians, as well as key stakeholders particularly academic and life science partners.

The post holder will oversee the successful running of the BTH R&D Department as well as BTH's National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC). BTH R&D collaborates closely with the NIHR, DOH and commercial sponsors alongside our colleagues from the 35 partner CRDCs. This role will involve working closely with commercial sponsors, Contract Research Organisations (CROs) and the ABPI. The post holder will also work with the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network North-West (NIHR RRDN NW), the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) hosted by Blackpool Council, and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) as partners in their recent NIHR BRC bid.

Main Duties of the Job

• To manage the successful delivery of research studies at BTH, planning and coordinating significant multi-disciplinary research activities, and ensuring the right delivery team is available and in place.
• To manage the successful delivery of late-phase commercial clinical research through the NIHR Blackpool CRDC including business development to ensure a robust pipeline of studies.
• Increase research income from all sources, including academic appointments and peer-reviewed publications.
• Increase research capacity and capability in Trust employees.
• Review research delivery against agreed performance metrics, NIHR CRDC KPIs and NIHR high-level objectives.
• Maximise patient recruitment to target, Trust research income and research patient and industry survey outcomes.
• Provide specialist advice and training on all aspects of research methodology and process, interpreting legislative and regulatory requirements, and offer methodological guidance to researchers.
• Work with the NIHR RRDN NW to secure recurring R&D funding and bid for increased NIHR budget.
• Lead, together with the Director of RD&I, in developing and managing Trust operational plans under the umbrella of the BTH Strategy, covering both Research and Innovation.
• Manage and support Trust 'sponsored' research projects and service evaluation projects.
• Assist and advise researchers in funding projects and ensure project management is reported to the R&D Committee.
• Support, promote and manage implementation of the Trust Risk Management Strategy within the R&D department, including incident reporting, adverse incidents and management of complaints.
• Deputise for the Director of RD&I at certain meetings.
• Promote team effectiveness and innovation.
• Provide effective leadership and management of staff within the core R&D department, ensuring effective team communications, workforce planning, recruitment, performance, conduct, appraisals and ongoing development.
• Maintain high levels of individual and team engagement, attendance and innovation.
• Actively promote quality in the team by making clear standards, expectations, monitoring progress and taking action where standards fall short.
• Generate research income through increasing the number of commercially and charitably funded studies and through successful grant applications.
• Support the implementation of the National Contract Review Process (NCRP) nationally.
• Lead on the full costing of research projects, both academic and commercial, utilising all necessary tools and working with Finance colleagues to maximise recovery of costs from external funders.
• Manage research budgets across the Trust, working with Finance on appropriate policy development for successful management of such budgets.
• Ensure all R&D projects and reporting requirements meet quality and compliance standards as mandated locally and nationally in a timely manner.
• Promote the profile of Nursing and AHP research within the Trust, including the use of the Intern programmes currently run by HEE and other NIHR bodies.
• Take the lead on communications between the Trust and all NIHR infrastructure regarding resource allocations, staffing and sharing good practice.
• Work with the BTH Communications team and NIHR Communications teams to create a Research Communications Strategy for internal and external audiences.
• Ensure that research by Trust staff has appropriate dissemination through the Trust, local media, the health economy and the health sciences (peer-reviewed journals).
• Actively promote research at the Trust through a variety of channels.
• Present to local, regional, national and potentially international audiences.

Working for Our Organisation

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people. We employ over 7,000 people from 68 different countries and welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Working patterns such as part-time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Person Specification

Education and Qualification – Essential Criteria

• Master's degree or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Extensive NHS experience within a senior management role.
• Specialist professional knowledge of research management acquired through a degree or equivalent experience in NHS, HEIs or Industry.
• Experience in developing and maintaining partnerships with key stakeholders across the NHS, HEIs and Industry.
• Experience of conducting research.
• Experience of clinical research management at a senior level for the conduct of clinical research studies in accordance with the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and applicable UK regulations.
• Experience of budget planning and financial management.
• Experience of managing teams.
• Experience of change management, including leading and motivating staff during periods of change.
• Experience of developing and delivering training programmes.
• Experience of working collaboratively across professional services.
• Experience of managing databases.
• Experience of managing a busy admin office.
• Experience of developing and implementing NHS Trust corporate policies and guidelines.

Desirable Criteria

• PhD degree.
• Management or other relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Experience of liaising with and submitting research proposals to ethics/research/grant funding bodies.
• Experience of developing and implementing your own research project(s) leading to presentation(s) and/or publication(s).
• Experience in developing NHS innovations.
• Experience of working within a research management and governance environment.
• Experience of managing researchers undertaking research projects.
• Experience of coordinating multi-professional projects across and/or between large organisations.
• Clean, full driving licence.

Experience and Knowledge – Essential Criteria

• Knowledge of the current strategies for the delivery of the National Health and Life Sciences Research Agenda in a UK knowledge-based economy.
• Knowledge of the governance and legislative framework for conducting clinical research including Good Clinical Practice.
• Understanding of the NHS/NIHR R&D funding and management structures.

Desirable Criteria – Experience and Knowledge

• Awareness and understanding of health and social care.
• Good working knowledge of clinical audit and clinical effectiveness.
• Specialist knowledge of research techniques, analysis and use of information as applied to clinical research.

Skills and Ability – Essential Criteria

• Proven leadership skills.
• Able to motivate and engage colleagues and teams from different professional disciplines.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others and is committed to teamwork.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to respond effectively to multiple priorities.
• Ability to develop internal and external networks.
• Able to build credibility quickly and sustain it across a wide spectrum of the Organisation.
• Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information both orally and in writing, internally and externally.
• Critical appraisal skills.
• High-level project management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to prepare and deliver presentations and reports to a high standard.
• Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and make judgements regarding a range of research management issues.
• Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities to tight deadlines.
• Excellent IT skills and advanced keyboard skills.
• Adaptable, flexible and willing to commit to achieving results and meeting deadlines.
• Sets high standards and is motivated to achieve these, committed, enthusiastic, innovative.
• Shows initiative and demonstrates a proactive rather than reactive mindset.
• Responds positively to a team ethos.
• Aware of own limitations.
• Able to work autonomously.
• Promotes an environment of continuous learning and innovation.

Desirable Criteria – Skills and Ability

• Clean, full driving licence.