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- Tasks: Lead and improve the researcher journey for a groundbreaking health research programme.
- Company: Join Our Future Health, the UK's largest health research initiative.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous holiday, pension scheme, and wellbeing support.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in health research while leading cross-functional teams.
- Qualifications: Senior experience in service journeys, strong collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
- Other info: Flexible working arrangements and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The predicted salary is between 85000 - 115000 £ per year.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of Researcher Operations who will be responsible for designing, stewarding, and continuously improving the end-to-end service level operational efficiency of the researcher journey, ensuring it is transparent, compliant, and user centred. They provide process ownership, experience leadership, and cross-functional oversight – not operational delivery of access, technology, or product development.
The Director of Researcher Operations is accountable for the end-to-end operating model that underpins researcher access and delivery. This includes process design, governance, performance management, controls, and continuous improvement across all stages of the researcher lifecycle. Examples include overseeing deployment of new products such as researcher CRM, customer support, billing, access management, airlock management.
Our Future Health will be the UK’s largest ever health research programme, bringing people together to develop new ways to detect, prevent, and treat diseases. We are a charity, supported by the UK Government, in partnership with charities and industry. We work closely with the NHS and with public authorities across all nations and regions of the UK.
What you’ll be doing:
This role ensures that multiple contributing functions (Commercial, Access, Technology, Product, Governance, Legal) operate as a single, coherent system, with clear ownership, handovers, standards, and performance expectations. Your key responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
- Own and maintain the end-to-end researcher operating model and journey blueprint.
- Lead cross-functional governance for onboarding, support, monitoring, and offboarding, including clear handovers and issue resolution.
- Set experience standards, service expectations, SLAs, and documentation to ensure consistent, high-quality researcher interactions.
- Define and oversee the framework for researcher support, including service standards, KPIs, escalation pathways, and quality measures across all channels.
- Use analytics and insight to monitor journey performance, identify friction, and drive evidence-based improvements.
- Lead regular service reviews and ensure learnings inform product roadmaps, access processes, and support models.
- Provide leadership for the operations function, fostering collaboration, service excellence, and continuous professional development.
To succeed in this role, you will have some of the following skills:
- Senior experience leading complex, multi-step service journeys in research, health data, digital, or regulated environments.
- Proven ability to orchestrate cross-functional processes without direct line management of delivery teams.
- Strong understanding of data access governance, research operations, ethical approvals, and secure research environments (e.g. TREs).
- Experience working closely with Product, Engineering, Governance, and Operations to deliver cohesive user experiences.
- Background in customer service, operations, and operational excellence.
- Confident managing senior stakeholders across academia, industry, and the public sector.
- Exceptional influencing and collaboration skills, with a structured, service-design-led approach to problem solving.
- Values-driven leader with strong communication skills, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to balance strategic oversight with operational detail.
Salary and Benefits:
- From £99,000 per annum basic salary.
- Generous Pension Scheme – We invest in your future with employer contributions of up to 12%.
- 30 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays – Enjoy a generous holiday allowance with the flexibility to take bank holidays when it suits you.
- Enhanced Parental Leave – Supporting you during life’s biggest moments.
- Cycle to Work Scheme – Save 25-39% on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice.
- Home & Tech Savings – Get up to 8% off on IKEA and Currys products, spreading the cost over 12 months through salary sacrifice.
- £1,000 Employee Referral Bonus – Know someone amazing? Get rewarded for bringing them on board!
- Wellbeing Support – Access to Mental Health First Aiders, plus 24/7 online GP services and an Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
- A Great Place to Work – We have a lovely Central London office in Holborn, and offer flexible and remote working arrangements.
Join us - let’s prevent disease together.
Closing date 11.02.2025 at 5:00pm
At Our Future Health, we recognise the importance of having a diverse workforce and ensuring that all candidates, regardless of their background, have equitable access to our application process. We proactively encourage applicants who identify as having a disability, neurodiversity, or long-term health conditions to let us know if they require any reasonable adjustments as part of their application process.
If you do require any reasonable adjustments, please email us at talent@ourfuturehealth.org.uk
Director of Researcher Operations employer: Our Future Health
Contact Detail:
Our Future Health Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Researcher Operations
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your field, especially those who work at Our Future Health. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info about the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by understanding the researcher journey inside out. Be ready to discuss how you’d improve operational efficiency and enhance user experience – that’s what they’re all about!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills! Think of examples where you’ve successfully led cross-functional teams or improved processes. They want to see how you can drive collaboration and service excellence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team at Our Future Health.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Researcher Operations
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in leading complex service journeys. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Director of Researcher Operations, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: This role is all about leadership and collaboration. Use your application to demonstrate how you've successfully managed cross-functional teams and driven operational excellence in previous roles. We love seeing examples of your influencing and problem-solving skills!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, clarity is key! Make sure your points are easy to read and straight to the point. We appreciate a well-structured application that clearly outlines your qualifications and experiences without unnecessary fluff.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for the best chance of success. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to keep track of your application status. Plus, we love seeing applications come in through our own platform!
How to prepare for a job interview at Our Future Health
✨Understand the Researcher Journey
Before your interview, take the time to thoroughly understand the end-to-end researcher journey. Familiarise yourself with the key stages and processes involved, as well as the challenges researchers face. This will help you articulate how your experience aligns with the role and demonstrate your commitment to improving their journey.
✨Showcase Cross-Functional Collaboration
Be prepared to discuss your experience in leading cross-functional teams. Highlight specific examples where you've successfully orchestrated processes across different functions like Commercial, Access, and Technology. This will show that you can operate effectively without direct line management and can foster collaboration among diverse teams.
✨Emphasise Data-Driven Decision Making
Since the role involves using analytics to monitor performance and drive improvements, come equipped with examples of how you've used data to inform decisions in previous roles. Discuss any KPIs or metrics you've implemented and how they led to tangible improvements in service delivery.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Management Scenarios
Given the need to manage senior stakeholders, think of scenarios where you've influenced decision-making or resolved conflicts. Be ready to share how you navigated complex stakeholder landscapes, particularly in regulated environments, and how you ensured alignment on service expectations and standards.
