Clinical Research Senior Administrator

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Research Senior Administrator within the Joint Clinical R&D Core Services team. This role will support the Governance & Operations Team and researchers in both The Royal Marsden and our academic partner the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).

The impact you will make: Every day in the UK, over 1,000 people of all ages are diagnosed with cancer. More than half will currently die from this devastating disease. Many survive with long-term effects that can reduce their quality of life. Also, cancer does not affect everyone equally. Some people and groups are more vulnerable, some are less likely to access modern medical innovations, and some are more likely to die from cancer. The Royal Marsden is recognised worldwide for the quality of its cancer services and is rated outstanding by the NHS regulator. The ICR is the only UK academic institution solely devoted to the understanding of cancer. Together, we have a long history of driving research that changes NHS care and practice, tackling the inequalities and challenges of cancer. Our shared vision is to improve outcomes for everyone at risk of and affected by cancer across the UK; through development of new approaches to prevention, more accurate and earlier diagnosis, and bespoke therapies, underpinned by smart use of data and technology.

Main duties of the job: The Clinical Research Senior Administrator is a member of The Royal Marsden’s Clinical Research Directorate, sitting within the Joint Clinical Research & Development Core Services. The purpose of the role is to support the governance and operations function and researchers, at both The Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), with the timely set-up and delivery of clinical research.

The ideal candidate will be proactive, highly organised with excellent attention to detail, and proficient in communicating with a wide range of stakeholders across The Royal Marsden and the ICR.

Working for our organisation: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:

• To be responsible for overseeing and managing the distribution of research contracts/agreements/policies and other documents, gaining the relevant R&D signatures required, where necessary, and maintaining accurate records.
• To support R&D management with projects relating to developing and maintaining data management systems for clinical research.
• To input and manage data relating to research projects on the R&D Database (EDGE), to provide reports to management, support workstreams/projects which ensure the database is kept up-to-date and accurate including processing trial status notifications.
• To be responsible for coordinating the management of a number of R&D generic inboxes on a regular rota basis.
• To be responsible for coordinating and managing approvals process for modifications (both site and RM/ICR sponsor).

Person specification:

• Educated to A-level standard (or equivalent).
• Commitment to continued professional development.
• Higher degree qualification (e.g. BSc) in a relevant subject.
• Experience of working in clinical research administration.
• Significant experience of working in an administrative environment.
• Experience of providing administrative support for high level committees.
• Experience of working with staff from a range of backgrounds and different levels of seniority.
• Experience in data entry and validation.
• Experience of working in an NHS or HEI environment.
• Experience of the EDGE clinical research database.

Skills / knowledge:

• Knowledge of the regulatory framework for conducting clinical research, and requirements for site and sponsor level approvals.
• Ability to work constructively as an individual; as part of a close-knit team; and as part of a wider research community.
• Excellent IT literacy: evidence of competence with MS Office, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Access.
• Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise workload.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.

Other requirements:

• Flexible attitude and capable of dealing with changing working conditions.
• Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role.

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application. All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff: At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease. The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.