Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement Coordinator (Data Science) in Kingston upon Thames

The Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) together with its academic partner The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) form the only specialist cancer NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) that supports translational clinical research into cancer diagnosis and treatment. The BRC goal is to increase cancer cure rates with smarter, kinder treatments which significantly reduce immediate and long-term side effects.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement (PPI/E) Coordinator in clinical research. The vision of our BRC & CRF Strategy for Involving and Engaging People in Cancer Research | TRM CancerBRC (2022-27) is to ensure that diverse public and patient voices are heard in all we do; in contributing to translational research, leading to the best cancer treatment alongside outstanding patient experiences.

This role will facilitate patient and public involvement and engagement in these ambitious programmes of work. The ideal candidate will have professional experience of patient, public and community involvement and engagement in research setting and of communicating with diverse members of the public. A working knowledge of the benefits, issues and initiatives related to PPI/E in research is essential.

Patients, their carers, and families are at the heart of everything we do. Working with, engaging and involving them is essential to continue improving the quality of care we provide and the research we conduct as a world leading cancer services and research provider. The vision of the NHIR BRC & CRF Strategy for Involving and Engaging People in Cancer Research | TRM CancerBRC is to ensure that diverse public and patient voices from all backgrounds are heard in everything we do; in contributing to translational research, leading to the best cancer treatment alongside outstanding patient experiences.

This role will facilitate implementation of the above vision and in particularly supporting Data Science and including the Integrated Discovery & Diagnostics (IDD) programme. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that combines statistics, computer science, and domain expertise to extract meaningful insights from data. In healthcare, this means analysing large and complex datasets—such as electronic health records, genetic information, and clinical trial results—to identify patterns, predict outcomes, and improve patient care. By applying machine learning algorithms and statistical models, data science can help detect disease earlier, personalise treatments, and optimise healthcare delivery.

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.

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:

• Develop a patient and public involvement and engagement action plan in collaboration with the Head of PPI/E, the Head of Clinical Research Infrastructure, and other stakeholders, to promote and facilitate involvement and engagement in Data Strategy projects and programmes, i.e. the IDD programme.
• Support and coordinate patient and public involvement and engagement plans in Data Science projects and programmes, i.e. the IDD programme.
• Support the Head of PPI/E with PPI/E training and support activities aimed to both professionals and patient and public contributors, i.e. record keeping, registrations and coordination. These may include virtual and online activities, the Training and Support Programme, training through Learning and Development, coaching and mentoring.
• Support the Head of PPI/E and PPI/E Coordinator (Community & Digital) with other PPI/E digital and community activities, i.e. the Cancer Patient Platform, organising and facilitating community events, workshops, focus groups and other activities.
• Actively engage and inform local partners, organisations, and communities about the NIHR BRC at the Royal Marsden and the ICR and PPI/E opportunities and encourage equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Experience in training and support will be a bonus. The post holder will always work with a high degree of discretion and initiative, respecting confidentiality of information.

This position is full-time (37 hours/week) fixed-term (1 year) contract, based in Sutton with occasional travel to Chelsea and home and/or flexible working as required and agreed with the line manager.

Experience of working in Data Science projects, including AI and or diagnostics, as well as experience of using information technology solutions to produce reports, create and maintain databases, prepare presentations, and efficiently provide information are equally essential.

For an informal discussion please contact Dr Markella Boudioni, Head of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, markella.boudioni@rmh.nhs.uk

Education/Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• MSc in Data Science or further qualifications

Experience & Knowledge:

• Experience of patient, public, community and other stakeholder engagement in research setting at a level suitable to facilitate credibility and positive relations with staff, patients, members of the public and communities
• Experience of working in research within an academic, healthcare, research charity or similar environment
• A working knowledge of the benefits, issues and initiatives related to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPI/E)
• Experience of engaging with diverse patients, carers and communities in a professional capacity, and understanding of their dynamics, needs and challenges
• Experience of managing a website or digital platform
• Experience of using information technology solutions to produce reports, create and maintain databases, prepare presentations, and efficiently provide information
• Experience in performing data quality reviews and providing feedback and solutions to senior management
• Experience of writing high quality reports and presenting results of work to senior colleagues and management
• Experience of working on Data Science projects, including AI and/or Software as Medical Device
• Experience of delivering or supporting training programmes and activities
• Experience of writing blogs in lay format, translating academic / research work into lay language
• Experience of using social media in a professional capacity
• A working knowledge of Data Protection legislation

Skills Abilities/knowledge:

• Strong relationship building skills at both public and professional level, with the ability to interact in a manner that builds sustainable trust and confidence, in patient and public involvement and community engagement
• Good knowledge of a range of communication and engagement approaches (both patients / public and professionals)
• Excellent team worker, able to listen and understand different points of view but also work towards a shared goal
• Self-motivated, with a track record of working successfully on own initiative, as well as part of a team and larger organisation
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with a proven ability to coordinate and deliver projects with a PPI/E agenda
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of groups and colleagues and translate academic / research language into lay language
• Friendly, collaborative and outgoing, with excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to build effective working relationships
• Commitment to own learning and professional development and that of others
• Computer literate, with knowledge of MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams and zoom

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.

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.