Research Operations Manager - Sarcoma Unit

Research Operations Manager - Sarcoma Unit

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Main area Sarcoma Research Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 282-CR1832

Employer The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Marsden Hospital Chelsea Town Chelsea Salary £66,274 - £73,496 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 10/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Research Operations Manager to join our Sarcoma Clinical Research Unit. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal leadership role in delivering a world-class portfolio of clinical research studies that directly impact the lives of patients with sarcoma.

Working alongside leading clinicians, researchers, research nurses, the wider multidisciplinary team and operational colleagues, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for a diverse portfolio of commercial, non-commercial and investigator-initiated clinical trials.

We are looking for an accomplished clinical research professional with strong leadership, operational and financial management skills. If you are passionate about clinical research, experienced in trial management, and thrive in a dynamic leadership environment, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Take responsibility for ensuring all clinical trials within the sarcoma clinical research unit are set-up, conducted and managed in accordance with Good Clinical Practice, all relevant Standard Operating Procedures, and relevant legislation / governance.
• Manage and lead the administrative / operational team of the sarcoma clinical research unit.
• Manage and oversee the finances and budget of the sarcoma clinical research unit, ensuring a balanced portfolio which enables sufficient income generation for the sustainability and development of the team.
• Co‑de‑develop and be responsible for the operational delivery of the strategy of the sarcoma clinical research unit, in conjunction with the consultants / researchers and Lead Research Nurse.

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:

• Identify gaps in procedure, policy, information and staff knowledge relevant to research within the division/area of responsibility and devise appropriate systems to fill them and improve performance.
• Attend and represent the unit at relevant meetings. Ensure an environment that is conducive to the development and delivery of clinical research, that is empowering for staff, and is responsive to changing needs and strategy.
• Ensure facilities and other resources are available to meet service needs, including analysing and managing space requirements
• Build alliances and working partnerships.
• Observe and comply with the relevant policies and procedures for health and safety ensuring the environment in which you and your staff work is safe, clean and tidy.
• Comply with standard infection control precautions to prevent or minimise the spread of micro‑organisms and communicable diseases to patients, staff and surrounding community.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

• Life sciences (or equivalent) undergraduate degree or relevant experience;
• Research methods education;
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development;
• Recent GCP training;

Experience / Knowledge

• Experience as a senior trial coordinator or above working in a clinical research environment in the NHS;
• Detailed knowledge of clinical trials, UK Clinical trial regulations, GCP and regulatory framework;
• Experience of clinical trial and portfolio budget / finance management;
• Personal and leadership management experience;
• Experience in delivering teaching programmes;
• Competence in research orientated PC software (Access, Excel, SPSS);

Skills / Abilities

• Advanced organisational skills and ability to manage multiple projects at various stages of development and organisation;
• Excellent cross-disciplinary/interagency communication skills and ability to facilitate collaborative working relationships;
• Ability to appraise junior staff through performance review
• Confident and articulate;
• Ability to make decisions, organise and prioritise;
• Ability to innovate and respond to change;
• Able to work unsupervised;
• Ability to initiate and drive original research;

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.