SENIOR STATISTICIAN (BAND 7) / STATISTICIAN (BAND 6) DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE
An exciting opportunity has opened to join the Research Data & Statistics Unit (RDSU) as Senior Statistician or Statistician within The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
Together with academic partner, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), we are the largest cancer centre in Europe and the only National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) specialising in cancer. The Royal Marsden Clinical Trials Unit (RMCTU) has full accreditation from UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Registered Clinical Trials Units Network, and statisticians within our team link to the NIHR statistics group.
As a team we work together to support all our staff to identify and work towards their individual development goals, and to recognise and value their own and others contributions towards the wider impact of RM as a whole.
Qualifications
- A post‑graduate qualification in medical statistics is required, or equivalent experience.
- For the senior role, extensive experience in clinical trials and/or expertise in complex trial methodology is desirable.
Vacancies are full‑time, initially for two years, based in Sutton and/or Chelsea, with possibility of hybrid working.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be part of the Research Data and Statistics Unit (RDSU), which provides expert support and advice relating to the full range of statistical and analytical aspects of the Trust’s portfolio of sponsored clinical research studies. The focus of the role is involvement in all aspects of study methodology, protocol development, eCRF design, data handling, statistical analysis, and publication of results. The post holder will support the statistical requirements of the Royal Marsden Clinical Trials Unit (RMCTU), which is a registered UKCRC trials unit. Band 7 post holders may be expected to have management responsibilities of junior statisticians within the team, which would involve ensuring they are trained to a competent level and have a development plan in place.
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
- Maintain knowledge of global Good Clinical Practice guidelines (ICH GCP E6 (R3)), and ensure all work is carried out in compliance with relevant legislation (the MHRA Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 for UK studies, and EU Clinical Trials Regulation for EU studies).
- Gain a good knowledge of the clinical features, management and treatment of the disease being studied, and keep updated of any developments in the area.
- Liaise with, advise and educate clinicians on the statistical design and analysis aspects of clinical trials and research studies.
- Contribute to high‑quality grant applications, as required.
- Liaise with and support data managers and trial coordinators to ensure data quality.
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
- Good honours degree or equivalent in a subject with a statistical component.
- Higher qualification in statistics or appropriate experience in applied statistics, preferably in the role of medical statistician.
Experience
- Experience in contributing to the statistical design of clinical trials.
- Experience of carrying out survival analysis and the application of other relevant statistical techniques.
- Experience of presenting complex statistical information so that it is understandable to users without statistical knowledge.
- Awareness of research governance issues in clinical trials.
- Evidence of publications in peer‑reviewed journals.
- Evidence of collaboration on successful grant applications for clinical trial funding.
- Expertise in complex trial methodology including but not limited to platform designs, adaptive trials, Bayesian methodology and research for rare diseases.
- Experience of managing staff.
Skills, abilities & knowledge
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to select an appropriate methodology when analysing data.
- Good working knowledge of STATA or similar statistical analysis packages.
- Excellent statistical analysis skills.
- Report writing and written presentation skills.
- Good knowledge of the disease process and treatment of cancer.
The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of under‑represented 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.
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 possible against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. 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 utmost importance to us, and it is the expectation that all patient‑facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) and Order 2020. A Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required to confirm no previous criminal convictions.
