Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and highly organised Research Programme Manager to join The Royal Marsden on a 9-month maternity cover contract.
This is a pivotal role, providing operational leadership for a prestigious, multi-million-pound NIHR-funded research programme, delivered in partnership with leading academic and clinical organisations. The postholder will play a key role in ensuring continuity of programme delivery, governance, and stakeholder engagement during the absence of the substantive post holder.
In addition to programme management responsibilities, the role contributes to a corporate research operations function, supporting the development of high-quality research funding applications across The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).
Main duties of the job
The postholder will have lead responsibility for championing best practice approaches in a defined area of research operations. This could include equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in research; the development and evaluation of ‘medtech’; and skills and development for researchers (fellowships).
The ideal candidate will have significant project or programme management experience within a clinical research setting. They will be proactive and highly organised, with a strong administrative background and an excellent attention to detail. They should also have experience of supporting funding applications for clinical research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Provide high-level leadership, proactively organising programme management and governance to ensure appropriate oversight, attribution of responsibilities and effective communication with programme contributors.
2. Build, engage and energise the multi-organisational team, setting high performance expectations, including standards for the maintenance of accurate records of programme progress against work plans.
3. Oversee the reporting structure through which project leads are held accountable at programme level, ensuring the programme has policy/strategies in place for patient and public involvement and engagement, broader stakeholder engagement, dissemination, equality, diversity and inclusion, intellectual property protection and exploitation.
4. Work closely with the Marsden Head of Trial management, trial managers for individual projects and respective clinical trials units to ensure efficient delivery of all clinical trials within the programme portfolio. They will need to undertake due diligence to ensure that those who conduct research on our behalf are qualified to do so.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
5. Advanced or higher degree qualification (e.g. MSc or PhD) in a in the health, medical or biological sciences or equivalent experience of research design and/or conduct.
6. Project or programme management qualification/accreditation (eg PRINCE 2 or MSP) or equivalent experience such as managing NHS based clinical/health research projects/programmes.
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Experience of establishing, developing and managing a multiorganisational (Higher Education Institutions, NHS, commercial organisations and others) team within a matrix structure.
8. Experience in operational leadership, including committee governance and reporting to stakeholders.
9. Experience of devising and/or managing complex budgets working within the AcoRD framework.
10. Experience of project managing or making significant contributions to research funding applications with the aim of developing/translating technologies into patient benefit.
Desirable criteria
11. Experience of establishing and monitoring multi-party contracts
12. •Experience of designing and delivering training
Skills / knowledge / abilities
Essential criteria
13. High-level organisational approach to manage relationships, resource allocation and risks.
14. Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to effectively network and build relationships with people from a diverse range of experience, seniority. With an ability to work beyond organisational boundaries.
15. Ability to communicate with confidence and diplomacy to influence through credible debate and proven ability to manage by leadership and negotiation.
16. Proactive problem-solving skills, with an ability to autonomously and/or collaboratively drive mitigation/resolution.
17. Excellent presentation/report writing skills, with a keen understanding of how to meet the needs/expectations of audiences.
18. An understanding of research funder missions, remits and schemes, UK health and clinical research infrastructure and how they add value through research.
19. An ability to rapidly gain an understanding of a new work area/topic, autonomously driving own learning/information gathering.
20. A high level of ‘digital competency’, including an ability to use standard resources such as Microsoft 365 and acquire new digital skills as required.
21. An appreciation of the importance of demonstrating impact, knowledge mobilisation and the diversity of methods to disseminate research work, and the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property.
Desirable criteria
22. An understanding and value of the UK standards for patient and public involvement in health research.
23. An understanding of the importance of identifying and mitigating health inequalities through research design.
24. An understanding of the academic career pathway.
Other requirements
Essential criteria
25. 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
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.
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