University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Band 7 Senior Research Grant Officer
The closing date is 12 December 2025
Join University Hospitals Birmingham’s Research, Development & Innovation team as a Senior Research Grant Officer and play a pivotal role in advancing clinical and academic research. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Research Application Support team, bridging clinicians and academics to deliver high‑quality grant applications for groundbreaking studies. You’ll work at the heart of innovation, supporting grant applications funded by NIHR, UKRI, charities, and industry partners. With major developments in digital health and data‑driven research underway, this role offers the chance to influence strategy, shape services, and contribute to nationally significant research. If you’re passionate about enabling research that improves patient care and want to work in a dynamic, collaborative environment, this is the perfect opportunity to make a real impact.
The role offers significant scope for professional development and innovation. You’ll work across NHS and university settings, influencing research strategy and supporting projects that shape the future of healthcare. Flexibility and collaboration are key, as is a commitment to UHB’s values: Kind, Connected, Bold.
Main duties of the job
You will oversee the Research Application Support team, ensuring efficient delivery of grant application services. Key responsibilities include managing complex budgets, advising on costing protocols, and supporting clinicians and academics through the submission process. You’ll liaise with internal and external stakeholders, monitor metrics, and report successes to senior leadership. Essential skills include strong analytical ability, excellent communication, and proven experience in NHS research environments. The ideal candidate will be highly organised, able to manage multiple priorities, and confident in leading a team. Daily tasks involve strategic planning, operational oversight, and ensuring compliance with governance standards.
About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
Job responsibilities
Please Note: For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description.
Qualifications
* Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in health‑related subject.
* Evidence of continued professional development.
Experience
* Significant operational management experience working within an NHS/Healthcare environment working with clinicians and other healthcare professionals at all levels of the organisation.
* Evidence of managing service/organisational change.
* Evidence of innovation in project research terms.
* Experience of budget control and contract negotiation.
* Evidence of project work within the NHS.
* Evidence of developing team/others.
* Demonstrable success in building, leading, motivating, managing and developing teams.
* Ability to interpret national policies and guidance as appropriate.
* Proven ability to analyse and appropriately present complex information so that it is easy to understand.
* Evidence of good written and oral presentation skills.
* Has experience in the field of research.
* Knowledge relating to clinical research process within an academic environment
* Evidence of experience in risk management and service improvement.
* Understanding of NHS agenda and political awareness.
* Understanding of issues relating to the implementation of innovation in the NHS including NHS strategy, structure, policies and priorities.
* Finance understanding of SFIs.
* Experience of being a budget holder or responsible for budget oversight for a research project.
Additional Criteria
* Experienced in IT skills.
* Analytical Ability – proven analysis of performance information, ability to make decisions on meeting project targets, highlighting performance information including complex facts and/or situations which requires analysis and interpretation, ability to investigate and resolve issues.
* Negotiation, coaching, facilitation and leadership skills.
* Communication with ability to receive and provide sensitive and complex information with ability to persuade, motivate and negotiate (internal and external staff).
* Ability to undertake presentations to large groups of staff or members of the public.
* Ability to propose changes to practice and lead on service development for specialist area, developing and implementing policy for that area.
* Planning and organising complex activities which require formulation, adjustment and coordination with other professionals within the organisation. Capacity planning facilitates collaborative working.
* Ability to work on own initiative within broad occupational policies.
* Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
* Calm under pressure and can work to tight deadlines.
* Able to deal with difficult situations and manage expectations.
* Team player.
* Ability to delegate and work through others.
* Ability to manage conflict in a constructive manner.
* Flexible approach to work.
* The post holder will be required to work flexibly for this post.
* May be required to work and travel across all UHB sites and externally as required by the role.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
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