Job overview
Are you motivated by targets, timelines and project development?
Join a small friendly department committed to developing and retaining its members of staff to maintain and further cultivate a high performing, cohesive team, the members of which enjoy coming to work and feel valued.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Research and Development Department as a Band 4 Clinical Trials Assistant.
The start date of this 12 month fixed term contract is 8th June 2026. Secondment will also be considered for internal candidates dependent on agreement with their current department.
This is a new role to support the rapid set-up and delivery of commercial and non-commercial clinical trials. It is central to enable the Trust to meet national research performance benchmarks and sponsor activation targets.
The successful candidate will be working cross site focussing on the local set-up of clinical trials and contributing to studies opening on time and recruiting to target. You will aid the harmonisation of processes across both sites of the Trust, improving efficiency and reducing risk. Administration will include; trial documentation management, coordination of approvals, liaison with sponsors and internal stakeholders, and tracking set-up metrics.
Sponsorship not available
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate should be well organised, able to manage their time effectively and work cohesively with both the R&D governance team and research delivery staff to set-up new clinical trials efficiently and effectively. You should be motivated by targets, timelines and delivering high-performance research.
The new Clinical Trials Assistant (CTA) will manage the administrative and coordination elements of trials, including documentation, trial and metric tracking, scheduling, and communication with research teams and sponsors. By working as part of the R&D governance team on each site, the CTA will improve timely progression of studies through feasibility, approvals, and set-up stages to the receipt of permission to open recruitment.
The post-holder will be integral in streamlining the study set-up process across both sites, for studies being opened at either a single site level or as a Trust. A fundamental part of the role will be to identify obstructions, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement in trial initiation and management.
The role will suit someone with project management experience, who is flexible and able to use their initiative to adapt very quickly to the role so that the positive impact of the appointment to the role is noted within months by targets being met or exceeded.
Previous knowledge of trial set-up and strong administration experience would be a distinct advantage.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Work efficiently and accurately, often within strict time constraints.
Coordinate and manage administrative aspects of clinical trial set-up across both sites.
Support studies through feasibility, regulatory approvals, and governance processes to recruitment opening
Track study documentation, milestones, performance metrics, key timelines and manage competing priorities
Be physically able to visit hospital departments to chase permissions, obtain signatures etc.
Anticipate and identify possible delays, proactively escalating them to support recovery planning and solutions
To build working relationships with key stakeholders to ensure smooth running of the trial set-up process.
Be personable, collaborative and a team player
Have excellent written and verbal communication skills to confidently liaise with multi-disciplinary teams
Build strong professional relationships with other departments in order to promote a good working environment.
Act as a central point of communication between R&D, research delivery teams, and external sponsors to ensure trials are opened to pre-agreed time and target.
Understand Data Protection principles
Use LPMS (training will be provided)
Be comfortable in a fast paced target driven environment
Contribute to high-performance research delivery by meeting or exceeding agreed KPIs and timelines
Understand the metrics the department works towards and the implications of not hitting these targets.
Be highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
Support studies to open on time.
Support and align Trust-wide and single-site study initiation processes.
Understand and adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
1. Educated to Diploma level or have significant administration experience
2. Good standard of literacy and numeracy
3. Evidence of continuing professional development
4. Willingness to undertake additional training, on the job and / or formally to carry out duties required
Desirable criteria
5. Good Clinical Practice certificate
Experience
Essential criteria
6. Previous office experience
7. Evidence of administrative or clinical audit experience in an NHS setting
Desirable criteria
8. Experience in project management or complex process coordination
9. Previous experience working in research administration
10. Previous clinical trials set-up experience
Knowledge
Essential criteria
11. Awareness of the NIHR trial set up metrics and their implications for funding.
Desirable criteria
12. Knowledge and use of the local portfolio management system – EDGE
Skills
Essential criteria
13. Highly organised with excellent time management skills
14. Evidence of well-developed IT Skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook etc.
15. Ability to work under own initiative and to prioritise and manage own workload.
16. Accurate documentation of all metrics and attentive to detail.
17. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
18. Able to work independently and as part of a team.
19. Resourceful and self-directed in obtaining and utilising information.
Desirable criteria
20. Able to produce reports and graphs
Other
Essential criteria
21. Must be able to commence work on 08/06/2026.
22. Strong relationship-building skills.
23. Proactive problem-solver who uses initiative while working within own limitations.
24. Motivated, able and willing to learn.
25. Good time keeping.
26. Evidence of being a team player.
Desirable criteria
27. Awareness of Research Governance as far as it affects trial set-up
28. Adaptable
Applicant requirements
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) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.