Job overview
The post holder has a key leadership and management role at a senior level and will provide specialist skills and knowledge to support the running of clinical trials of investigational medicinal products (CTIMPs) and associated studies within the Mental Health and Dementia specialties across Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). This will involve overseeing and contributing to all aspects of research delivery throughout the life cycle of the study. The post holder will provide management and/or peer support for Research Nurses within GMMH; will be required to cover for Research Nurse vacancies and will have a key role in determining the staffing levels required to provide an effective research delivery service, particularly in relation to CTIMPs.
Main duties of the job
In partnership with the Clinical Research Delivery Manager and the wider clinical trial infrastructure including PIs, Clinical Trials Managers, Trial Coordinators, and other support staff, the post holder will be instrumental in implementing the GMMH strategic objectives and will be responsible for leading and developing the trial portfolio across Mental Health and Dementia specialties. The post holder will liaise with clinical investigators and both commercial and non-commercial sponsors to oversee the management and delivery of trial protocols, and will be involved in ensuring that the research undertaken safeguards the well-being of the patients and is conducted within research governance legislation and Trust policies for Research.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will have a key role in providing and maintaining appropriate participant-focused environment and facilitating the delivery of good quality research. The post holder will also take on a leadership role in organising a team of research nurses and research administrative staff within the GMMH research team. S/he will provide clinical and managerial leadership to nursing and support staff including monitoring and raising the standard of research and care within the team. S/he will be involved in developing team objectives to enhance the performance and development of research within the allocated specialties.
Post holders will be expected to participate fully in their personal development and review process in order to achieve the objectives for this post. The post holder will have a key role in supporting the clinical development and training of staff within the Dementia and Mental Health specialities, including training for physical health competencies and clinical rating scale administrations. Post holders must be prepared to work across the GMMH geographical footprint.
This post is fixed term for 12 months.
Please see attached job description and person specification
Staff benefits
1. Pay Enhancements
2. 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
3. Excellent pension
4. Cycle to work scheme
5. Salary sacrifice car scheme
6. Wellbeing programme
7. fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
8. Registered nurse - currently registered with the NMC
9. Masters in healthcare subject or substantial equivalent experience.
10. Teaching and Assessing Award (Mentorship)
Knowledge
Essential criteria
11. Current Good Clinical Practice certificate
12. Good understanding of research governance guidance and legislation
13. Understanding of evidence based practice
14. Understanding of:- Clinical Research in a Mental Health Trust and how delivery is organised - HRA and NHS R&D landscape - NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks the Mental Health landscape and how care is organised
15. Significant Post Registration nursing experience
16. Experience of working in Mental Health and Dementia settings
17. Experience of conducting NHS Mental Health/Dementia research across a range of study designs
18. Significant experience in co-ordinating clinical trials from initiation to closure including archiving
19. Experience of managing teams
20. Evidence of some leadership experience in a research context, leading to innovation in practice
21. Experience of working autonomously and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
22. Ability to organise and prioritise own workload
23. Wide range of clinical experience and skills
Desirable criteria
24. Understands “Systems Leadership"
25. Experience in the administration of rating scales commonly used in dementia and Mental Health clinical trials or studies
26. Experience of clinical audits both internal and external
27. Experience of writing standard operating procedures for clinical research and individual protocols
28. Willing to undertake further clinical training as required
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
29. Highly effective communication skills
30. Effective team working across professional and organisational boundaries
31. Ability to work towards local targets, meet tight deadlines and cope in a highly demanding environment
32. Significant involvement in informed consent process within scope of professional practice
33. Co-ordinates care pathway for patients and carers participating in clinical research
34. Manages, assesses and supports the physical and psychological needs of the patient and carer
35. Training and leadership skills
36. Demonstrable IT Skills able to use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and use of databases
Desirable criteria
37. Good presentation skills
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
38. Evidence of on-going professional development
39. Demonstrates interest in research
40. Creative & Flexible approach to working hours
41. Able to travel independently across multiple sites – evidence of clean UK/EU driving licence
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.