Senior Research Manager

Job Description

The Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). We work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR funds, enables, and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth.

We are also a major funder of applied health research in low- and middle-income countries. The NIHR Global Health Research (GHR) portfolio, funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA), was established in 2016 and builds on NIHR’s operating principles of impact, excellence, effectiveness, and collaboration. We fund high-quality global health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and build research and development (R&D) capacity and capability in both the UK and in LMICs through mutual learning and knowledge exchange.

Working closely with the global health research community, we commission and invest in applied health research and training that responds to the diverse needs of LMIC communities, anticipates the evolving global burden of disease and addresses health system priorities.

Job Description

Reporting to the Assistant Director for Global Health, the post holder will be responsible for developing and delivering research commissioning and award management across NIHR Global Health funding Schemes.

You will be a strategic thinker, capable of seeing the issues and solutions from a number of different stakeholder perspectives to see the bigger picture. You will be comfortable dealing with complexity and developing an approach to balance the needs of different stakeholders. You will be a strong team player and communicator.

You will have a solid understanding of the research commissioning process, contracting and assurance processes, and the routes through which research leads to impact.

You will have experience of leadership of complex projects, knowledge of the international research environment and Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding requirements, with demonstrable experience at working across teams and specialisms.

This is a key role that will require coordination across a range of diverse stakeholders, representing NIHR and other DHSC funded research at internal and external forums. You will work closely with award holders, teams at NIHR and the DHSC.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead commissioning activities for future funding calls: ensuring delivery of a robust and transparent funding process, including call theme and priority setting, defining and delivering application and assessment processes, management of a funding committee, and contracting awards recommended for funding.
• Management of a portfolio of funded GHR projects: negotiating contracts, supporting assurance processes, monitoring of risk and progress against agreed milestones, financial performance, reviewing IP and dissemination plans and managing contractual changes to ensure appropriate strategies are in place leading to LMIC benefit and/or commercial realisation.
• Driving impact from funding research; contributing to the development and continuous improvement of research monitoring, learning and evaluation approaches. Facilitating the delivery of impact from funded research and ensuring continuous improvement of NIHR processes.
• Stakeholder engagement: Developing and maintaining excellent professional relationships with other colleagues within NIHR and at the DHSC, and with the wider GHR stakeholder community. Act as a role model to colleagues at all levels, ensuring that learning outcomes for the Centres programme are collected and shared with stakeholders.
• Flexible support to the team: flexible approach to work tasks with ability to ‘muck in’ and provide support on additional tasks across the team during busy times.

Line Management:

• The post holder will not be a line manager, but will be responsible for functional / matrix management of the activities of other team members, where appropriate.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Experience of managing and monitoring ODA funded research activities in international and fragile contexts.
• Experience in leading research commissioning activities.
• Demonstrable experience in complex stakeholder management, within and across multiple organisations with the ability to employ diverse approaches to effectively communicate complex information to individuals and groups from a range of different backgrounds and different seniority levels.

Desirable:

• Experience of research management in biomedical and health research disciplines, in particular research relevant to Global Health Security initiatives.
• Experience of personnel management within matrix management environments.
• Experience of working with UK Government and/or international policy makers and senior decision makers.

Education and technical skills:

• Post-graduate qualifications in biomedical or health sciences research (or significant equivalent sector experience).
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications, in particular Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Proficient in the use of email and other web-based applications, including online databases. Some knowledge of Google (G-suite) applications would also be beneficial.

Essential Competencies and Behaviours:

• Interpersonal skills : Committed team player with an ability to build effective working relationships. Act as role model for colleagues at all levels.
• Stakeholder engagement: Developing and maintaining excellent professional relationships across a range of external stakeholders, as well as colleagues within NIHR and at the DHSC.
• Strategic thinker : able to interpret complex information and make clear practical decisions a clear view of the “big picture”.
• Creativity, Flexibility and Adaptability: Solutions orientated with evidence of developing and implementing adaptable, practical and effective quality-controlled processes, and implementable recommendations. Able to balance delivery of BAU and drive continuous improvement.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills , able to prioritise and manage multiple tasks, working to challenging targets and deadlines.
• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy with great attention to detail.
• Cultural awareness/sensitivity, and evidence of a commitment to and equality of opportunity
• A continuous improvement mentality, with a desire to provide an effective and efficient research management service for all stakeholders.

Salary & Benefits

• £45,700 PA
• Bonus - subject to company performance
• 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays (UK)
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme
• Life Insurance
• Benenden Healthcare
• Season Ticket Loan
• Laptop, IT equipment and remote IT support

• NB : We offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, flexible working arrangements. This is an office-based, hybrid role with an expectation for all employees to attend our offices a minimum of 4 days a month, usually worked as 1 day per week, and may increase, subject to team requirements.

  Applications

  If you are interested in working with us and feel you have the appropriate background and skills, please apply with your CV, with the cover letter attached in the same document , explaining what you feel you could bring to the company, outlining your suitability for the role.

  EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

  LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of , , , , or , , , reassignment, marital or civil partnership, or maternity, , or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to , , marital status, , , , or origins, or belief, , or trade union membership.