HRC Senior Research Programme Manager

The Role

Are you an experienced project manager with a proven track record of managing a research centre or programme of research?

We are looking for someone to oversee and manage delivery of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Healthtech Research Centre (HRC) in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation based in Newcastle. This is a joint venture delivered by Newcastle University and The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NuTH).

If this sounds of interest, we’d love to hear from you

In this role, you will be based at our Newcastle Upon Tyne campus which has fantastic transport links and state of the art facilities. You will be part of a team of 27 Project Managers who currently manage ~50 projects with a value in excess of £130m, and report directly to Emma Burton, Senior Project Manager and Team Lead. The co-directors of the HRC will provide leadership on strategy and operations.

We are an organisation that champions collaboration and, in this role, you will build and consolidate collaborations with industry, clinicians and academia.

You will co-ordinate and manage input of a specialist team of methodological experts who are proficient in all aspects of the evaluation of diagnostic tests and devices. You will work closely with a broad range of stakeholders across the diagnostics sector, including (but not limited to) other HRCs, Diagnostics North East, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, the Northern Health Science Alliance, the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association, the Association of British Healthtech Industries, and LifeArc, as well as patient groups.

What else will you be doing?

You will gather and advise an operational team of colleagues from across the University and NuTH to deliver a comprehensive project management and professional support service that shapes and delivers the HRC, co-ordinating and managing the relationship with stakeholders, whilst providing day-to-day leadership.

You will develop, manage, and deliver a flexible workload plan to meet the challenging needs and deliverables of this complex programme across multiple partners and collaborators. 

Nearly £3M has been awarded by the NIHR to the HRC to facilitate the delivery of high-quality diagnostics into the NHS for the benefit of patients. Additional project income is expected from other funding streams. Through efficient monitoring and forecasting, and liaison with finance teams, you will ensure financial transactions and reporting are managed in line with the contract and hold regular meetings with partners to ensure effective budget management.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of activities under the HRC, working closely with methodologists, industry, clinicians, patient representatives, the NIHR and a range of key stakeholders, to ensure integration and strategic engagement with the broad diagnostics field.

What do we need from you?

To apply for the position, we will need your CV and a personal statement outlining how you are suitable for the role using evidence to highlight how you meet the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience domains as listed in the job description.

This is a full-time position (37 hours per week), fixed term until 31st March 2027. 

Informal enquiries may be made to

Interview to be held on: 12 July 2024

Key Accountabilities

• Take responsibility for both strategic and day-to-day decisions relating to the HRC programme’s needs and team’s activities
• Take the lead in liaising with methodologists, clinicians, patient representatives, the NIHR and key stakeholders to provide guidance, advice and support in determining and addressing the needs of the programme, allocating work to the HRC’s staff as appropriate
• Create and manage a workload plan to ensure programme management for the HRC as required and without delay
• Take overall responsibility for establishing, coordinating and managing the activities of the HRC, ensuring all milestones and deliverables assigned to the team are completed on time, within budget and to the required standard
• Mentor, motivate and manage workload of the HRC team, providing strategic support and advice to all members of the team to deliver annual objectives and support projects to achieve their long-term goals
• Act as the primary point of contact for all parties involved in the HRC on a day-to-day basis, communicating clearly with methodologists, industry, collaborators, stakeholders university professional services staff and the NIHR for all project performance and management responsibilities, including meeting the funders’ financial and deliverable reporting deadlines
• Prepare detailed study/research timelines and milestone/progress reports, monitoring progress on a continuous basis
• Actively manage programme and project progress in association with the HRC teams to achieve milestones within set timescales. This will involve collaboration with other organisations e.g. other HRCs and industry, as well as the day-to-day management of HRC team support staff and coordination of staff recruitment
• Preparation of documents for the recruitment of project managers and study staff in accordance with HRC budget plans
• Ensure the early identification of potential risks to meeting required objectives and coordinate the development of plans to recover the situation where possible, liaising with the NIHR as appropriate, keeping the HRC Co-Directors fully appraised throughout
• Manage the HRC finances through efficient monitoring and forecasting, liaison with the NuTH and University finance teams to ensure financial transactions and reporting are managed in line with the contract and holding regular meetings with partners to ensure effective budget management
• Organise and oversee regular update meetings, maintaining appropriate communication with all stakeholders
• Ensure actions are created in line with the programme’s objectives/timeline. Ensure agreed actions are undertaken by those assigned responsibility
• Establish, organise and contribute to project management groups as required to support the programme e.g. the HRC Management Group, the HRC Operations Group, the Industry Liaison Group and the external Advisory Group
• Manage the relationship with the funder, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements. This will include timely completion of annual reports and other reports required by contractual agreement to the NIHR and other customers
• Coordinate and take a lead role in authoring, submitting and presenting reports
• Take responsibility for identifying own learning needs and those of the team, including identifying appropriate courses to ensure up to date knowledge in the broad field of diagnostics; as well as developing an awareness of the regulations governing these

• Undertake travel when required and other reasonable duties or responsibilities as appropriate for a senior member of staff

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Significant experience of working in a research environment
• Advanced knowledge of programme/project management methodology and relevant business operating procedures
• Significant experience of senior programme/project management experience, including financial management, demonstrable through a series of progressively demanding roles
• A proven ability to manage projects to defined deliverables and meet audit requirements
• Excellent organisational and management skills with proven ability to organise resources and deliver results on time and within budget
• Demonstrable people-management skills (direct line management or remote partner management) with the ability to guide and motivate colleagues to achieve deliverables
• Experience of leading, managing and developing a team
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures associated with more than one host organisation
• Demonstrable experience of delivering projects in collaboration with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of effective management of stakeholder relationships

Attributes and Behaviour
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in writing and verbally
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Excellent financial management skills
• An ability to work to deadlines, organise own workload and work independently
• Attention to detail
• A proven ability to be adaptable, innovative and proactive in project work
• A positive and supportive attitude; ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with others
• Excellent IT skills, including competent use of Microsoft Office
• Ability to motivate others and seek solutions to challenges
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to manage conflicts and handle challenging work situations
• Flexibility with respect to working hours
• Willingness to travel internationally, if required

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent professional qualification) in a relevant discipline plus experience of working in programme/project management, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27289

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