Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Permanent: Secondment opportunity
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 980-HRA637-C
- Employer
- Health Research Authority
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Holland Drive
- Town
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Salary
- £70,417 - £81,138 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 21/07/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Head of Approvals Operations
NHS AfC: Band 8c
The HRA is a Non Departmental Public Body with the remit to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. We do this by supporting and promoting a robust and efficient regulatory and governance framework in the UK. We provide the Research Ethics Service (RES), Confidentiality Advice function, assessments and assurances on behalf of the NHS, and learning, guidance and advice for the research community. Our ambition is to make the UK a great place to do research, where more money invested in research goes into carrying out relevant, good quality research.
Our purpose is to ensure that research involving NHS patients and members of the public is approved through a proportionate and robust system, that they are provided with the information they need to help them decide whether they wish to take part, and that their opportunity to do so is maximised by simplifying the processes by which high quality research is assessed. We have already delivered significant improvements by centralising and simplifying the approval of research in the NHS in England, and are undertaking a range of significant programmes to deliver further improvements.
Job overview
The Head of Approvals Operations is a cornerstone in the HRA. The postholder leads a large diverse team who deliver core regulatory services to ensure streamlined proportionate review of health and care research that people can trust.
This role also has a significant external profile with research communities, other regulators, research organisations, and counterparts in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where collaborative skills, leadership, and expert knowledge and significant experience in research regulation and delivery are at the fore.
The Operations teams work with around 800 volunteer members of Research Ethics Committees and the Confidentiality Advisory Group to deliver core services. Our community ranges from noted academics and clinicians to members of the public, all with important contributions to make in a closely supported, organised way. Consequently, the Head of Operations is a skilled communicator, able to achieve alignment in a complex, highly regulated environment.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for planning, delivering, evaluating, and improving regulatory processes, including REC review, HRA/HCRW Approval, as well as specialist services in Confidentiality Advice; Technical Assurances for pharmacy and radiation; and Guidance and Advice. You will also work closely with the Support and Improvement Division who monitor quality assurance activity, support committee members, and coordinate continuous improvement activity within Approvals. You will work with colleagues on new regulatory pathways, including Devolved Administration with whom we deliver a UK-wide service.
The HRA has been evolving since its’ inception. Accordingly, as well as expertise in research regulation and research ethics, and in management of people and resources, you will be a proven change manager, able to lead busy operational teams through changes in structure and process. This opportunity is a permanent role but may be available as a secondment of two years in the first instance.
Working for our organisation
Working at the HRA, we are reminded daily of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage
of the recruitment process.
When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to
accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for us, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role sits within the HRA Approvals Service directorate which consists of various teams that all work together to provide the appropriate approval for health research in England and, for some applications, across the UK.
This directorate is responsible for:
- Delivering HRA Approval
- Supporting the Confidentiality Advisory Group and advising on the use of confidential patient information without consent
- Working to refine the systems and processes researchers need to follow to ensure a swift, robust, and simple experience
- Providing guidance to applicants
- Providing training
- Working collaboratively with external partners to improve the research environment
To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.
In submitting your application with us, please note the following:
- We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies
- We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any
sponsorship arrangement
Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters level in a field related to health or care research; or significant and equivalent experience with ongoing evidence of continuous professional development
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate management qualification (eg. MBA; MA in relevant discipline) or equivalent experience
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
- Significant specialist knowledge and experience in applying knowledge of UK wide research guidance and legislation including the Policy Framework, the Clinical Trials Regulations, the Human Tissue Act, the Mental Capacity Act, and the Data Protection Act. This should also include detailed knowledge of the national systems, structures, and processes for supporting industry and academic sponsored health research across the NHS and upholding the highest quality assurance standards
- Extensive specialist knowledge of the work of the HRA, its services (Research Ethics Committees) and its standard operating procedures
Experience
Essential criteria
- Considerable experience in a senior leadership position, managing large and mixed teams across multiple sites. Including: - Experience of complex employee relations issues / - Managing organisational change from beginning to end / - Meaningful collaboration, partnership, and engagement with staff at all levels / - Working to agreed staffing budgets and establishments and identifying workforce and establishment pressures
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
- Ability to use own judgement and subject matter expertise in engaging with, and providing services to, internal and external stakeholders
Experience
Essential criteria
- Proven ability and experience in identifying operational goals against business plans and strategies and motivating and inspiring others to collectively achieve these goals with credibility and integrity. Demonstrating a strong understanding of internal and external politics and their impacts across organisations, with the abilities to align and manoeuvre resources to solve problems
- Experience of applying validated quality assurance frameworks and quality control measures to the work of operational teams
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Essential criteria
- Proven ability and extensive experience in engaging partner stakeholders across multi-disciplinary teams and agencies in effective collaboration. Listening to and engaging with feedback and managing and adjusting approaches in response to this feedback where necessary
Interpersonal Skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable ability and experience to positively influence and persuade others (often challenging audiences at all levels where there may be resistance to change) to take a specific course of action by integrating logic, emotion, and information to construct complex yet persuasive arguments
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jonathan Fennelly-Barnwell
- Job title
- Deputy Director of Approvals
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0207 104 8132
- Additional information
If you have questions about the role which you are not able to establish from the job description and person specification you are welcome to arrange to speak with Jonathan Fennelly-Barnwell, Deputy Director of Approvals. Please email [email protected] who will arrange a suitable time for you to go through your prepared questions with Jonathan.
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