Job overview

We are looking for a candidate with exceptional administrative and communication skills to contribute to the management and support of the volunteers who deliver the Health Research Authority’s Research Approvals Service.

This is an exciting time to join the team, as we develop our recruitment and retention strategy for our volunteers, which ensures that the research undertaken in England and beyond has the perspective of a wide range of people with the right level of support and training, to ensure that the safety, rights and dignity of anyone who will become part of the research are protected.

We are looking for someone with experience in administration, including advance use of MS software packages, excellent organisational and communication skills, and experience liaising with internal and external agencies.

The successful candidate will work within a small team to help volunteers throughout their volunteering journey with the HRA, starting with the onboarding of new volunteers through to the development of experienced volunteers.

Main duties of the job

Reporting to the Member Management & Development Facilitator, the post holder will assist in the organisation and prioritisation of the Departmental team’s workload. They will support and work with the team in order to provide a comprehensive, high calibre administrative support to the HRA, ensuring the delivery of a coordinated and consistent operational management service within the governmental guidelines, and internal work instruction.  

The post holder must be able to communicate sensitively and effectively with a wide range of people including members of the Research Ethics service. They will support and administer processes to sustain the division’s practice through administrative protocols, processes and procedures in line with service needs. The post holder may be required to cover for colleagues during absence and work flexible hours when necessary. 

The post holder will be a proficient administrator, with attention to detail, ability to maintain an overview of multiple processes, and the ability to negotiate and reassess their own priorities and those of others. 

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.