Research Portfolio Manager, Band 5

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Professional values
The post of Research Portfolio Manager provides advice and support to researchers across the Trust to assist in the design and set-up of studies; navigate various approval processes assisting with the delivery of high-quality research to local key performance indicators (KPIs) and national performance management targets.
Communication and interpersonal skills
This post will require excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with a variety of stakeholders at all levels including but not limited to the wider team in the Research & Innovation Dept, research active Trust staff of all disciplines, National Clinical Trials’ Units, Pharmaceutical companies, and other Sponsor representatives along with Research Delivery Network staff.
Leadership, management and team working
The postholder will have proven experience of working on their own initiative and as part of a team. The postholder will have line management responsibility for the Professional Services Administrative Assistant.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required

• Degree in Science, research or management related field or appropriate years’ experience working in Research Governance within the NHS.
• Substantial recent years of working in research in a healthcare setting
• Ability to understand clinical trial protocols and identify potential difficulties that may impact on the Trust’s integrity.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of clinical trials regulations and research governance policies, including but not limited to Good Clinical Practice, The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, The UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and the Data Protection Act.
• Knowledge and understanding of the current HRA Approval Processes.
• Understanding of NHS structures and organisation.
• Knowledge of the NIHR and experience of NIHR systems and processes, such as the National Costing Template, Model Agreements and Research Passports.
• Working knowledge of research design and methodology.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to populate and interrogate databases; ability to extract, interpret and communicate data in the form of presentations and written reports.
• Able to meet tight deadlines while retaining attention to detail.
• Well-developed interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
• Proven experience of working on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise to meet changing demands

Education and training

• The postholder will be self-motivated to undertake continuing professional development as appropriate to the role

Feasibility and Study set-up

• To ensure all research and service evaluations hosted and/or sponsored by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust complies with all relevant national legislation and guidance and meets local KPIs and national performance management targets set by the NIHR in terms of set-up and recruitment.
• To support the Research Matron, local delivery teams and Chief Investigators/Principal Investigators to identify, set-up, review and confirm Capacity and Capability for all studies hosted or sponsored by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Undertake review of more complex commercial studies under supervision.
• To review service support requirements for studies and liaise with local support departments, such as Pharmacy, Pathology and Radiology where necessary for confirmation of Capacity and Capability
• To work closely with the to ensure timely set-up and review of studies
• To deliver the requirements of the NIHR Research Passport system, identifying the need for Honorary Contracts and Letters of Access as necessary.

Data

• Contribute to reports of activity for a variety of local, regional and national meetings and events.
• To ensure the EDGE database R&I Workflows and forms are completed fully and in a timely fashion during the review process.
• To maintain the data populated to the EDGE database is of a consistently high quality and accuracy.

Amendments

• Responsible for the review of Amendments

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates, access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme, discounts for local shops, restaurants and services, access to our health and well-being hub, access to our two on-site nurseries, flexible working options, discounted public transport, reward and recognition schemes, exercise and activity classes and membership to our popular hospital choir.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required

• Degree in Science, research or management related field or appropriate years’ experience working in Research Governance within the NHS.
• Substantial recent years of working in research in a healthcare setting
• Ability to understand clinical trial protocols and identify potential difficulties that may impact on the Trust’s integrity.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of clinical trials regulations and research governance policies, including but not limited to Good Clinical Practice, The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, The UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and the Data Protection Act.
• Knowledge and understanding of the current HRA Approval Processes.
• Understanding of NHS structures and organisation.
• Knowledge of the NIHR and experience of NIHR systems and processes, such as the National Costing Template, Model Agreements and Research Passports.
• Working knowledge of research design and methodology.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to populate and interrogate databases; ability to extract, interpret and communicate data in the form of presentations and written reports.
• Able to meet tight deadlines while retaining attention to detail.
• Well-developed interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
• Proven experience of working on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise to meet changing demands.

Leadership and management

• The postholder will have line management supervision responsibilities for the Professional Services Administrative Assistant.
• Assist in providing training and guidance during induction of new staff to ensure they are fully equipped to deliver on the requirements of their post.

Education and training

• The postholder will be self-motivated to undertake continuing professional development as appropriate to the role.

Improving quality and developing practice

• To support the ongoing research governance function. This will include support to deliver action plans from external audit reports, internal audit and monitoring of active studies, both hosted and sponsored, to ensure continued compliance with all relevant national legislation and guidance as well as local Standard Operating Procedures.
• Contribute to the writing, implementing and monitoring the Trust’s Research Standard Operating Procedures under the guidance of the Research Quality Assurance Manager.
• Ability to identify new ways to improve our local working practices in conjunction with the Professional Services Manager and wider Professional Services team. Improving our performance against our local KPIs and national targets.

Physical, Mental & Emotional Effort & Working Conditions

• Working in an open plan office on the first floor of an older building which can be very warm in the summer.
• Occasional moving of boxes of A4 paper, A4 files and similar and transporting these.
• This post involves a combination of sitting (90% of the time) and standing/walking (10% of the time).
• There is a need to use a computer (80% of the time)
• Travel to other sites for meetings, training and education purposes
• Requirements to concentrate on information contained in lengthy documents for long periods of time with the ability to maintain concentration during frequent interruptions from people/telephone.
• Conflicting demands on time