Research Portfolio Officer

at  Health Services Laboratories HSL

£35,000 - £45,000
Job Title: Research Portfolio Officer - One year secondment or Fixed Term Contract
Location: The Halo Building, Mableton Place, London, WC1H 9AX
Salary Range: £35,000 to £45,000
To complement the existing team we have a one year secondment or Fixed Term opportunity being recruited for. The requirement runs from 01 December 2024.
You will need to evidence a Scientific Degree, demonstrate upwards of three years experience post qualification work experience, have acted as the interface with academics and clinical researchers, experience of managing research projects, studies or trials and demonstrated experience of managing multiple projects and successfully managing priorities for the successful outcome of projects.
Research and Innovation (R&I) are a priority for the three organisations which make up the HSL joint venture, The Doctors Laboratory, and teaching hospitals University College London Hospital and the Royal Free Group. Research and Innovation is also a focus for our clients. The HSL Research Portfolio Manager is a key role in the R&I team and is both internal and external facing, requiring excellent relationship management, organisation and trouble shooting skills.
The HSL Research Portfolio Officer will provide overall set-up management of all research activity that falls with HSL. The postholder will liaise with senior HSL laboratory staff at all sites to assess study feasibility, generate costings, identify the need for service level agreements, new contracts/ contract amendments and any governance issues related to setting up the study at HSL. Once the studies are open, the post-holder will provide ongoing management to ensure that studies are running well, being the point of contact for any issues, amendments. The postholder will be responsible for managing and training R&I staff at HSL partner sites in using the Research Portal. The Research Portfolio Officer will provide advice and guidance to researchers and their teams, R&I staff and sponsors. This will include facilitating researchers’ questions, requests for information and ensuring that research offices are kept informed of study set-up progress. The post-holder will ensure that documentation is stored in a secure manner and made available upon request. With the Head of Research and Innovation, they will play a key role in meeting the strategic research objectives of HSL. The HSL Research Portfolio Officer will also be responsible for providing secretariat to the HSL Research and Innovation Committee and other meetings as required.

ABOUT US:

Sonic Healthcare is an internationally renowned healthcare provider with a demonstrable track record of providing medical services across the world. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Sonic is an ASX Top 50 company that has grown to become one of the world’s leading healthcare providers, specialising in pathology, radiology and primary care medical centres. We have operations in Australia, the USA, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Sonic Healthcare UK encompasses the two main entities in the UK, The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) and Health Services Laboratories (HSL). HSL is a partnership between The Doctors Laboratory (TDL), Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). HSL was formed to provide pathology services to the NHS Trusts and has expanded further to provide services to other NHS Trusts. Over 2,700 staff work at Sonic Healthcare UK, primarily under the TDL or HSL banner.
Our purpose is to deliver medically-led diagnostics, innovation, value and long-term investment to healthcare. With our core laboratory based at The Halo Building in London WC1H 9AX, we also have an expanding site in Manchester as well as smaller hospital-based laboratories across the country. We maintain rigorously high standards of quality, whilst also delivering efficiencies to healthcare through careful workforce planning, pioneering technology and significant investment in infrastructure and IT.

PERMANENT HEALTH INSURANCE AND DEATH IN SERVICE COVER

Life Assurance – providing salary continuation for long term illness (six months qualifying period)
Employee Assistance Programme – supporting staff wellbeing.
Season Ticket Loan Scheme – interest free loan for the cost of annual travel ticket.
Perkbox – Access to additional staff perks and benefits such as high street discounts.
Company Pension Scheme – company and staff contributions which increase with service.
Competitive annual leave allowance - 23 days annual leave rising to 28 days after 5 years service
Please read the job description and person specification carefully and ensure that your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience required.
We respect and value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from diverse communities but if it is not apparent from the CV that you are living and working in the UK, please provide details of you “Work Rights” and include this in your application. On occasions we are able to provide sponsorship but it is helpful in your application that we know of your need for support in advance.

To include, but not be restricted to, the following duties:

• Act as the main point of contact for incoming enquiries to the R&I team
• Be responsible for the research@hslpathology.com email account
• Be responsible for reviewing all incoming clinical and academic study requests, highlighting any governance issues.
• Conduct pathology feasibility and capacity reviews of all activity logged on the R&I portal by liaising with HSL Heads of Department, Clinical Leads and external academic collaborators.
• Work autonomously to set-up research projects
• Where necessary, in conjunction with the commercial team, ensure accurate and prompt pricing.
• Identify and escalate issues to the Head of Research and Innovation
• Be responsible for the R&I study portal research database and associated standard operating procedures which contribute to the management of research projects and clinical trials performed within HSL
• Review study contracts and provide information/ advice/ practical support to ensure appropriate signatures are obtained in a timely fashion.
• Responsible for training staff from HSL partner organisations, and others as required, in how to register studies on the R&I portal.
• Work jointly with the finance team to create invoices and ensure these are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Produce quarterly R&I finance report for the CEO.
• Provide secretariat to the HSL Research and Innovation Committee
• To be process and service improvement focussed.
• Communicate with internal and external research stakeholders including HSL partner sites, pharmaceutical companies, clinical research network (CRN), senior clinical researchers, internal laboratory/finance and contracts staff regarding setting up research projects
• Act in a polite and professional manner at all times to ensure good client relations and communications.