Children's Research Sister/Charge Nurse

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust is seeking a Band 6 Children's Research Sister/Charge Nurse for the Paediatric Team at the NIHR Clinical Research Facility. The post leads paediatric research activities, coordinating studies with patients and healthy volunteers to improve future care.

Applicants should have extensive clinical research experience, strong leadership, and excellent communication, with some flexible hours to meet study needs and regional travel as required.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Midwife with NMC registration and a degree level education.
• Extensive clinical research delivery experience in paediatrics.
• Experience in leadership and line management within a clinical team.
• Knowledge of ICH/GCP and teaching/mentoring in practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of paediatric clinical research within the NIHR CRF.
• Coordinate studies with patients and healthy volunteers across settings.
• Provide mentorship and support to junior staff and learners.
• Ensure data accuracy, safety, and adherence to governance.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical research

NMC registration

Mentorship

Communication

IT skills

Education

Degree level education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Children's Research Sister/Charge Nurse

The closing date is 04 November 2026

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Paediatric Research Nurse to join a fast-paced, patient-focused environment, contributing to improving the lives of babies, children, and their families through patient-centred research at UHS.We currently have a vacancy within the Clinical Research Facility for a Band 6 Children's Research Sister/Charge Nurse in the Paediatric Team. This pivotal role is based in the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at University Hospital Southampton you will have the opportunity to work on a wide range of studies with regular contact with patients and healthy volunteers that will make a real difference to future patient care. The well-being and safety of our research patients/ participants is at the heart of all we do as is our confidence that the data we provide is accurate and reproducible.

About us

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated 'Good' by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

• UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.
• We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Job responsibilities

The paediatric research nursing team work across all specialities within The Childrens hospital, as well as in the community at patients homes and vaccine hubs across the region.There is no set shift rotation and the majority of the time you will work Monday to Friday 8-4pm; however, dependent on individual research study requirements there will be a requirement to have some flexibility in working hours with longer days, nights, and weekends on a pre planned adhoc basis as per your research study requirements.The NIHR Clinical Research Facility accommodates both adult and paediatric research participants offering ward areas, consulting rooms, a physiology lab, temperature-humidity controlled room and a bronchoscopy suite. The majority of our research patients come from the Wessex region however the CRF is a national dosing centre for advanced therapy medication so patients come from all over the country for this treatment.The CRF is award winning with many of our nurses winning posters at national and international conferences, and wining prizes in national competitions in pharmacology and nursing disciplines. The CRF is supported by its own education team and with close links to the University of Southampton; there are lots of opportunities to develop your career academically or professionally.We are looking for an enthusiastic paediatric registered nurse who has significant clinical experience. You will have experience of clinical research delivery and can work in a fast-paced clinical environment. Experience in early phase, human challenge and experimental medicine research would be beneficial. Experience of delivering research within primary or secondary care would be advantageous. Leadership, line management and excellent interpersonal skills are essential, as is flexibility and team-working skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required with the ability to communicate with staff and colleagues at all levels and disciplines in an engaging manner. IT skills including Microsoft office are essential. Some studies are delivered across a variety of settings and therefore the ability to travel to different clinic locations is required. We encourage you to arrange an informal visit to the unit to gain a better understanding of the environment and the team. If you would like to learn more about the role and our team, please do contact:Emily Cornish [e-mail] Milton [e-mail]

Person Specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

• Registered Nurse or Midwife on relevant part of the NMC register
• Educated to Degree level, or equivalent.
• Evidence of on-going professional / academic development.
• Mentorship qualification (or evidence of meeting the outcomes of the NMC standards)
• Clinical Skills certification relevant to role and specialty
• Extensive post registration experience, including considerable senior band 5 experience in clinical research or a relevant clinical speciality
• Knowledge and experience within a relevant / acute healthcare / NHS setting
• Understanding of personal accountability
• Logical and consistent work and career pattern
• Recent management or leadership experience
• Interest in Clinical Research.
• Knowledge of the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Knowledge of International Conference on Harmonisation/Good Clinical Practice (ICH/GCP).
• Provide evidence of teaching and supporting learners in practice.
• Certification Leadership or management course
• Clinical Research experience.
• Experience as an NMC / HCPC sign-off mentor or clinical practice assessor.
• Experience of leading the delivery of a clinical research project.
• Experience of being a link nurse (e.g. infection prevention, Manual handling, fire warden, etc)
• Demonstrate ability to liaise / collaborate with MDT

Trust Values

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust