Clinical Research Facilitator

Royal Berkshire Nhs Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned NHS organization is seeking an enthusiastic Research Coordinator to join their team in Reading. The successful candidate will engage with healthcare professionals while driving collaborative research studies in partnership with the University of Reading. This role demands expertise in research governance, coordinating projects, and delivering training across disciplines. Applicants should have a degree or relevant qualifications along with NHS experience. The position offers benefits such as flexible working, generous leave, and a supportive work culture.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

27 days annual leave, increasing with service

NHS pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work scheme

Health Service Discounts

Qualifications

• A degree or Health Service professional qualification is required.
• Experience working within NHS or healthcare research settings is essential.
• Familiarity with Research Ethics Committees and governance policies.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and drive collaborative investigator-led studies.
• Support research projects from inception to closure.
• Advise on planning, design, and execution of research projects.
• Manage study income and expenditure tracking.

Skills

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Autonomy

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Experience of research governance

Job description

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is "Working together to provide outstanding care for our community." Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated 'Good' with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust's overall rating has also improved to 'good'. We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success. Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don't you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic motivated person to join the research team at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust focusing on our collaborative Research Portfolio. You will work as part of the R&I Governance team with a focus on delivering on our investigator-led collaborative portfolio studies between the Trust and the University. You will be supported by a network of professionals across the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the University of Reading. We need someone who can engage with stakeholders, offer help, ongoing support, training and education to a number of departments across both organisations. The primary duty of the post holder will be to work with research delivery teams and the wider multi-disciplinary team in reviewing, setting up and coordinating and driving our collaborative investigator led studies. We are looking for individuals who have experience in a range of areas such as applying to Research Ethics Committees, monitoring and working within Research Governance policies and ensuring studies have all Regulatory approvals, whilst maintaining accurate track of projects progress. You will play a key role in supporting Chief and Principal Investigators, co-ordination and performance of research studies as well as staff training and development.

Responsibilities

1. Working with a range of healthcare professionals, the post holder will support individual research projects from inception, implementation to close down as well as giving expert advice and promoting the sharing of learning from research.
2. To advise on and carry out the planning and design of research projects, including data collection methods, protocol, analysis and clinical trial agreement review, presentation of information and project evaluation.
3. To negotiate trial agreements between commercial and non-commercial sponsors and research investigators.
4. To track and monitor research study income and expenditure.
5. To work alongside clinical teams and recruit into clinical research studies.
6. Together with the R&I Leads and the R&I Committee, to establish, maintain and strategically develop a structure for clinical research within the Trust for inclusion in the NIHR portfolio.
7. To organise research meetings as required and when called upon, to make formal presentations of research findings at specialty research/clinical governance meetings.
8. To manage personal workload, determining priorities in the context of local and Trust-wide research strategy and contribution to the Trust-wide Research Strategy.
9. To actively promote and facilitate clinical research projects which involve all appropriate stakeholders, including patients, different staff groups and other organisations.
10. To participate in specialty research / clinical governance and assurance arrangements, as appropriate to Clinical Research, and pro-actively seek opportunities to build links between departments and promote innovation Trust-wide.
11. To represent the department at the Trust Research and Innovation Committee and other Trust/external meetings as necessary or as requested by Line Manager / the Head of Research and Innovation.

Please note - For all internal candidates, this vacancy would only be available on a secondment basis. You would therefore need to seek approval from your current manager before applying.

Attention to detail and the ability to work both as part of a team and autonomously are essential requirements for this role.

Qualifications

• Degree; or Health Service professional qualification; or equivalent experience
• Experience of research governance
• Work within the NHS or other healthcare setting research methodology, achievement and innovation.

Desirable criteria

• Have attended recognised external research training courses/meetings
• Evidence of multi-disciplinary working
• Practical clinical experience from any field, an understanding of research governance, national research priorities, and the role of external bodies including IRAS, MHRA, NIHR, NICE and the Healthcare Commission
• Ability to plan projects and guide clinical staff through the research process to an appropriate end point
• Ability to use own judgment based on information available and to seek advice when unsure of appropriate response
• Knowledge of medical terminology
• Advanced computer literacy
• Ability to manage change effectively at organisational, team and individual levels

We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Appointment to any position is conditional on the satisfactory completion of the core NHS Employment Checks Standards. Information disclosed in your application will be checked and any offer of appointment may be withdrawn if you knowingly withhold information or provide false or misleading information. All new appointments to the Trust, with the exception of executive positions, are subject to a 6 month probationary period. The Trust may close any vacancy prior to the advertised closing date due to the high level of responses we receive for some of our vacancies. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to improving the health of its staff, patients and the wider community by providing a smoke free environment. A smoke free policy is in operation and smoking is not permitted on any of the Trust's sites.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Staff Benefits

• Flexible working opportunities and a strong emphasis on your work, life balance
• Annual leave - 27 days for new starters, plus bank holidays. Increasing to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years NHS service. Pro rata for part time staff
• NHS pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Money Advice Service
• Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave for eligible staff
• On-site nursery (based at RBH)
• Full educational library services
• Cycle to work scheme, lockable storage for cycles
• Bus to work scheme
• Excellent rail and bus links
• A huge range of Health Service Discounts at hundreds of big brands from holidays to gadgets and restaurants to retail.