CRF QA Manager

King's College Hospital; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a senior professional to lead the Clinical Research Facility’s quality assurance and governance functions in London. The post holder will develop and maintain SOPs, policies, and QA systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and effective record-keeping.

Responsibilities include coordinating MHRA and sponsor inspections, addressing findings, and driving continuous improvement using KPIs.

Qualifications

• Degree level in clinical or life sciences with evidence of CPD in clinical research.
• Postgraduate certification in clinical research or equivalent experience.
• Trained in ICH GCP and good clinical practice principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead the CRF's quality assurance and management systems to regulatory standards.
• Develop, review and update SOPs, policies and working practices; monitor KPIs.
• Coordinate MHRA/regulatory inspections and drive inspection readiness and corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate quality management records and ensure readiness for inspectors.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory knowledge

Communication skills

Teaching skills

Education

Degree in clinical or life sciences

Postgraduate certification in clinical research

ICH GCP training

Tools

QPulse

Job description

Employer King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Town London Salary £58,133 - £65,261 per annum, including high cost allowance Salary period Yearly Closing 18/10/2026 23:59

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

The post holder will maintain systems to assure the quality of clinical research undertaken within the Clinical Research Facility in accordance with prevailing legislative and best practice requirements, including Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Laboratory Practice principles, the Research Governance Framework for Health and Community Care 2005, Good Clinical Practice as defined in the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, the Human Tissue Act and the Mental Capacity Act. The post holder will play a key role in the co-ordination of working practices and policy implementation to ensure that the Clinical Research Facility is at all times compliant with both internal policies and external regulatory frameworks. They will have an expert knowledge of those regulatory frameworks and will be able to liaise at a high level with all stakeholders within KHP. The post holder will be based at the Denmark Hill CRF but will be expected to work closely with the counterparts at the Guy’s and St Thomas’ across both CRFs.

The post holder will make autonomous professional decisions on a daily basis relating to the initiation, development and implementation of quality assurance systems in the CRF.

The post holder will have responsibility for supporting the strategic objectives of the BRC.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will lead and maintain the CRF’s quality assurance and management systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory, Trust and research governance requirements. They will develop and review SOPs, policies and working practices, monitor and risk-assess the clinical trial portfolio, identify and address quality and governance issues, and maintain accurate records. The postholder will also lead inspection readiness and support MHRA, regulatory and Sponsor inspections, coordinate responses to findings and remedial actions, and use quality metrics and KPIs to drive continuous improvement across the CRF.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.

Our six strategic ambitions are delivering high-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long‑term financial sustainability.

We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Management of Quality Assurance in the Clinical Research Facility

• Manage and maintain the quality control of clinical research activity undertaken within the CRF.
• Ensure that all changes to existing working practices and the introduction of new working practices and policies are implemented in the CRF using robust and standardised systems.
• Develop, implement, review and verify CRF working practices and standard operating procedures, ensuring that all Regulatory, College and Trust requirements are encapsulated.
• Maintain precise and accurate quality management records that are ready for inspection by regulatory authorities and Sponsors on demand.
• Recognise and respond to research governance and quality issues that might arise during quality control checks.
• Review and risk assess the CRFs clinical trial portfolio in order to identify high‑risk studies and target the use of Quality Control systems
• Recognise and act upon departures from legislative and research governance requirements including failure to follow protocols and or SOPs, responding appropriately and escalating action as required.
• Participate in regulatory inspections and audits as required
• Lead the preparation for mandatory inspection of the CRF by the MHRA, developing and maintaining an inspection implementation plan, in order to ensure that the CRF remains in a state of readiness for statutory inspection.
• Act as the primary contact person for regulatory agencies during mandatory inspections of the CRF, accompanying the inspectors, responding promptly to requests for information and ensuring that designated staff is available for interview as required.
• Review any inspection findings, taking responsibility for coordinating remedial action, ensuring completion of tasks and attainment of requisite regulatory standards.
• Develop tools to permit review of results of quality control checks and develop Key Performance Indicators and metrics to ensure quality at all times.
• Lead on the maintenance and further development of a comprehensive suite of Standard Operating Procedures, working practices and guidance documents that are compatible with KHP quality systems to ensure a robust quality system within the CRF.
• Promote a Quality Culture among CRF staff, users and the wider clinical research community.
• Implement and maintain a document management system, ensuring that CRF policies, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and essential study documents are updated and controlled according to regulatory requirements.
• Maintain robust CRF systems to protect the rights of subjects involved in research (in accordance with the Data Protection Act, Human Rights legislation and ICH GCP) acting to prevent the disclosure of sponsors’ proprietary information or subjects’ identity to other than authorised individuals.
• Manage and monitor CRF systems for recording and reporting adverse events / adverse reactions to the sponsor, ensuring that the investigator provides all necessary reports, submissions and notifications for the attention of regulatory authorities.

Information Management

• The post holder will use standard information technology - Word, Excel, Access, internet Explorer and the CRF specific software in order to undertake their duties.
• They will act as administrator for the CRF Quality Management System- QPulse.
• They will also use the Trust reporting systems across KCH and SLAM (EPJs, EPR, Datix etc) and other relevant reporting systems
• They will manage the storage and archiving of CRF records in accordance with the Trust, R&D and KCH Clinical Trials Office processes and SOPs.

Education and Qualifications

• The post holder will be educated to degree level or equivalent in a clinical or life sciences related subject.
• Evidence of further education including post‑graduate certification / diploma / Continuous Professional Development in clinical research or equivalent experience.
• Trained in ICH GCP (International Conference on Harmonisation Good Clinical Practice).

Knowledge and Experience

• An extensive experience undertaking, co‑ordinating or managing clinical research. (academic or commercial setting) preferably involving phase I, II and III clinical trials.
• Proven experience of developing and implementing quality assurance procedures in a clinical research environment.
• Up to date knowledge of major regulatory issues governing the conduct of clinical research (Research Governance Framework for Health and Community Care, Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act, Data Protection Act, Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees and Human Tissue Act).
• Experience managing a team
• Knowledge and experience with VLFC
• Knowledge and experience using the Q Pulse system

Skills and Competencies

• Proven project management and organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills (oral, written & presentation) with proven ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Self‑motivated and able to work independently, showing initiative and good judgement.
• Teaching Skills

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you.

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often see generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Application numbers

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.