Research Partnership Manager

The Christie International; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester invites applications for a Research & Innovation Partnerships Manager (Band 7) to advance the Division's external collaborations. You will build partnerships with industry, charities and academia, manage complex projects, and translate strategic aims into practical actions that benefit research and patient care.

You will work with senior stakeholders across the Trust, coordinate events, and lead on contract negotiations and reporting.

Qualifications

• Educated to postgraduate level.
• Postgraduate qualification with significant research experience in a medical field (i.e. PhD).
• Experience in health/academic/research partnerships is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain partnerships with industry, charities, NHS sites and academia.
• Coordinate partnership activity and events across the Division.
• Support contract negotiations and progress reporting to internal and external audiences.
• Provide advice and drive service improvements within the Division and Trust.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Partnership development

Project management

Negotiation & influencing

Strategic communications

Education

Postgraduate degree

PhD or significant research experience

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Outlook

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research & Innovation Partnerships Manager (Band 7) to join our Research & Innovation Division. This is a key role within the R&I Operations directorate, supporting The Christie’s research ambitions through strong external partnerships, strategic collaboration, and the development of new opportunities. You will work across R&I and the wider Trust to build relationships, develop initiatives and ensure our partnerships deliver meaningful benefits for research and patient care. We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive, and self‑motivated individual who can build trusted relationships and influence effectively at all levels. You will be confident working with senior internal and external stakeholders, manage complex and competing priorities when working at pace, and skilled at turning strategic objectives into practical outcomes. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to make a tangible contribution to the growth and development of research at one of the UK’s leading cancer centres.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the delivery of R&I strategic objectives through leading and supporting a range of strategic partnerships, projects, and initiatives across the Division, ensuring activity is delivered effectively and contributes to divisional priorities. Key responsibilities will include developing and maintaining strong relationships with pharmaceutical companies, charities, academic institutions, NHS organisations and other external stakeholders, coordinating partnership activity and events, and identifying and progressing new collaboration and funding opportunities. The post holder will also lead and contribute to service improvement projects, supporting the development and implementation of new approaches to modernise research services and processes. They will provide advice to colleagues, coordinate activity across teams, and monitor progress against agreed objectives, timelines and benefits. The role will contribute to strategic and operational reporting, including the analysis and presentation of research activity and performance information for internal and external audiences. The post holder will be expected to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly and confidently, and to represent R&I professionally with a wide range of stakeholders. The role requires a high degree of autonomy, strong judgement and the ability to manage multiple priorities while working collaboratively across the Division and wider Trust.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK. You will be working in a friendly and supportive team which works closely with colleagues across the division and wider Trust. This role will be a great opportunity to support our growth as a centre of excellence in research.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Development of key relationships and communications initiatives

• Set up, build and maintain partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, charities, other NHS sites, and academic institutions
• Identify and develop key partnership networks
• Promote research internally within the Trust and externally with pharmaceutical companies, charities, other NHS sites, and academic institutions
• Develop and implement communications strategies on research developments in consultation with the Christie Research Communications Manager
• Produce a range of media and communication materials appropriate to a variety of stakeholder groups
• Responsible for the R&I content on The Christie intranet and internet relating to partnerships
• Advise on, and when appropriate, ensure the implementation of new practice/developments within the Division and across the Trust which may have an impact on the effective and efficient delivery of research
• Work, liaise and communicate with colleagues across the Trust to improve the quality of research and research services
• Provide and receive complex and sensitive information to colleagues and vendors
• Support timely contract negotiations by liaising closely with business development and research teams
• Communicate highly complex strategic information to groups of people at a variety of levels

Project management

• Identify, plan and implement service improvements to modernise research services and practices within the Trust
• Lead on key research partnerships and collaborations, ensuring that business activities are delivered to target and meet agreed timelines
• Plan and organise a broad range of complex research activities ensuring all are completed on schedule and adjustments are made for any issues that arise
• Progress the activities of key research strategy themes
• Facilitate the development of strategic plans for research and the creation of business plans to support research and research service developments inline with Trust's strategic objectives
• Liaise with the Business Planning Team, the Sponsor and the Research Teams to facilitate prompt contract negotiations
• Identify opportunities to develop and pilot new research projects
• Ensure that all research services are delivered meeting agreed deadlines and objectives within a strategic framework set by the NHS and/or the Trust

General project management duties include:

• Facilitate key partnership meetings as required
• Provide information and advice on appropriate collaborations, targeting of applications, dissemination of data and clinical trial implementation
• Monitor timelines for study set up key stakeholders
• Plan and organise own work to ensure delivery of corporate and directorate aims and objectives

Events management

• Organise research events on behalf of the division including workshops and symposia aimed at a range of different audiences
• Host key partners such as pharmaceutical companies and charity representatives on tours of research facilities to raise the profile of the organisation
• Arrange for appropriate personnel to take part in discussions with external organisations and stakeholders on local, regional and national committees

Management of key metrics for reporting purposes

• Assist in ensuring that performance and other board/service reports on the Trust's research activities are produced in a timely manner for Division board, other performance committees and to external bodies as required
• Collate and analyse quantitative and qualitative data for the Trust's annual reports such as academic publications, trials recruitment and research grant income
• Assist in the development of new systems for streamlining operational reporting
• Maintain databases and other records systems

Finance and research grant management

• Regularly ensure all potential partnership funding opportunities are identified and disseminated to the appropriate staff within the Trust in a timely manner
• Facilitate key grant applications to enhance the Trust’s research income portfolio (i.e. provide medical writing support and collate business cases)
• Support with ensuring that service contracts are in place with external service providers for the delivery of research services by the Trust

Development of operational processes

• Regularly maintain a high level strategy for R&I within the Trust that meets local, regional and national priorities and requirements
• Maintain a clear understanding of local, regional and national policies relevant to clinical research in the NHS and uphold the Trust’s standards
• Implement SOPs to improve working practices
• Regularly ensure that systems are established for the organisation and management of research activities under coherent programmes and themes

Other key skills

• Strong IT skills using various software packages including MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook
• Good presentation skills to deliver information to a variety of audiences
• Strong scientific background and knowledge of academic and industry research processes to understand and progress complex experimental ideas
• Excellent time-management, attention to detail and medical/scientific writing skills to produce detailed accurate reports within tight timeframes

Continuing professional development

• Undertake continuing personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job and satisfy the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework requirements relating to the job
• Attend and participate in meetings and training courses as identified and/or agreed by the line manager and division
• Develop core leadership skills with a view to providing future management to an expanding team

Freedom to Act

• The post holder will be guided by precedent and clearly defined occupational policies, protocols, procedures or codes of conduct. Work will be managed, rather than supervised and results outcomes will be assessed at agreed intervals by the individuals the post is accountable to.
• Perform any other duties within the range of skills and abilities of the post holder, as required
• Work unsupervised and autonomously within the range of skills and abilities of the post holder, as required while adhering to the Trust’s policies and procedures

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role and commensurate with the level and responsibilities of the post. Duties may be reviewed and amended from time to time in response to the changing needs and priorities of the service.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to postgraduate level
• Postgraduate qualification with significant research experience in a medical field (i.e. PhD)

Experience

• Significant experience working within a health, medical, clinical, or research environment
• Significant stakeholder engagement/management experience, including developing engagement plans, coordinating stakeholder events, and implementing stakeholder feedback
• Experience of working at pace in a dynamic environment
• Experience in project management, including planning, risk management, progress reporting, and benefits evaluation
• Experience of developing and delivering research strategies
• Experience of having undertaken or managed clinical research / clinical trials in an NHS, academic, or commercial setting
• Experience of leading or supporting digital transformation projects
• Experience of line management of staff

Skills

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to convey complex information in a clear and accessible way to different audiences
• Able to handle difficult conversations and diffuse tensions with tact, diplomacy, and sensitivity
• Strong negotiation, persuasion, and influencing skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Skilled in collating, analysing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data to inform decision-making and operational recommendations
• Produce well‑drafted reports and papers for a variety of boards and committees
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals at different levels both within and outside the organisation
• Ability to effectively coordinate and plan multiple projects with conflicting and demanding deadlines, maintaining strong attention to detail
• Ability to understand and interpret guidance and legislation
• Ability to use strong judgement in giving advice, assessing options, and managing stakeholders

Knowledge

• Knowledge of national R&D/life sciences priorities and ambitions within a changing landscape, and an understanding of their implications for NHS organisations and research delivery
• Strong understanding of the NHS infrastructure, systems, and processes, and the role and delivery of research within the NHS
• Knowledge of external partnership organisational structures such as NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and CRUK Centres of Excellence
• Understanding of clinical trial methodology and logistics
• Knowledge of clinical research funding structures
• Knowledge of a recognised project management methodology

Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

• Self‑motivated, proactive, with ability to work independently and on own initiative
• Strong team player, adopting a collaborative approach towards supporting, and seeking support from, colleagues across teams
• Flexible and adaptable, able to prioritise a busy workload at pace
• Maintain confidentiality

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Application Information - If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

Sponsorship Information - 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.

Pre-Employment Checks - To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards. These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicants responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history andreferences.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

If You're Offered the Role - you will be agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

No Smoking Policy - You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information - We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect. The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

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.