Research Portfolio Manager

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester seeks a Research Portfolio Manager for the Lung Research Team. You will oversee portfolio setup, feasibility assessments and delivery of trials in line with NIHR targets, while ensuring high quality data, finance and governance.

Strong leadership, HR oversight and excellent communication are essential. You will lead trial coordination staff, drive staff development and training, monitor processes, and liaise with sponsors and monitors to optimise

Qualifications

• Experience leading research coordination teams.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with administration experience.
• Advanced knowledge of clinical trials and GCP.

Responsibilities

• Oversee set-up and delivery of the Lung Research Team Portfolio in line with divisional and national KPIs.
• Lead on feasibility assessments and timely initiation of clinical trials.
• Manage quality, financial and data systems; monitor and improve processes.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organisation

Clinical trials

GCP knowledge

HR management

Staff development

EDGE system

Tools

EDGE

Job description

We are looking to appoint a Research Portfolio Manager to the Lung Research Team within The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The research teams form part of the Research and Innovation division. We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated and extensively experienced individual who will be responsible for overseeing the successful set-up and delivery of the Lung Research Team Portfolio in line with divisional and national key performance metrics. Core duties will include facilitation and management of research feasibility assessments. Ensuring efficient and timely initiation and delivery of clinical research. Ensure the implementation, standardisation and optimisation of quality, financial, and data systems. The post holder is expected to use initiative and be able to work independently without close supervision. They should be pro‑active in monitoring the quality and effectiveness of working practices within research team as well as lead on continued training and development of non‑clinical staff across the Research Division. They will take overall managerial responsibility for recruitment, retention, disciplinary and grievance, and all human resource related staffing issues for the assigned team. Applicants should meet all the essential criteria on job description as a minimum. We are looking for a candidate with exceptional organisational and communication skills, administration experience and advanced knowledge of clinical trials/GCP. Applicants should meet all the essential criteria described in the job description as a minimum. You will be responsible for efficient and timely initiation and delivery of new trials in line with NIHR targets, effective ongoing management of the portfolio and feasibility management. You will act as point of contact for internal and external colleagues, liaising with many different members of staff including trial sponsors, monitors and the wider research community, so excellent communication is key. You will be responsible for leadership and direct line management to a team of trial coordination staff including workload allocation and troubleshooting across the team and supporting recruitment, induction and training of new team members. A key expectation is that the post holder will actively support in service improvement identification and implementation to maintain and continually improve research processes. The role holder will require working knowledge of our key research policies and procedures and demonstrable experience of commercial and non‑commercial study set up, research systems such as EDGE, and general trial organisation. The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 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 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

• To provide direct line management for research coordination and administrative staff within a designated team.
• Overall managerial responsibility for recruitment, retention, disciplinary and grievance, and all human resource related staffing issues for the assigned team
• Ensure the annual performance review and identification of development needs are conducted in accordance with Trust policy.
• Support and contribute to the education and training needs of the research teams, ensuring the objectives of the organisation are reflected.
• Contribute to the assessment and allocation of the workforce requirements to support the effective maintenance and management of the portfolio of research within the designated team.
• Provide leadership within the team and act as a role model and resource for all team members.
• Maintain own professional development and identify learning needs and opportunities.
• Participate in Trust-wide education programmes and study days, regional and national meetings and research seminars as appropriate.
• Oversee induction training, support and mentoring for new non-clinical post holders within the team
• Participate and lead on continued training and development of non-clinical staff across the Research Division.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Support contract negotiation processes with trial sponsors under direction from the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leader/ Research Manager, ensuring appropriate financial agreements are in place for each project for both commercial and Trust sponsored (i.e. investigator-led) research.
• Ensure the business processes and systems for financial management are implemented, such as, service line reporting, invoicing, procurement, activity logs etc.
• Adopt responsive working practices in relation to any new financial processes/systems that require implementation.
• Produce written activity and annual reports under the direction of the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leaders

CLINICAL TRIALS MANAGEMENT

• Act as a pivotal point of contact with the pharmaceutical companies, study sponsor, MAHSC-Clinical Trials Coordination Unit and clinical research associates.
• Under the direction of the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leaders/ Research Manager, be responsible for and may participate in the administrative set-up and on‑going administrative management of all clinical trials within the team.
• Implement and ensure maintenance of systems to track the status of the research portfolio to support monitoring of the delivery of projects and supporting any key business related decisions within a designated team.
• Responsible for ensuring clinical report forms and other data capture mechanisms are completed efficiently and effectively within agreed timeframes.
• Development of team reporting mechanisms to measure data capture/ entry against agreed performance metrics.
• Development of action plans to address any actual or potential deviations from agreed data capture metrics.
• Ensure team, divisional and national study targets are achieved within agreed timeframes.
• Liaison with Trust departments regarding trial feasibility and resource requirements
• In collaboration with the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leader/ Research Manager work in liaison with internal and external sponsors and their representatives to ensure timely collection and management of trial related data
• In conjunction with the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leader/ Research Manager collate and provide relevant information relating to the capabilities of the assigned team in preparation for strategic partnership meetings. Oversee the archiving process for all clinical trials, ensuring adherence to the current Trust archiving guidelines

QUALITY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

• Working in collaboration with the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leaders and the divisional quality and improvement teams to ensure that quality systems and new ways of working are implemented and embedded within team practices.
• Be pro‑active in monitoring the quality and effectiveness of working practices within research team.
• The post holder is expected to use initiative and be able to work independently without close supervision. They are also expected to plan and organise their own time and workload activity with prioritisation, referring to the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leader/ Research Manager as required. The post holder is guided by relevant protocols, SOPs and expected to exercise judgement outside these areas. However, the Research Division's managerial team members are available as point of reference for any queries and will meet regularly with staff.
• The post holder is expected to lead on specific projects as designated by the Clinical Research Nurse Team Leader/ Research Manager