Senior Research Project Manager | The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare research organization in Manchester seeks a motivated individual for a part-time project management role in their Living With & Beyond Cancer research theme. The position involves coordinating program work, managing budgets, and ensuring timely reporting. Candidates should have strong project management skills and the ability to work collaboratively across organizational boundaries. Flexible working options are available, and the role is fixed-term until March 2028.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Collaboration with industry and charity partners

Qualifications

• Experience in project management, preferably in a research environment.
• Ability to develop and maintain project plans.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in budget management.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for project management.
• Coordinate work within themes and clusters.
• Provide timely and accurate progress updates to stakeholders.
• Manage theme budget and produce reports.

Skills

Project management

Analytical support

Collaborative working

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a resourceful and motivated individual to join our Living With & Beyond Cancer (LWBC) research theme, who enjoys working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries. The NIHR funds Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) as experimental medicine centres of excellence via competitive application every five years. Manchester BRC was awarded £64.1 million (2022-28) to provide infrastructure funding across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The post holder will be expected to drive the delivery of BRC objectives across Themes and Clusters, provide accurate, timely and high-quality reports on project progress and outputs against forecasts and strategic aims both internally (including to the BRC senior management team) and to external bodies (including the NIHR). The post holder will work with theme/cluster leads, programme leads and key researchers to identify and overcome risks to ensure successful delivery of the theme objectives.

We support flexible working, with home-based and office-based options. Some travel across Greater Manchester may be required. This is a part-time role at 0.5FTE, for a fixed term until March 2028. If already employed by The Christie, an internal secondment would be considered. Agenda for Change banding is pending for this post and therefore this is Band 7 subject to evaluation.

You will be the primary point of contact for Manchester BRC LWBC Theme management. You will develop and maintain appropriate project plans and performance management systems, ensuring that timely and accurate progress updates are provided as required, and analyse and evaluate Theme progress on a regular basis, formulating, presenting and implementing strategies to minimise risk and maximise benefit to the BRC.

You will manage the Theme budget, produce reports including the Theme annual report and ad hoc internal reports. You will develop and report impact cases and work closely with the BRC Communications team to ensure newsworthy items are identified and reported in a timely fashion. You will support industry and charity collaborations and help source external funding opportunities to further develop the research theme.

Duties and responsibilities

1. The primary point of contact for BRC LWBC project management, particularly around the development of research projects and reporting of project outputs.
2. Develops and coordinates programmes of work within themes and as a Cluster.
3. Develops and maintains appropriate project plans and performance management systems, ensuring that timely and accurate progress updates are received by the BRC and Divisional Senior Management Teams, Trust Board and Executive Directors, and by the NIHR/DHSC and other external stakeholders as required.
4. Oversees and interacts with local project teams in the management and delivery of projects including MFT, BRC partner Trusts and University employees and, where appropriate, external organisations.
5. Analyses and evaluates project progress on a regular basis, formulating, presenting and implementing strategies to minimise risk and maximise benefit to the BRC, accountable body and funder.
6. Works closely with the BRC, CRF, R&I operational teams and University departments to coordinate and provide analytical support relating to current objectives and future strategy at Theme and Cluster level.

This advert closes on Sunday 5 Oct 2025.