UK Dementia Trials Network Project Coordinator

Transformation Unit; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a UK Dementia Trials Network Project Coordinator in Sheffield. The role supports the UKDTN Sheffield Centre, hosted within this NHS Trust, and collaborates with NIHR Sheffield BRC to improve dementia health outcomes.

The post is NHS AfC Band 6, fixed-term until August 2029, with duties spanning governance, regulatory submissions, and cross-site expansion across the North of England and Scotland.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in Health/ Biomedical Sciences/ Neuroscience or equivalent experience in a clinical research environment.
• Current GCP accreditation
• MSc in Health related/ Biomedical Science/ Neuroscience related subject

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery and governance of the UKDTN Sheffield Centre, ensuring a growing dementia portfolio is well managed.
• Assist with expansion into other regions, transferring experience to new sites.
• Collaborate with the BRC’s Clinical Trials team to enable submissions for regulatory approval and ensure compliance.
• Produce study promotional/administrative material and handle queries and barriers to participation.
• Support operational projects to deliver UKDTN milestones, including tracking expenditure, invoicing, contracting and progress reporting.

Education

Degree-level health/biomedical science/neuroscience

MSc in Health-related/biomedical science/neuroscience

Current GCP accreditation

Job description

Main area Research Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 30 months (End date of funding - August 2029. All existing NHS staff will only be considered on a secondment basis.) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 190-3227-DIR

Employer Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Hallamshire Hospital Town Sheffield Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 19/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 01/12/2026

UK Dementia Trials Network Project Coordinator

NHS AfC: Band 6

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.

Job overview

This post is supported by UK Dementia Trials Network, a programme funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The UK DTN Project Coordinator will support the delivery and success of the UK DTN Sheffield Centre, which is hosted within STH NHS FT, in partnership with the NIHR Sheffield BRC, and was established to improve dementia health outcomes in a region of the UK with lower-than-average life expectancy and stark health inequalities. Their vision is to provide a patient facing, innovative and expert dementia research workforce, working across boundaries to transform the dementia research landscape; acting as advocates to promote accessible and inclusive clinical research opportunities for people living with dementia.

Aims of the UK DTN:

• For UK to be the go-to place for early phase trials.
• Increase access to early phase trials in equitable manner.
• Join up/strengthen current early phase trial infrastructure.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the delivery and success of the UKDTN Sheffield Centre by ensuring the efficient set-up, governance and management of a growing, complex portfolio in dementia. They will act as a central support for further leveraging of income from external awards.

This post will also support the expansion into other regions of the North of England and Scotland transferring experience to new sites and helping those sites to establish independence.

As part of their overall job duties, the successful applicant will work with the BRC’s Clinical Trials team to: enable Chief or Principal Investigators to complete submissions for regulatory approval for UKDTN and BRC dementia studies; and that the studies run in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements.

The post holder will also be responsible for the production of study promotional/administrative material, answering of queries and resolving any technical or administrative barriers to participation.

Other key responsibilities will involve supporting operational projects and processes to ensure the delivery of UKDTN milestones and support its sustainability and growth. Example activities include tracking of expenditure/invoicing, assisting with contracting and annual progress reporting.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its employees. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

This vacancy is advertised on a fixed term contract basis for a period until August 2029 due to the post being externally funded. The fixed term contract status of the post holder will be reviewed in accordance with the Trust's legal obligations regarding fixed term contracts taking into consideration the ongoing source of the external funding and the requirement for the post to be maintained.

Please note all existing NHS staff will only be considered on a secondment basis. This must first be agreed with your current line manager.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

When completing your application please ensure that you clearly demonstrate how you meet the role criteria.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in Health/ Biomedical Sciences/ Neuroscience related subject or equivalent experience in a clinical research environment.
• Current GCP accreditation
• MSc in Health related/ Biomedical Science/ Neuroscience related subject

Experience

• Extensive experience of clinical research in the NHS, Academic or commercial environment
• Experience of project design, management and evaluation
• Experience of the submission and approval process for set up of clinical trials
• Extensive experience managing clinical research performance metrics
• Experience of co-ordinating multiple projects at any one time
• Experience of working independently and as part of a team
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external partners
• Experience of working in a fast paced, adaptable environment
• Experience of process innovation and other service improvement initiatives
• Experience of developing Standard Operating Procedures, Policies and Procedures

Skills and Knowledge

• Knowledge of research processes and research methods applicable to health setting
• Knowledge of Department of Health& Social Care/NIHR research strategy
• Knowledge of research legislation including research governance, ICH GCP, Medicines for Human use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, Data Protection, Human Tissue Act, Mental Capacity Act
• Knowledge of the national research agenda for dementia
• Knowledge of patient and public involvement initiativesKnowledge, experience and maintenance of quality assurance systems
• Ability to maintain timely, highly complex and accurate information sources and databases
• Excellent organisational skills and an ability to prioritise an unpredictable workload with frequent disruption
• Understanding and commitment to the need for confidentiality
• Knowledge of research funding sources, especially NIHR
• Ability to manage a diverse workload and to meet set deadlines on own initiative and without close supervision
• Ability to work independently, without supervision and to self-motivate
• Ability to produce high quality performance reports for various stakeholders and presentation skills
• Ability to analyse and communicate to the UKDTN complex data from various sources to enable continuous quality and delivery efficiencies
• Demonstrable self-awareness, an understanding of impact on others and an ability to manage self and maintain professional conduct in difficult and challenging situations
• Extensive experience of PC applications such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Project Manager and Access, using skills at an advanced level of expertise
• Excellent attention to detail, whilst maintaining the ability to see the bigger picture
• Proactive in fulfilling needs of researchers
• Evidence of report writing and presentation skills.

Please note that in order to comply with the UK Government’s rules on Skilled Worker sponsorship, any applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or concessions on salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa will not be eligible to receive sponsorship from the Trust. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. Further details on these concessions, and who qualifies for them, can be found here .

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. W hen you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete. The personal statement is exactly that; personal.

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation.

Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position.

All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.

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