Governance jobs in United Kingdom

Job Description

Position Details

Research Strategy and Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 14th October 2025

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Research Strategy & Services Division

The Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD) was established to provide a cohesive, expert and agile research support ecosystem for the University of Birmingham. Since 2022, the Division has evolved into a vibrant, high-performing community that supports all aspects of research, innovation and business engagement across the institution.

RSSD is at the forefront of delivering the University\'s ambitious research goals. Within RSSD, the Research Ethics, Governance & Integrity (REGI) team ensures that our research meets the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The team fosters a culture where good research practice is embedded across the University, enabling our researchers to work with confidence and credibility in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

The University of Birmingham sponsors one of the largest non-commercial clinical trials portfolios in the UK, including a substantial portfolio of international trials. The Research Ethics, Governance & Integrity Manager (REGIM) will be a senior team lead for the Research Ethics, Governance and Integrity Team (REGI) in RSSD, reporting to the Head of Research Governance and Integrity. They will be responsible for maintaining and improving processes to ensure that research ethics and governance applications are processed efficiently, that ethics approval and insurance cover are obtained in a timely matter, and that oversight is maintained throughout the life of the project including reporting and publication. A key responsibility will be ensuring that data held in the research ethics & governance databases / systems are robust and working in line with UoB requirements. The post holder will leverage their knowledge of research ethics, governance and integrity requirements to collaborate with colleagues across the University\'s five Colleges to develop and implement guidance, policies and procedures with the aim of ensuring safety of research participants and the integrity of our research data. This will include providing expert professional leadership for research ethics / sponsorship reviews and supporting team members as a senior team lead. This will entail working with senior staff such as Heads of College, Directors of Research, Directors of Operations and College Research Support Hubs to establish appropriate systems for the assurance of good research ethics and governance standards in each College. The role holder will attend senior level University Committees as needed, e.g. the University Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity Committee (RGEIC), Human Tissue Oversight Committee and Clinical Trials Oversight Committee to provide evidence for appropriate processes and standards. The post offers an interesting and diverse workload and an opportunity to help support cutting edge research.

• Manage the review and approval process for University research ethics reviews and Sponsorship applications under the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and the Clinical Trials Regulations.
• Manage amendments and reporting for projects ethically approved and sponsored by the University of Birmingham, taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with relevant guidelines / legislation.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and training to the UoB research community (staff and students) ensuring researchers are aware of good conduct expectations, especially in relation to research ethics and governance processes. Prepare and update content for the REGI website and contribute to the e-pathway tool.
• Liaise with College/Schools and ensure that all ethics and regulatory requirements are met for research undertaken by staff and students.
• Identify and monitor critical areas where failures in research ethics and governance could have adverse implications for the University\'s reputation, legal and scientific standing (e.g., study registration). In conjunction with other UoB colleagues review and suggest changes to the UoB policy framework to minimise the risk to the University.
• Manage research ethics and governance issues and ensure appropriate tracking of key high-risk activity (e.g., studies using human tissue and / or NHS Digital). Where issues are identified, liaise with the project team and relevant stakeholders in order to resolve them.
• Actively contribute to University oversight of clinical trials, working with Clinical Trial Units (CTUs), Academic Research Teams and the Clinical Research Compliance Team.
• Take a lead role in supporting internal audits and regulatory inspections (e.g., MHRA, HTA), and provide guidance in the preparation for inspections and the response to, and implementation of, recommendations.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of research ethics and governance related guidelines and legislation and develop policies to ensure compliance especially with a view to UK and international guidance / legislation e.g., EU, Dubai, US concerning research ethics and governance requirements.
• Provide coaching, support and development to team members through regular reviews, annual appraisals and ongoing feedback. As a member of the RSSD take a proactive role in promoting teamwork and integrating operating processes especially in collaboration with the other G8 posts in the team leading on research ethics & integrity.
• Support the maintenance of a positive culture of research integrity by offering expert professional support in managing / reporting potential conduct issues and developing policies/ procedures.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

• Experience of working in a research ethics and / or governance capacity e.g.in an NHS organisation, an academic institution or pharmaceutical company (or similar), or extensive clinical trial management (or other relevant) experience.
• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) and evidence of self-directed research or empathy with the research process.
• Clear understanding of the regulatory and policy environment for research in the UK and internationally including clinical trial regulation and compliance with the Human Tissue Act.
• Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role including broader sector awareness.
• Experience of policy development and implementation.
• Experience of NHS research governance processes.
• Proven ability to meet targets, milestones and contracted outputs within agreed deadlines and the ability to encourage others to do the same.
• An understanding of the use of the web and social media for use in research.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to interact with a range of stakeholders both internal and external to the University.
• Able to provide advice and guidance to staff at all levels with the ability to listen effectively and to moderate their behaviour according to audience, situation and method.
• Well-developed organisational abilities including the ability to initiate, specify and manage projects.
• Accuracy and attention to detail, particularly experience of interpreting and adhering to detailed and precise requirements and providing advice on the same.
• Evidence of a high standard of English, including the ability to critique and help re-draft material effectively.
• Evidence of highly developed IT skills, including data manipulation and presentation using the MS Office suite to support communication, analysis of information, data dissemination and project management.
• Understanding and experience of committee organisation and minuting of high-level meetings.
• Absolute discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality.

Roles at this level provide authoritative professional advice across a range of activities and/or will lead and manage diverse team(s) and resources. You will use your professional skills to resolve problems where the solution is not immediately apparent. Significant evaluation and independent thought are therefore required to resolve ambiguity. You will have wide discretion to decide on direction whilst ensuring activities are broadly consistent with operational policies. You will be able to influence policy through advising on the impact of policy change and implementation in your area of work. You will need to assess the impact of your activities across your area, with related areas and to ensure they fit with the broader objectives of the University.

Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully use the following core competencies/transferable skills in each of the areas shown below. You will be expected to take ownership for getting things done, including calling on or joining others to assist. You will need to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.

• provide professional expertise and manage resources and/or a diverse team.
• integrate and co-ordinate work across different parts of the Department/University.
• lead staff who are likely to be carrying out diverse duties and ensure collaborative working to deliver a successful service.
• project manage activities to facilitate major changes.
• develop policy within functional guidelines and contribute to strategic development within own area.
• be accountable for the quality and professionalism of service delivery, with an appreciation of longer-term issues.

• anticipate, interpret and assess customer needs, identifying trends, generating original ideas and testing innovative solutions.
• deal with significant people management issues such as change programmes.
• resolve issues which may not have arisen before through use of experience and judgement.

• has an excellent understanding of their own working area and a broad understanding of the contribution other areas make to the success of the University.
• has an excellent understanding of how the University operates, together with an understanding of how academia operates in the UK.
• demonstrates empathy with the academic endeavour and seeks to encourage others to do so.

• use coaching skills to motivate and develop staff.
• influence others (including across the University) to follow a particular course of action.
• represent the department at internal and external meetings/events/network with colleagues in other institutions to share best practice.

Informal enquiries to Becky Case, email: r.e.case.1@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a \"typical\" member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website"