Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Advisor to join University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Research and Development Department. We are looking for a talented, motivated enthusiastic and knowledgeable individual to join the R&D team.
This post sits within the Research Governance team and with the support of the Research Governance Manager, QA Manager, Research Monitor, Snr Research Facilitator and administrator, the post holder will provide specialist advice and support to medical, nursing, and Allied Health Professional staff who wish to conduct own account research within the Trust, to ensure the successful development of high-quality clinical trials and/or other well-designed studies.
Advice and support will cover:
- All aspects of research design and feasibility
- Qualitative and/or Quantitative methodologies
- Sources of, and application procedures for, research funding
- Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)
- Development of protocols and accompanying study documents
- Applying for, and obtaining, relevant regulatory approvals
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
Main duties of the job
- Provide administrative and data management support for all aspects of own account research, as an integrated member of the R&D Office.
- Communicate effectively with a wide range of people, from experienced Consultants to first time researchers, to facilitate the design and setup of own account research, acting as first point of contact throughout.
- Contribute to the management of a portfolio of studies as part of a multi-disciplinary and cross-organisational team.
- Maintain oversight of own account research throughout development and setup.
- Contribute to the efficient organisation and administration of specific aspects of studies in accordance with applicable standard operating procedures.
- Follow the appropriate regulatory policies ensuring adherence to necessary regulations and standards.
- Review and monitor processes, procedures, and associated documentation drawing in specialist knowledge, implementing or making recommendations for changes as appropriate.
- Provide excellent client service and detailed specialist advice and guidance, to enable appropriate solutions.
- Co-ordinate, facilitate and contribute to meetings, committees and facilitate knowledge exchange.
- Provide guidance and assist with training on designated specialist activities and associated policies and procedures.
- Deputise in the absence of the Senior Research Advisor.
- Guide, collaborate and take a lead as appropriate with colleagues and peers across the Trust to plan and achieve joint projects and objectives.
About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Receiving queries via telephone, e-mail and in person, clearly guide researchers through the complicated R&D application process providing support and updates at all stages to ensure that projects flow through the approval processes in a timely and seamless manner, from first idea to R&D approval. Researchers may be very experienced or may be attempting their first forays into research. The ability to target and adapt communication style is therefore crucial.
- Provide advice to all health professionals on the appropriate research design and research methods to use, the collection of study data, including the design of questionnaires and databases, analysis, and interpretation of study results.
- The ability to identify the need for input from other experts (e.g. RDS, UoP, PenCTU, Statisticians, Clinical Audit) advising researchers appropriately.
- The ability to identify when research projects require input/support from Support Services (e.g. pharmacy, labs, imaging), liaising with relevant department(s) to ensure that requirements are feasible.
- The ability to identify when agreements such as an Organisational Information Document (OID), Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), Data Sharing Agreement or a Research Passport/Letter of Access (LOA) etc. are required, liaising with the wider R&D team to ensure that these are put in place in a timely manner.
- Act as main point of contact for researchers requiring statistical support. Review requests from researchers and if eligible liaise with the Medical Statistical Group to arrange input.
- Oversee the Sponsorship approval administration process, ensuring that researchers receive input from the Finance and Governance teams at the appropriate time before arranging Sponsorship signoff by the R&D Operations Director.
- Following regulatory (REC/HRA) review, support researchers with the revision of study documentation and responses to queries to ultimately ensure that approvals are granted.
- When required attend meetings and act as Sponsor Representative, feeding back updates and actions to the Advisory and Governance team, and wider R&D team as appropriate.
- Assist the Senior Research Advisor with administration duties such as promoting information related to local and national funding opportunities for research.
- Review protocols and accompanying study documents and advise on layout and content, challenging researchers where appropriate and/or providing alternative ideas to ensure a robust study is ultimately produced. This will involve detailed knowledge of both research design and scientific rationale.
- Help researchers to engage with patients and the public (PPIE) in order to obtain lay feedback on their research. This may involve organising and facilitating meetings and events to enable researchers to explain complex research/scientific to a lay audience in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. The ability to provide and receive complex, sensitive information with empathy, both verbal and written, is therefore crucial. Exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances is rare.
- When required review research sponsored by UoP with involvement from UHP. Identify any implications and assess feasibility while ensuring that UHP are listed correctly as a recruiting site or Participant Identification Centre (PIC).
- Organise and facilitate seminars designed to promote research, and provide information of the support that can be obtained to develop own account research (e.g. Research Bites).
- 15. Assist the Senior Research Advisor with the establishment, administration and organisation of other training courses/workshops (e.g. Research Breakfasts, R&D Induction).
- 16. Provide active collaborative support to research projects, assisting with the set up and on-going organisation and administration of studies where needed. This may also include supporting researchers with IRAS applications, submissions to REC/HRA/MHRA, and amendments, in the absence of the Senior Research Support Facilitator.
- Ensure a culture of quality both within the research department and its partners in line with and relevant current regulatory requirements, ICH GCP and UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research (2017).
- Collate summaries of research projects, ensuring that they are in Plain English, before promoting on the R&D website.
- Review results and publications of own account research to produce summaries of end of study findings, ensuring that they are in Plain English, before promoting on the R&D website.
- Deputise in the absence of the Senior Research Advisor.
- Add own account research to EDGE (research management system) ensuring attributes and workflows are allocated and completed accordingly.
- Ensure the Studies Oversite Report is consistently kept up to date and attend regular meetings with the Advisory and Governance team to determine the status of Trust sponsored and UoP sponsored studies, progressing any actions as required.
- Maintain database of own account research, together with information of funder and award amount.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Receiving queries via telephone, e-mail and in person, clearly guide researchers through the complicated R&D application process providing support and updates at all stages to ensure that projects flow through the approval processes in a timely and seamless manner, from first idea to R&D approval. Researchers may be very experienced or may be attempting their first forays into research. The ability to target and adapt communication style is therefore crucial.
- Provide advice to all health professionals on the appropriate research design and research methods to use, the collection of study data, including the design of questionnaires and databases, analysis, and interpretation of study results.
- The ability to identify the need for input from other experts (e.g. RDS, UoP, PenCTU, Statisticians, Clinical Audit) advising researchers appropriately.
- The ability to identify when research projects require input/support from Support Services (e.g. pharmacy, labs, imaging), liaising with relevant department(s) to ensure that requirements are feasible.
- The ability to identify when agreements such as an Organisational Information Document (OID), Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), Data Sharing Agreement or a Research Passport/Letter of Access (LOA) etc. are required, liaising with the wider R&D team to ensure that these are put in place in a timely manner.
- Act as main point of contact for researchers requiring statistical support. Review requests from researchers and if eligible liaise with the Medical Statistical Group to arrange input.
- Oversee the Sponsorship approval administration process, ensuring that researchers receive input from the Finance and Governance teams at the appropriate time before arranging Sponsorship signoff by the R&D Operations Director.
- Following regulatory (REC/HRA) review, support researchers with the revision of study documentation and responses to queries to ultimately ensure that approvals are granted.
- When required attend meetings and act as Sponsor Representative, feeding back updates and actions to the Advisory and Governance team, and wider R&D team as appropriate.
- Assist the Senior Research Advisor with administration duties such as promoting information related to local and national funding opportunities for research.
- Review protocols and accompanying study documents and advise on layout and content, challenging researchers where appropriate and/or providing alternative ideas to ensure a robust study is ultimately produced. This will involve detailed knowledge of both research design and scientific rationale.
- Help researchers to engage with patients and the public (PPIE) in order to obtain lay feedback on their research. This may involve organising and facilitating meetings and events to enable researchers to explain complex research/scientific to a lay audience in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. The ability to provide and receive complex, sensitive information with empathy, both verbal and written, is therefore crucial. Exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances is rare.
- When required review research sponsored by UoP with involvement from UHP. Identify any implications and assess feasibility while ensuring that UHP are listed correctly as a recruiting site or Participant Identification Centre (PIC).
- Organise and facilitate seminars designed to promote research, and provide information of the support that can be obtained to develop own account research (e.g. Research Bites).
- 15. Assist the Senior Research Advisor with the establishment, administration and organisation of other training courses/workshops (e.g. Research Breakfasts, R&D Induction).
- 16. Provide active collaborative support to research projects, assisting with the set up and on-going organisation and administration of studies where needed. This may also include supporting researchers with IRAS applications, submissions to REC/HRA/MHRA, and amendments, in the absence of the Senior Research Support Facilitator.
- Ensure a culture of quality both within the research department and its partners in line with and relevant current regulatory requirements, ICH GCP and UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research (2017).
- Collate summaries of research projects, ensuring that they are in Plain English, before promoting on the R&D website.
- Review results and publications of own account research to produce summaries of end of study findings, ensuring that they are in Plain English, before promoting on the R&D website.
- Deputise in the absence of the Senior Research Advisor.
- Add own account research to EDGE (research management system) ensuring attributes and workflows are allocated and completed accordingly.
- Ensure the Studies Oversite Report is consistently kept up to date and attend regular meetings with the Advisory and Governance team to determine the status of Trust sponsored and UoP sponsored studies, progressing any actions as required.
- Maintain database of own account research, together with information of funder and award amount.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oDegree level qualification in a health related or scientific subject, or demonstrable equivalent experience
Desirable
- oPostgraduate certificate in relevant area
- oRecognised GCP qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working within a research environment in NHS, University, or commercial setting
- Proven knowledge of research methodology, including qualitative and quantitative research methods
- Proven knowledge of various trial designs
- A proven understanding of the clinical research process, including ethical submissions, Good Clinical Practice and research governance
- Demonstrable experience in Clinical Trials administration, including set up, data collection, audit and project co-ordination
- Proven knowledge of non-commercial research funding systems, in particular the NIHR
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience of working within the NHS
- Involvement in the writing of research proposals for submission to national research funders
- Demonstrable experience of contributing to the development of study protocols and other study documentation
- Proven knowledge of the NIHR Research Design Service and the Peninsula clinical trials unit
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oDegree level qualification in a health related or scientific subject, or demonstrable equivalent experience
Desirable
- oPostgraduate certificate in relevant area
- oRecognised GCP qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working within a research environment in NHS, University, or commercial setting
- Proven knowledge of research methodology, including qualitative and quantitative research methods
- Proven knowledge of various trial designs
- A proven understanding of the clinical research process, including ethical submissions, Good Clinical Practice and research governance
- Demonstrable experience in Clinical Trials administration, including set up, data collection, audit and project co-ordination
- Proven knowledge of non-commercial research funding systems, in particular the NIHR
Desirable
- Demonstrable experience of working within the NHS
- Involvement in the writing of research proposals for submission to national research funders
- Demonstrable experience of contributing to the development of study protocols and other study documentation
- Proven knowledge of the NIHR Research Design Service and the Peninsula clinical trials unit
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
