Operations Director - NIHR Leeds BRC (XN10)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

This job is now closed

Job summary

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Leeds partnership is recognised nationally as a major player in biomedical research, supported at board level by both organisations. The NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is an exciting £19.8m investment from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for translational research in Leeds between December 2022 and 2027 which will further build that partnership across 6 key clinical themes; musculoskeletal disease, cardiometabolic disease, surgical technologies, haematology (in partnership with the University of York), pathology and infectious disease.

Main duties of the job

The Operations Director will play a key role in both making this BRC a success and planning for the future. Working as both part of the BRC senior leadership team and the wider Research and Innovation (R&I) Senior Management team in the Trust they will oversee the delivery of the BRC and the management of the infrastructure. They will be responsible for monitoring performance against key milestones, financial management, human resources and developing external partnerships. They will need to work collaboratively with supporting functions within both the Trusts R&I team and the University of Leeds and with other NIHR funded infrastructure in Leeds. Applicants must have proven leadership in research and be proactive self-starters.

About us

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK and is a major powerhouse for the delivery of clinical research consistently ranking in the top 5 organisations for recruitment to the NIHR portfolio across a broad spectrum of clinical disciplines. The Leeds Way values underpin our working culture and within the Research and Innovation team we strive for continual improvement in all that we do. Our close partnership with the University of Leeds underpins our research capabilities, providing clinical investigators with access to world-class laboratory facilities and world-leading expertise in engineering, computer science, health economics and clinical trial methodology. Working across this partnership the successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to support the ambitions of both organisations and ensure our patients benefit from world-leading research.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Date posted

21 December 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£67,064 to £77,274 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

5 years

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9298-DRI-0040

Job locations

Chapel Allerton Hospital

Chapeltown Road

Leeds

LS7 4SA

Job description

Job responsibilities

The BRC Operations Director is responsible for the overall strategic planning and operational and scientific management of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and delivery of its aims and objectives. The post is responsible for reporting progress to Trust and University Executives via established structures including the R&I Board Subcommittees in the Trust and RIB in the University. The Operations Director manages the delivery of the BRC on a day-to-day basis, ensuring reporting deadlines are met, that the programme is on-target to meet its milestones and providing strategic support for ongoing development and sustainability of the BRC.

The successful candidate will need a strong background in research project management, have experience of working in a multidisciplinary clinical academic environment, and be able to build successful networks and collaborations across a complex range of stakeholders, including academia, NHS patients, funders and industry. This role requires an individual who is driven, ambitious and passionate about improving patient care through the use of translational research and who has a desire to conduct and disseminate NHS changing research at the highest level.

The BRCs Operations Director is a key leadership role, contributing to the strategic development, operational delivery and overall management of the NIHR Leeds BRC. The BRC Operations Director has specific responsibilities for the effective establishment and delivery of BRC research infrastructure, for the deployment and management of BRC staff, for monitoring of performance and quality assurance, and for oversight of BRC financial management, communications, human resources and development of external partnerships.

Working closely with the BRC Director, BRC Board and BRC Executive, the BRC Operations Director provides senior management expertise and input to support the BRCs strategic development and delivery. The role requires an understanding of, and senior level expertise in, research management and governance and provision of infrastructure support. Under the overall direction of the Director, the BRC Operations Director is responsible for the development and management of a multi-professional (medical, scientific, technical, and general management) team of staff working across the BRC and for ensuring strong and effective working links for themes and cross theme activities.

The BRC Operations Director also acts as a primary link with other local research infrastructure (including the NIHR Clinical Research Facility and the NIHR Medtech and In Vitro Diagnostics Operations Directors), regional partners (including the Northern BRCs), national bodies (including the NIHR, Department of Health and Social Care and the Office of Life Sciences), and relevant external organisations and groups. They are also a member of the wider Research and Innovation Senior Management team in LTHT to ensure close working with the wider supporting infrastructure for research.

Further information is contained within the Job Description document

Job description

Job responsibilities

Further information is contained within the Job Description document

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

PhD or other postgraduate qualification

Experience

Essential

Experience of managing complex clinical research programmes at a senior level
Strategic and Operational leadership experience
Strong financial management skills - managing a large and complex budget (>£3m per annum)

Desirable

Scientific background or strong knowledge of Translational Research
Experience of working across clinical and academic research environments
Knowledge of Intellectual Property

Skills & Behaviours

Essential

Working in partnership to develop, implement and evaluate policies and strategies
Ability to build networks and collaborations
Ability to produce clear and concise written reports for a range of audiences
Substantial experience of line-managing staff
Strong problem solving skills and an ability to analyse and interpret complex information
Ability to lead change management programmes

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

PhD or other postgraduate qualification

Experience

Essential

Experience of managing complex clinical research programmes at a senior level
Strategic and Operational leadership experience
Strong financial management skills - managing a large and complex budget (>£3m per annum)

Desirable

Scientific background or strong knowledge of Translational Research
Experience of working across clinical and academic research environments
Knowledge of Intellectual Property

Skills & Behaviours

Essential

Working in partnership to develop, implement and evaluate policies and strategies
Ability to build networks and collaborations
Ability to produce clear and concise written reports for a range of audiences
Substantial experience of line-managing staff
Strong problem solving skills and an ability to analyse and interpret complex information
Ability to lead change management programmes

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.