Job summary
The Commercial Business Development Manager will lead projects to support the Life Sciences Vision to drive value creation for industry and patients through faster, cheaper, better-quality and more diverse clinical research, delivered through a digitally enabled and pro-innovation clinical research environment, with research embedded across the NHS as a core part of effective patient care.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has transformed the delivery of research in health and care settings. Together, the NIHR people, programmes and centres of excellence represent the most integrated health research system in the world.
The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is an arm of the NIHR dedicated to supporting patients, the public and health & care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research. CRN East Midlands (CRN East Midlands) is one of 15 Local Clinical Research Networks covering England, led by a National Coordinating Centre.
We are proud to be at the forefront of health and social care research delivery in the East Midlands, working with partner organisations operating in a broad range of settings across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
Main duties of the job
This post is a key regional role as the CRN East Midlands aims to drive agility and responsiveness to the evolving world of research and this role will support the CRN keeping pace with such evolution and innovation. The projects will include substantial work aimed at igniting innovation and developing new ways of working to grow the commercial portfolio research across health and social care.
Key to the success of this post will be working closely with the national/regional NIHR infrastructure, engaging with Industry stakeholders and collaborating across health, social care and academia to maximise and grow the commercial regional capacity and support growth.
Our team is committed to improving and increasing research opportunities for patients and health and care organisations. We embrace innovations that can enable us to work more effectively with our partners, and that make research more inclusive, diverse and accessible for participants.
Hosted by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust with offices in Leicester and Nottingham, our model incorporates a number of different roles to enable us to drive clinical research delivery performance, and to ensure that research is championed across every level of health and care.
About us
We are one of the biggest and busiest NHS trusts in the country, incorporating the General, Glenfield and Royal Infirmary hospitals. We have our very own Children's Hospital and run one of the country's leading heart centres.
Our team is made up of more than 17,000 staff providing a range of services primarily for the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
We work with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University providing world-class teaching to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, many of whom go on to spend their working lives with us.
Our purpose is to provide 'Caring at its best' and our staff have helped us create a set of values that embody who we are and what we're here to do. They are:
We focus on what matters most
We treat others how we would like to be treated
We are passionate and creative in our work
We do what we say we are going to do
We are one team and we are best when we work together
Our patients are at the heart of all we do and we believe that 'Caring at its best' is not just about the treatments and services we provide, but about giving our patients the best possible experience.
About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (leicestershospitals.nhs.uk)
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder is required to build and maintain relationships with a large range of stakeholders, often communicating both complex and sensitive information to internal and external partners including, but not limited to:
- CRN East Midlands Industry Delivery Manager
- CRN East Midlands Leadership/Senior Management team
- CRN East Midlands Clinical Director
- CRN East Midlands Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EM AHSN)
- Medilink East Midlands
- NIHR Research Design Service East Midlands
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands
- Midlands Health Alliance
- The Life Science Industry
- Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs)
- Universities and other stakeholder organisations, BRCs, PRC, CRFs
- National CRN Co-ordinating Centre staff and specifically the Business Development Directorate
- CRN East Midlands Clinical Leaders - Divisional Clinical Leads and Specialty Research Leads
- Study Support Service
- Stakeholder Working Groups
Senior Staff, R&D Leads, Research Leads, Nurses and Managers within NHS organisations, CCGs and wider health and social care organisations
KEY RESULT AREAS
Business Planning
- Implement strategies to develop a programme of work to improve CRN East Midlands engagement with the EMAHSN and SMEs to improve investment in clinical research in the region including, pharma, biotech, medtech and diagnostic companies and to show a measurable increase in the volume of activity
- Facilitate non-commercial alliances between the life sciences companies, non-commercial research funders and the CRN
- Support managing the local interface between Investigators, Industry, NHS sites, LCRN management team, to ensure support for commercial, non-commercial and investigator led clinical research in a consistent and reliable manner
- The post holder must be able to assist in the development of new research and innovation strategies for businesses across the region in order to consistently support both SMEs and research sites through the above process, ensuring a consistent flow of medical technology projects led regionally
- Specifically leading on increasing the numbers of SMEs in the strategic development, engagement and collaboration stages and will be required to manage and support early pre-network feasibility and actively facilitate the engagement of key research teams across the region
- Develop a library of case studies to demonstrate how the CRN East Midlands supports emerging technologies, delivers on the growth agenda and provides cost savings to the NHS, Social Care and Public Health
- Be responsible for the management and development of the regular scoping of expertise to ascertain what different organisations can offer the Life Sciences Industry, developing a dossier of each containing current performance levels, local clinical and business infrastructure and site potential
- Signpost commercial organisations to funding opportunities for research and innovation, including through the NIHR Research Design Service
- Further develop the mapping of CRN East Midlands research active Investigators and their relevant specialty, areas of interest and matching this to SME requirements.
- Marketing the benefits of Inclusion of Commercial Contract Studies onto the NIHR CRN Portfolio
Project Management
- Providing oversight and a point of contact for enquiries about local feasibility and Investigator identification for SMEs, providing feedback on deliverability, interest and available resources
- To assist in the development of innovative approaches and always look to conduct CRN business in a proactive manner
- Produce documents and reports pertaining to all Med Tech activity
Communications & Stakeholder Relationships
- Ensure that the CRN East Midlands develops effective links between EMAHSN, Medilink East Midlands, Biomedical Research Centres, RDS, Patient Recruitment Centres, Clinical Research Facilities and commercial companies with a view to improving research collaboration and future investment
- Build strong working relationships across the country with CRN Business Development/ Industry Operations Managers and regional Research Delivery Teams to ensure seamless handover and delivery of metrics
- Seek out conference and workshop presentation opportunities both regionally and potentially nationally; maintaining a calendar of events
- Follow up on business leads and ensure the NIHR Clinical Research Network local and national teams are responsive to requests from life sciences companies
- Providing oversight of the CRN business process and responding to enquiries regarding working with the Network and the CRN East Midlands service offer
- The ability to support and drive innovation/novel ideas across a range of organisations, whilst encouraging change and supporting SMEs/NHS staff through changing national priorities and research landscape
- Work with the CRN Coordinating Centre to provide input and feedback on national processes and systems. Play an active role in shaping the delivery of national initiatives as a representative on national working or steering groups
- Co-ordinate, prepare and deliver formal presentations/training sessions to a wide variety of forums at a local and national level as required
- Contribute to the organisation of events, deliver presentations, prepare visual and textual marketing materials, including newsletters, posters and brochures
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and contribute / undertake continuous improvement projects
Performance Management
- Maintain an oversight of performance metrics in conjunction with the Research Delivery Managers to support a high quality site feasibility service across all research divisions
- Promote key commercial performance indicators and support the attainment of these in appropriate settings
- Act as a contact point for issue escalation for Life Sciences Industry partners, support research team members with troubleshooting, issue resolution, in order to facilitate the delivery of studies to time and to target
- Management of Resources Financial (Budget) and Physical
- Ability to identify, interpret and cascade funding call requirements and signposting and linking for further support
- Financial responsibility for drawing up the initial budgets for SMEs for the costing of delivering commercial contract research, navigating the complex costing landscape for these studies, and providing guidance across organisational boundaries
- To provide in-depth knowledge of the Interactive Costing Tool and the NHS England led National Contract Value Review for commercial research
- Proactively resolve any resource/project issues that are creating a barrier to delivery
- Work within set budgets and ensure the utilisation of all resources appropriately to maximise value for money, making recommendations to improve budget utilisation
Learning and Development
- Develop and oversee the implementation of a navigator programme to support the professional development of new to research and new to Life Sciences Industry research
- Contribute to the CRN East Midlands Workforce Development programme with respect to the training and development needs on early engagement with Med Tech
- Work collaboratively with Commercial and other Managers across both the regional and national infrastructure sharing best practice and knowledge
- Provide supervision and mentorship to more junior members of the team
People Management and Staff
- Line manage more junior members of the team (AfC band 3 6), as necessary, and as the service evolves, to be responsible for the management of recruitment and selection, undertake appraisal, sickness absence management, if relevant, performance management and all other relevant aspects of people management in accordance with Trust policy
- To act as a leader, resource and role model
- Responsible for the development and implementation of a strategy to develop and grow the CRN East Midlands pipeline of work with commercial partners
General responsibilities
- Build effective working relationships and work as part of a team.
- To work on their own initiative with a sound understanding of the business of the organisation and current practices and ensure information is communicated appropriately
- To work in a busy office environment with a hybrid model of working across sites and home; able to deal with interruptions and unplanned events
- To support digital culture in the delivery of ongoing and new work streams
- To be confident in using computers on a daily basis, including competent use of cloud base applications, including G suite
- To maintain confidentiality at all times and adhere to organisational and departmental standard operating procedures and policies
- Frequent requirement to sit at a keyboard
- To undertake any other duties as requested by the Industry Delivery Manager or directed by the Leadership/Senior management team compatible with the terms of the post
- The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post-holder
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder is required to build and maintain relationships with a large range of stakeholders, often communicating both complex and sensitive information to internal and external partners including, but not limited to:
- CRN East Midlands Industry Delivery Manager
- CRN East Midlands Leadership/Senior Management team
- CRN East Midlands Clinical Director
- CRN East Midlands Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EM AHSN)
- Medilink East Midlands
- NIHR Research Design Service East Midlands
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands
- Midlands Health Alliance
- The Life Science Industry
- Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs)
- Universities and other stakeholder organisations, BRCs, PRC, CRFs
- National CRN Co-ordinating Centre staff and specifically the Business Development Directorate
- CRN East Midlands Clinical Leaders - Divisional Clinical Leads and Specialty Research Leads
- Study Support Service
- Stakeholder Working Groups
Senior Staff, R&D Leads, Research Leads, Nurses and Managers within NHS organisations, CCGs and wider health and social care organisations
KEY RESULT AREAS
Business Planning
- Implement strategies to develop a programme of work to improve CRN East Midlands engagement with the EMAHSN and SMEs to improve investment in clinical research in the region including, pharma, biotech, medtech and diagnostic companies and to show a measurable increase in the volume of activity
- Facilitate non-commercial alliances between the life sciences companies, non-commercial research funders and the CRN
- Support managing the local interface between Investigators, Industry, NHS sites, LCRN management team, to ensure support for commercial, non-commercial and investigator led clinical research in a consistent and reliable manner
- The post holder must be able to assist in the development of new research and innovation strategies for businesses across the region in order to consistently support both SMEs and research sites through the above process, ensuring a consistent flow of medical technology projects led regionally
- Specifically leading on increasing the numbers of SMEs in the strategic development, engagement and collaboration stages and will be required to manage and support early pre-network feasibility and actively facilitate the engagement of key research teams across the region
- Develop a library of case studies to demonstrate how the CRN East Midlands supports emerging technologies, delivers on the growth agenda and provides cost savings to the NHS, Social Care and Public Health
- Be responsible for the management and development of the regular scoping of expertise to ascertain what different organisations can offer the Life Sciences Industry, developing a dossier of each containing current performance levels, local clinical and business infrastructure and site potential
- Signpost commercial organisations to funding opportunities for research and innovation, including through the NIHR Research Design Service
- Further develop the mapping of CRN East Midlands research active Investigators and their relevant specialty, areas of interest and matching this to SME requirements.
- Marketing the benefits of Inclusion of Commercial Contract Studies onto the NIHR CRN Portfolio
Project Management
- Providing oversight and a point of contact for enquiries about local feasibility and Investigator identification for SMEs, providing feedback on deliverability, interest and available resources
- To assist in the development of innovative approaches and always look to conduct CRN business in a proactive manner
- Produce documents and reports pertaining to all Med Tech activity
Communications & Stakeholder Relationships
- Ensure that the CRN East Midlands develops effective links between EMAHSN, Medilink East Midlands, Biomedical Research Centres, RDS, Patient Recruitment Centres, Clinical Research Facilities and commercial companies with a view to improving research collaboration and future investment
- Build strong working relationships across the country with CRN Business Development/ Industry Operations Managers and regional Research Delivery Teams to ensure seamless handover and delivery of metrics
- Seek out conference and workshop presentation opportunities both regionally and potentially nationally; maintaining a calendar of events
- Follow up on business leads and ensure the NIHR Clinical Research Network local and national teams are responsive to requests from life sciences companies
- Providing oversight of the CRN business process and responding to enquiries regarding working with the Network and the CRN East Midlands service offer
- The ability to support and drive innovation/novel ideas across a range of organisations, whilst encouraging change and supporting SMEs/NHS staff through changing national priorities and research landscape
- Work with the CRN Coordinating Centre to provide input and feedback on national processes and systems. Play an active role in shaping the delivery of national initiatives as a representative on national working or steering groups
- Co-ordinate, prepare and deliver formal presentations/training sessions to a wide variety of forums at a local and national level as required
- Contribute to the organisation of events, deliver presentations, prepare visual and textual marketing materials, including newsletters, posters and brochures
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and contribute / undertake continuous improvement projects
Performance Management
- Maintain an oversight of performance metrics in conjunction with the Research Delivery Managers to support a high quality site feasibility service across all research divisions
- Promote key commercial performance indicators and support the attainment of these in appropriate settings
- Act as a contact point for issue escalation for Life Sciences Industry partners, support research team members with troubleshooting, issue resolution, in order to facilitate the delivery of studies to time and to target
- Management of Resources Financial (Budget) and Physical
- Ability to identify, interpret and cascade funding call requirements and signposting and linking for further support
- Financial responsibility for drawing up the initial budgets for SMEs for the costing of delivering commercial contract research, navigating the complex costing landscape for these studies, and providing guidance across organisational boundaries
- To provide in-depth knowledge of the Interactive Costing Tool and the NHS England led National Contract Value Review for commercial research
- Proactively resolve any resource/project issues that are creating a barrier to delivery
- Work within set budgets and ensure the utilisation of all resources appropriately to maximise value for money, making recommendations to improve budget utilisation
Learning and Development
- Develop and oversee the implementation of a navigator programme to support the professional development of new to research and new to Life Sciences Industry research
- Contribute to the CRN East Midlands Workforce Development programme with respect to the training and development needs on early engagement with Med Tech
- Work collaboratively with Commercial and other Managers across both the regional and national infrastructure sharing best practice and knowledge
- Provide supervision and mentorship to more junior members of the team
People Management and Staff
- Line manage more junior members of the team (AfC band 3 6), as necessary, and as the service evolves, to be responsible for the management of recruitment and selection, undertake appraisal, sickness absence management, if relevant, performance management and all other relevant aspects of people management in accordance with Trust policy
- To act as a leader, resource and role model
- Responsible for the development and implementation of a strategy to develop and grow the CRN East Midlands pipeline of work with commercial partners
General responsibilities
- Build effective working relationships and work as part of a team.
- To work on their own initiative with a sound understanding of the business of the organisation and current practices and ensure information is communicated appropriately
- To work in a busy office environment with a hybrid model of working across sites and home; able to deal with interruptions and unplanned events
- To support digital culture in the delivery of ongoing and new work streams
- To be confident in using computers on a daily basis, including competent use of cloud base applications, including G suite
- To maintain confidentiality at all times and adhere to organisational and departmental standard operating procedures and policies
- Frequent requirement to sit at a keyboard
- To undertake any other duties as requested by the Industry Delivery Manager or directed by the Leadership/Senior management team compatible with the terms of the post
- The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post-holder
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree or equivalent experience
- Understanding of scientific and medical terminology and scientific protocols
Desirable
- Qualified Prince 2 Practitioner with up to date accreditatio
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a complex, changing environment and in contentious situations.
- Clear understanding of the importance of clinical research and the ability to communicate this effectively to others.
- Proven ability to challenge current practices and freedom to make change in light of evidence-based recommendations
- Knowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework
Desirable
- Experience of Commercial, or investigator led clinical trial management, with the Pharmaceutical, Biotech or Medical Device industries
Communication and relationship skills
Essential
- Proven interpersonal skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations and the ability to develop strong working relationships with senior stakeholders
- Proactive, creative and flexible approach, able to work on own initiative and take responsibility for delegated areas of responsibility
- Proven track record of working under pressure and to strict deadlines, with the ability to prioritise effectively
Analytical and Judgement skills
Essential
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and to make judgements regarding a range of complex issues
- Ability to collate information quickly and to be able to make well informed judgements in a timely manner
- Strong problem solving skills.
Skills
Essential
- Can work both independently and as part of a team
- Self -awareness and understanding of own strengths and limitations and impact of personal style and approach on others
- Leadership and ability to bring others with you
Planning and organisation skills
Essential
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail and accuracy
- Ability to formulate short, medium and long term planning in an environment which involves uncertainty
- Excellent IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, the Google platform and MS Office applications
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Essential
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
- All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- Masters degree or equivalent experience
- Understanding of scientific and medical terminology and scientific protocols
Desirable
- Qualified Prince 2 Practitioner with up to date accreditatio
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a complex, changing environment and in contentious situations.
- Clear understanding of the importance of clinical research and the ability to communicate this effectively to others.
- Proven ability to challenge current practices and freedom to make change in light of evidence-based recommendations
- Knowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework
Desirable
- Experience of Commercial, or investigator led clinical trial management, with the Pharmaceutical, Biotech or Medical Device industries
Communication and relationship skills
Essential
- Proven interpersonal skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations and the ability to develop strong working relationships with senior stakeholders
- Proactive, creative and flexible approach, able to work on own initiative and take responsibility for delegated areas of responsibility
- Proven track record of working under pressure and to strict deadlines, with the ability to prioritise effectively
Analytical and Judgement skills
Essential
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and to make judgements regarding a range of complex issues
- Ability to collate information quickly and to be able to make well informed judgements in a timely manner
- Strong problem solving skills.
Skills
Essential
- Can work both independently and as part of a team
- Self -awareness and understanding of own strengths and limitations and impact of personal style and approach on others
- Leadership and ability to bring others with you
Planning and organisation skills
Essential
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail and accuracy
- Ability to formulate short, medium and long term planning in an environment which involves uncertainty
- Excellent IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, the Google platform and MS Office applications
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Essential
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
- All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others
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).
