As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

Click on this link to find out about our values https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/p/about-us/our-trust-values

Job overview

Working together the two RRDN Health & Care Research Directors (one Medical and one NMAHP) will be the senior officers responsible for working with health and care professional leaders to support the development of research delivery leadership and associated staff. They will also coordinate the work of the RRDN Specialty and Settings Leads. The Medical Health & Care Research Director will coordinate the Specialty Leads and the NMAHP Health & Care Research Directors will coordinate the Settings Leads.

The purpose of the RDN is to support the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England for the benefit of patients, the health and care system and the economy. The RRDN Health & Care Research Directors will support this purpose by developing and maintaining positive and constructive relationships with health and care leaders in the RRDN region to ensure capacity and capability of the professional research workforce, and facilitate cross-specialty and cross-setting collaborations and research.

In collaboration with the RRDN Strategic Development Director the RRDN Health & Care Research Directors will assist the development of the RRDN 3 year Strategic Plan. This plan will be in line with the national RDN strategic priorities and initiatives but translated into deliverable priorities for the RRDN region.

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Main duties of the job

1. Appointing, coordinating and supporting the work of RRDN Specialty and Settings Leads. The Medical Health & Care Research Director to support the Specialty Leads and the NMAHP Health & Care Research Director to support the Settings Leads2. Facilitating and promoting cross-specialty and cross-setting collaborations3. Developing and maintaining positive and constructive relationships with health and care leaders to ensure capacity and capability of the professional research workforce4. Ensuring expert advice is provided to RDN leaders and their teams, along with RDN stakeholders regarding study design and delivery to optimise deliverability and assist in the identification of sites and Principal Investigators5. Providing expert advice to the research delivery workforce regarding study delivery6. Responsible for working with health and care professional leaders to support the workforce development of research delivery leadership and associated staff including clinical and non-clinical staff7. Working closely with the Regional Research Leadership Office to develop complementary activities regarding strategic workforce development8. Being a visible leader and actively promoting a culture of staff development, collaboration, positive staff experience, wellbeing and inclusion, and embedding patient, carer and public involvement within the RRDN at all appropriate levels of decision making 

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for a more detailed overview of the role.

Person specificationQualifications and TrainingEssential criteriaProfessional registration as a Medical DoctorMasters level qualification or equivalentManagement qualificationKnowledge and ExperienceEssential criteriaComprehensive understanding of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patientsExperience of working in the health and care research sector, the health and social care service sector or academic environment at a senior levelComprehensive understanding of the UK research pathway and fundingExperience of co-creating and implementing strategies to build capacity and capability for the delivery of health and care researchExperience in the design and leadership of health or care research in the UKExperience of developing and implementing remedial actions to support study deliverabilityExperience of identifying the need for and developing professional workforce development needsProfessional research leadership, both strategic and operational at a senior levelExperience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix managementKnowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research in NHS and non-NHS settingsExperience of working collaboratively and in partnership with other organisations, with demonstrable experience of delivery across organisational boundariesEvidence of managing effective collaborations and partnershipsGood understanding of performance management techniquesPolitical astuteness and understanding of the health & social care contextComprehensive knowledge of programme sponsorship and managementExperience of leading continuous improvementDesirable criteriaUnderstanding of governance and legislative framework for clinical research in the NHSExecutive level experienceExperience of being a Chief or Principal Investigator for a health or care research study in the UKSkills and AbilitiesEssential criteriaHighly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to demonstrate these in highly political environmentsProven leadership skills in the management of changeDemonstrable ability to use autonomy to undertake actions as a result of own interpretation of policy and guidance, providing a source of expert advice to the organisationAbility to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issuesProven 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 stakeholdersAbility to deal with challenging situations in a formal settingStrong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relationsAbility to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information orally and in writing, both internally and externally, to a range of audiencesExtensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments to a high standard (Board level quality)Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex management issuesStrong problem solving skillsAbility to grasp critical issues and distil them into clear arguments/cases and be able to articulate these verbally or in written formAbility to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities to tight deadlinesAbility to work independentlyAbility to understand the long term or widespread implications of decisionsWillingness to challenge existing practiceGood IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications and MS Office applicationsAbility to travel to different locations across the region and nationally to attend meetings and conferences, representing the RDNAbility to use Google Suite productsAptitudesEssential criteriaHighly motivated with the ability to lead and inspire othersAppreciation of the impact of organisational culture on service deliveryLives by values which include openness, collaboration, responsiveness, inclusion, personal integrity and creating positive cultures where these values thriveCommitment to supporting the development of staff and understanding of workforce planningFlexible approach to workingAttention to detailOutcomes focussedActs as a champion for patients and their interests, ensuring the patients’ voice has an impact on RDN activitiesCommitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards in all they doAble to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the publicWorks well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of othersConsistently looks to improve what they do and seeks out innovationSelf-awareness with regard to emotional intelligence, biases and sensitivitiesDemonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

· As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

· The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.

· UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

· To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.

· If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

· The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

· By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

· Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.