Research and Innovation Administrator

Job overview

This post is offered as a permanent contract at 37.5h/week.

We are seeking enthusiastic and highly motivated individuals, who can demonstrate a good understanding of clinical research, GCP and clinical governance.

Applicants should be qualified to at least diploma level, or have an equivalent level of experience and, as a minimum, must meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification of the job description.

The role is ideal for individuals who are keen to develop their experience in clinical trials administration.

Main duties of the job

The role provides general administrative support to facilitate the management of research projects within the trust, ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and governance requirements. The includes assisting with the archiving function by collecting and processing research projects which need to be sent to long term storage.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong communication and organisational skills and the ability to work well both in a team and using their own initiative.

Working for our organisation

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

You will be working in a friendly, supportive environment with opportunities to learn and develop within the role.

• Facilitate the review and processing of all research-related agreements including but not limited to clinical trial agreements, confidential disclosure agreements and service-level agreements.
• Liaise closely with reviewers/legal experts to aid timely approval and processing of such agreements. Work in collaboration with the delivery teams to prioritise study contracts where appropriate.
• Assist with the processing of amendments for Sponsor Authorisation for Christie-sponsored projects and issuing notification of no objections for hosted projects where applicable in accordance with regulatory and research governance requirements.
• Coordinate and track the review and sign-off of Honorary Research Contracts and Letters of Access for researchers.
• Ensure internal and external timelines for processing contracts, amendments and research passports/letters of access are adhered to.
• Support the R&I Coordinators in processing new research projects as required.
• Assist with the production of reports to summarise activity and aid performance management across the service.
• Work in collaboration with the R&I Coordinators to review the project information available on the Local Portfolio Management System (LPMS) and other trust systems as applicable to ensure accuracy and completeness, performing update information exercises as required.
• Use own judgement where applicable when using facts from situations which may require further analysis.
• Ensure that the Trust has documentary evidence that projects comply with relevant regulatory and research governance requirements.
• Management of the external R&I mailbox, ensuring distribution of communication where relevant and management of internal shared mailboxes as appropriate.
• Where appropriate, attend R&I meetings / meetings of R&I facility management committees as required.
• Where appropriate, organise and schedule research meetings/conferences/in-house training events, ensuring appropriate accommodation, attendance and distribution of papers, and that an agenda is agreed and where appropriate coordinate with outside sources.
• Provision of minute-taking for internal and external meetings as appropriate.
• Primary point of contact for the R&I Office to provide and receive complex information regarding R&I activity across the Trust and externally
• Work in collaboration with the R&I Office to develop and maintain appropriate work instructions and training materials.
• Contribution to service improvement initiatives relating to areas of work including the identification of deficiencies within the service and implementation of new ways of working in collaboration with the R&I team and across the division as required.
• Contribute towards the development and implementation of Trust-wide research strategies, policies and procedures.
• Plan workload effectively ensuring agreed objectives are met.
• Work within trust and divisional policies and procedures, working unsupervised and independently.
• Responsible for own professional/personal development, working with their line manager to develop and fulfil a personal development plan.

This job description is not meant to be finite and may be subject to change following discussion and agreement with the post holder. Similarly the post holder may be requested to undertake such other duties not mentioned in the job description which are commensurate with the grade.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma or equivalent experience NVQ level 4
• A comprehensive secondary education (5 GCSEs or equivalent).

• Degree or equivalent experience ECDL or equivalent

Experience and Knowledge

• Experience working in an administration office environment
• Experience of working within a healthcare system
• Interest in clinical research management and study approval processes
• Understanding of electronic data management systems
• Understanding of Information Governance

• Experience of working within a research environment
• Knowledge of clinical research management and study approval processes
• Experience of working in an R&I Office
• Knowledge of the clinical trials regulations, research governance and GCP
• Knowledge of Caldicott Guidelines
• Basic knowledge of medical terminology
• Knowledge of the research and research management processes

Skills

• Competent user of Microsoft Office programs
• Skilled in both written and verbal communication with people at all levels in the organisation
• Ability to prioritise and deliver to agreed deadlines
• Able to think quickly and respond appropriately when under pressure

• Ability to extract, interpret, manipulate and present information in a meaningful way

Personal Attributes/Values

• Able to provide credible customer service and instil confidence in the information produced.
• Self-motivated and confident
• Ability to work to tight and/or unexpected deadlines
• Conscientious and hardworking
• Good time management
• Ability to work unsupervised or as part of a team.
• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

• Ability to troubleshoot effectively.

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy

All positions within the Christie are subject to the receipt of satisfactory written references, medical clearance and evidence of your Right to Work in the UK. Some roles will require a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. Please note if you are successfully appointed to a post with this Trust, you will be required to pay for your own DBS Disclosure.

Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

Overseas candidates wishing to apply for this position and who would require immigration sponsorship, may wish to self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the post on the UKVI website.

You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.