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Job summary

Main area
Research, R&D
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (0.8 WTE pro rata may be considered for suitable candidates,)
Job ref
196-RD306
Employer
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Guy's Hospital
Town
London
Salary
£54,320 - £60,981 p.a. inc HCA
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
05/06/2025 23:59
Interview date
17/06/2025

Employer heading

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust logo

R&D Governance Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. 

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.



Job overview

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Research and Development Department are recruiting for a Research Governance Specialist. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic R&D non-commercial team.

 

The post-holder will be working alongside our other highly valued Research Governance Specialists, and together will line manage a diverse and high-performing team of Research Governance Facilitators, Research Governance Coordinators and R&D administrators. They will be responsible for developing department policies and guidance and managing a portfolio of complex trials/studies that are under sponsor / co-sponsor review by Guy’s and St Thomas (GSTT) and King’s College London (KCL). As a governance specialist in the R&D department, the post-holder will be the key point of contact for the set-up of complex / high risk of our studies and to ensuring that GST R&D always has up to date process in the ever-changing regulatory landscape.  The post-holder will also oversee the sponsorship and confirmation of capacity (C&C) of those they line-manage. This will include sponsor risk-assessments, ensuring the trust’s compliance with national regulations in our local policies and standard operational procedures (SOPs).

 

Main duties of the job

Studies will include but are not limited to: clinical trials of medicinal products, device trials, and multi-centre Trials including international collaboration, along with student projects, qualitative and interventional studies.

 

You will be an experienced line-manager with excellent communication skills who is able to support world-class researchers, and influence those that you work with and line-manage. You will be highly organised and methodical approach to your work, be able to project manage service improvements and be able to support and develop junior members of the team. You will have pragmatic and solution-focused approach to set-up of research studies. You will have attention to detail and the writing skills to convey complex regulations in simple guidance researchers and training materials for R&D staff. 

Working for our organisation

Candidates should be aware that the R&D department staff are required to work in the R&D office, based at Guy's hospital a minimum of 3-days per week and travel between hospitals as required. Other flexible working will be considered as per Trust policies. 

 

In line with our Trust Values the postholder will be:

Caring – we put patients first
We provide patient and person-centred care. We care about others’ needs and wellbeing. We listen. We are compassionate to ourselves and others. We reflect on our actions. We are respectful and welcoming.

Ambitious – we innovate and strive for excellence
We innovate and strive for excellence. We act with integrity. We act on staff and patient feedback. We seek ways to improve the care and experience of others. We are efficient. We are committed to growth. We find new ways to deliver excellence.

Inclusive – we respect each other and work collaboratively
We respect each other and work collaboratively. We act on diverse views. We put ourselves in ‘others’ shoes’. We are building an anti-racism organisation. We seek opportunities to collaborate. We show sensitivity towards diversity of culture. 

 

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be an experienced line-manager with excellent communication skills who is able to support world-class researchers, and influence those that you work with and line-manage. You will be highly organised and methodical approach to your work, be able to project manage service improvements and be able to support and develop junior members of the team. You will have pragmatic and solution-focused approach to set-up of research studies. You will have attention to detail and the writing skills to convey complex regulations in simple guidance researchers and training materials for R&D staff. 

 

The successful candidate will have significant experience of working in an R&D department in an NHS or university and have in-depth knowledge of the HRA and NIHR’s latest strategic developments as well as the approval processes for clinical research in the UK.

 

Interviews will be held in person at Guy’s Hospital.

Person specification

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Relevant degree or professional qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
  • Postgraduate qualification

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post-qualification work experience (5 years +) in medical/clinical research/R&D department.
  • Specialist / in depth knowledge relating to HRA, MHRA NHS Ethics processes.
  • Knowledge of HR / line-management, including relating to Research.
  • Knowledge of the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and other regulatory issues relating to medical/clinical research, including GDPR, data protection act, and clinical trials regulations (drug and medical devices).
  • Excellent verbal and written
  • Experience of managing administrative projects/project management.
  • Competent to develop R&D guidelines/SOPs/policies.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to use own initiative when working independently and also to be able to work effectively as a member of a team and influence others

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Timewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employer

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rachel Fay
Job title
R&D Deputy Director (Governance)
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Please contact for information not available in the JD, PS and advert.

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