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Job summary

Main area
NIHR East of England Regional Research Delivery Network
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (Hybrid working (mix of home/ site))
Job ref
234-25-TA25015
Employer
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
NNUH Rouen Road or Cambridge and Surrounding areas
Town
Norwich or Cambridge
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
12/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Study Support Service Manager

NHS AfC: Band 7

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) is a 1,200-bedded teaching hospital with state-of-the-art facilities for modern patient care: 1100 beds in the PFI and 100 in Cromer Community Hospital.

The NNUH is part of Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group which includes the James Paget Hospital, in Great Yarmouth and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King Lynn.

We carry out nearly one million outpatient appointments, day case procedures and inpatient admissions annually. The population we serve is predominantly the people of Norfolk and north Suffolk, although some patients are referred from further afield especially to access specialist services available at this Trust.

Our staff of c10,000 care for and support patients who are referred to us by around 100 local GP practices and from other acute hospitals. We run more than 60 specialist services as a tertiary centre, including more than a dozen specialist cancer and radiotherapy treatments, and we are one of the biggest cancer centres in the country.

We provide complex spinal surgery services, specialist Neonatal Intensive Care, neurosciences services and specialist cardiac services. Our Trust runs specialist dermatology, rheumatology, endocrinology, adult congenital heart disease services, treatment of complex liver and pancreatic diseases in adults, cystic fibrosis services and intestinal failure services. We are enhancing our urgent and emergency care specialist services for patients with significant injuries as a result of trauma and have an ambition to become a Major Trauma Centre. NNUH is currently the busiest Trauma Unit in the East of England caring for almost 850 trauma patients annually many with complex care needs. 

At NNUH it is our privilege to provide healthcare, and our vision is to ‘provide the best care for every patient’. If this inspires you and you share our values, we really want you to join our team. 

Our values support our vision and guide the behaviour of everything we do, these are:

People-focused

We look after the needs of our patients, carers and colleagues, to provide a safe and caring experience for all.

Respect

We act with care, compassion and kindness and value others’ diverse needs.

Integrity

We take an honest, open and ethical approach to everything we do.

Dedication

We work as one team and support each other to maintain the highest professional standards.

Excellence

We continuously learn and improve to achieve the best outcomes for our patients and our hospital. 

Wish you were here? So do we.


We want all our staff to achieve a balance between work and personal life and understand how important flexible working can be.  We welcome applications on a full or part time basis, various shift patterns and hybrid working, where roles allow.


At the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), we know the benefits diversity can bring to our organisation such as creativity, innovation and compassion. All of which have a direct impact towards our staff and patient experience. We are committed to being a Hospital for All – being equitable and inclusive, and a place where all feel a sense of belonging. We therefore particularly encourage and welcome applications from candidates who are underrepresented in NNUH’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and long term conditions and people within the LGBT+ community.

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated leader to join the Study Support Service at the East of England Regional RDN. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in how research studies are planned, supported and delivered across the NHS and wider health and care system. You will work within a collaborative national network focused on improving the consistency, quality and efficiency of research delivery.

You will join a supportive and knowledgeable team that values partnership working, continuous improvement and shared learning. We work closely with research sites, sponsors and system partners to solve challenges and strengthen research capacity across the region. Our culture is open, respectful and improvement-focused, with strong peer support and opportunities to develop leadership skills.

In return, we offer flexible working, excellent development opportunities and the chance to build expertise across a broad research portfolio. If you are motivated by making a difference to research delivery, enjoy collaborative problem-solving and want to grow your leadership capability within the NIHR Research Delivery Network, this is an excellent opportunity.

Main duties of the job

As Study Support Service Manager you will lead delivery of Study Support Services across designated specialties and settings, ensuring high-quality pre-approval services (planning and placement and national cost attribution tools) and post-approval services (portfolio oversight and on-request support).

You will line manage Study Support Service Facilitators, allocating workload, developing capability and supporting performance. You will work closely with research delivery organisations across the East of England to support study feasibility, address delivery challenges and strengthen research capacity and capability.

You will collaborate with regional and national colleagues to ensure consistent service delivery and contribute to improvement initiatives across the network. You will use data and insight to monitor portfolio performance, identify risks and target support where needed.

Examples of decisions you will make include:

  • Determining study planning and placement recommendations based on feasibility and capacity.
  • Deciding when portfolio performance issues require intervention or escalation.
  • Prioritising team resource and improvement activity across specialties.

This role suits a collaborative, organised professional who combines operational delivery with partnership working and continuous improvement.

Working for our organisation

Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!

The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute. We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.

We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity

We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:

  • Flexible working hours
  • Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
  • Multi Faith prayer room
  • Discounted gym memberships
  • Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
  • Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
  • Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH site
  • Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
  • On-site Nursery
  • On-site cafes offering staff discounts
  • Support in career development
  • Flexible staff bank
  • Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Act as a liaison between various stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration, communication and alignment of objectives
  • Work as part of a community of specialty and settings leaders across the national network, promoting the consistency of experience across a nationally-harmonised Study Support Service
  • Collaborate with designated Local Specialty and Settings Leadership to align operational activities with strategic objectives
  • Provide strategic support to designated research delivery sites, drawing on and contributing to national network intelligence
  • Support the implementation and cascade of national strategic direction within the region and the local RRDN
  • Develop and undertake activities which contribute to the annual business planning cycle
  • Support with reviewing, evaluating and approving research site delivery plans, and have delegated responsibility for periodically performance monitoring against those plans to ensure that RDN funding is being used appropriately and effectively within specific specialties and settings

Please view the attached job description for full details of the role and use your supporting statement to confirm how you meet the essential and desirable criteria on the job specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Postgraduate qualification (eg. Postgraduate Diploma) in a relevant subject or equivalent level of experience.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Comprehensive understanding of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patients
  • Specialist knowledge of RDN Portfolio eligibility (including terms and conditions) and of cost attribution (ACoRD, SoECATs, NCVR)
  • Project management experience, working as part of a team to deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals to tight deadlines
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of direct line management and managing colleagues to deliver clear objectives and performance targets

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Strong problem-solving skills, including a proactive approach to identifying and addressing potential future issues

Attitude, aptitude

Essential criteria
  • Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH’s PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
  • Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesStonewall Health ChampionsMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.Disability confident employerNHS Pastoral CareStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Application numbers

Please note due to high volume of applications for some posts, this post may close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role asap.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lynsay Bailey
Job title
Head of Partner Liaison and Planning
Email address
[email protected]
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