RRDN Director

Job responsibilities

• The RRDN Director is the senior officer responsible for the overall leadership, delivery and management of the RRDN. They will oversee and drive the work of the RRDN Strategic Development, Operations and Health & Care Research Directors.
• 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 Director will be accountable for enabling this regionally by providing efficient, effective and nationally consistent supporting services and activities in line with the requirements of the RRDN Host Organisation Contract with the Department of Health and Social Care, with particular emphasis on addressing the needs of the life sciences industry (across both commercial contract and commercial collaborative research).verall leadership, delivery and management of the RRDN

• Be accountable to the Host Lead, NIHR RDN CEO and the RDN Board for:
  • the establishment and delivery of the RRDN
  • the operational performance of the RRDN
  • the management and assurance of RRDN funding
  • oversight of the development and delivery of the RRDN 3-year Strategic Implementation Plan
  • ensuring the Host Organisation fulfils the obligations of the RRDN Host Organisation Contract
  • ensuring the vision, values and behaviours of the RDN are embraced across the RRDN
• Be a member of the national RDN Board and acting as senior leader and ambassador for RDN, contributing to the ongoing development of the vision, direction and strategic aims for the RDN at national level and translating this into deliverable priorities regionally
• Develop, lead and deliver significant national programmes of work on behalf of the RDN Board
• Be accountable for devising and leading a 3-year RRDN Strategic Implementation Plan, which will require the interpretation of the national RDN strategy. The RRDN Strategic Implementation Plan should be developed in conjunction with regional partners, including other NIHR entities, NHSE regional offices, ICSs, AHSNs, patients and the public
• Be a visible leader and actively promote a culture of staff development and wellbeing
• Engage effectively with NHS organisations to maximise reach, impact and delivery of the RDN and its initiatives
• Enable collaborative relationships through effective network leadership, acting as a role model for others
• Work with partners across the RRDN region and nationally to progress improvements and transformation activities ensuring the RDN can realise the opportunities which come from working across the wider health and social care system
• Be responsible for supporting the development of national RDN policies and strategies as a RDN Board member and being accountable for interpreting those national RDN strategies and policies, and any prevailing national guidance in order to establish RRDN goals and standards
• Ensure structures, processes and systems are in place to enable relevant quality standards and RRDN contract requirements are met

Qualifications

Essential

• oMasters level qualification or equivalent
• oExecutive level management qualification

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• oComprehensive understanding of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patients
• oExperience of working in the health and care research sector, the health and social care service sector or academic environment at a senior level
• oProfessional research leadership, both strategic and operational at a senior level
• oExperience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management
• oProven senior level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment
• oSignificant experience of managing a large budget with solid knowledge of financial process requirements
• oExperience of leading business planning cycles from concept to delivery
• oDirect experience of business planning and robust financial management at appropriate scale
• oKnowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research in NHS and non-NHS settings
• oExperience of working collaboratively and in partnership with other organisations, with demonstrable experience of delivery across organisational boundaries
• oEvidence of managing effective collaborations and partnerships
• oGood understanding of performance management techniques
• oKnowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework
• oPolitical astuteness and understanding of the health & social care contex
• oComprehensive knowledge of programme sponsorship and management
• oExperience of leading continuous improvement
• oExtensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments to a high standard (Board level quality)

Desirable

• oUnderstanding of governance and legislative framework for clinical research in the NHS
• oExecutive level experience

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• oHighly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments
• oProven leadership skills in the management of change
• oDemonstrable 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 organisation
• oAbility to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
• oProven 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
• oAbility to deal with challenging situations in a formal setting
• oStrong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations
• oAdvanced negotiation skills to reconcile stakeholder organisation expectations of financial allocations and within challenging fiscal environments
• oAbility to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information orally and in writing, both internally and externally, to a range of audiences
• oAble to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the public
• oAbility to analyse and interpret highly complex information to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex management issues
• oStrong problem-solving skills
• oAbility to grasp critical issues and distil them into clear arguments/cases and be able to articulate these verbally or in written form
• oAbility to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities to tight deadlines
• oAbility to work independently
• oAbility to understand the long term or widespread implications of decisions
• oWillingness to challenge existing practice
• oGood IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications and MS Office applications
• oAbility to travel to different locations across the region and nationally to attend meetings and conferences, representing the RDN
• oAbility to use Google Suite products

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).