JRO Transformation Lead
The closing date is 20 April 2026
Job summary
The Oxford Joint Research Office (JRO) was established in 2011 to support clinical and health-related research undertaken by Oxford University (OU) and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust. In 2022, the JRO was expanded to include Oxford Brookes University (OBU) and Oxford Health (OH) NHS Foundation Trust to better support the full extent of research activity across the Oxford ecosystem. As JRO activity has grown, work practices have evolved, in part in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Life Sciences Sector Plan, published in July 2025, the Government committed to "Slashing trial set up times to under 150 days". Clinical research performance will be measured against this target and linked to future funding opportunities.
The Oxford ecosystem supports an extensive portfolio of clinical and health related research, often involving two or more of the partners involved in the JRO.
Funding has been secured for a transformation project to review and develop JRO activity, building on existing strengths and identifying opportunities to improve performance in line with national targets and local requirements.
The JRO Transformation Lead will be responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive programme of change, working closely with the four partners involved in the JRO, and wider life sciences and health ecosystems across Oxford and beyond.
Main duties of the job
The JRO Transformation Lead will deliver a 6-month project designed to accelerate improvements in research set-up, working closely with JRO and other partners to identify, design and implement solutions. A secondment will be considered.
The post holder will be expected to show initiative, autonomy, leadership and strategic influencing skills to deliver changes in service and policy across the four partners of the JRO - two significant NHS Trusts and two world-ranking Universities.
The post holder will lead an ambitious programme of work to develop, transform and align policy and working practices across the JRO. This will lead to an improved service for researchers, clinical staff, and patients, and demonstrable reductions in study set up times to ensure compliance with government targets.
The post holder will work closely with research teams and senior staff from across the Partner Organisations to contribute to the change and will be expected to present proposals and reports to the Board of the OAHP, working closely in support of its Chief Operating Officer.
OAHP holds a unique position within the health and life sciences ecosystems within Oxford, coordinating activity across the partners. The post holder will need to influence and oversee activity delivered by other teams across the landscape, working closely to ensure progress alongside competing priorities.
About us
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. For more information on OUH please view OUH At a Glance by OUHospitals - Issuu
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.
We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.
These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.
Details
Date posted
13 April 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 8a
Salary
£57,528 to £108,814 a year per annum pro rata
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
6 months
Working pattern
Full-time, Home or remote working
Reference number
321-CORP-7907604-B8a
Job locations
John Radcliffe Hospital
OAHP c/o OUH Finance department, Unipart House, 1st Floor, Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2PG
Oxford
OX3 9DU
Employer details
Employer name
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
John Radcliffe Hospital
OAHP c/o OUH Finance department, Unipart House, 1st Floor, Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2PG
Oxford
OX3 9DU
Employer's website
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Supporting documents
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