National Autism Research Lead

NHS England

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Job summary

National Research Lead, Autism - Learning Disability and Autism Programme

Are you educated to PhD level? Do you have experience with evidence about autistic people and people with a learning disability? Are you motivated to increase the use of scientific evidence in national policy initiatives aimed at improving NHS service provision for autistic people and people with a learning disability?

The National Research Lead - Autism is responsible for leading operational delivery of the Five-year NHS autism research strategy for England. The postholder will sit in the autism team in the national Learning Disability and Autism Programme. In this post, you would:

work to increase the knowledge and confidence of a range of policymakers within and beyond the Learning Disability and Autism Programme to use scientific evidence in their work,
identify evidence gaps related to the work of the NHS England programme
influence the applied scientific research in autism and learning disability healthcare delivery funded by research grant making organisations,
collaborate with colleagues in the Department of Health of Social Care and its arm's length bodies, such as NICE and CQC, to use evidence in attempts to improve service delivery.

Main duties of the job

The National Research Lead - Autism is responsible for delivering strategic guidance about research and evidence to underpin the work undertaken by the programme and to co-ordinate national strategic action, as follows;

Develop an evidence-led cultural across the whole Learning Disability and Autism Programme
Provide guidance and advice about using existing research and evidence to inform decision making within NHS England about initiatives relating to the health of autistic people.
Provide guidance and support in coordination of evaluation of initiatives introduced with insufficient evidence to demonstrate effectiveness.
Co-ordinate strategic collaboration between other public and third sector organisations involved in autism research, learning disability research, and health service delivery.

The role involves; leading operational delivery of the national autism research strategy for England, line management of research support manager and ensuring cohesive and efficient delivery of the wider research team programme. The post-holder will work closely with the Research and Innovation and the Data, Analysis and Intelligence teams to ensure that the work to increase scientific literacy within the Learning Disability and Autism Programme is coordinated with wider organisational move to increase the use of evidence in NHS England as a whole. Stakeholder engagement and managements and partnership working is a key function for this role.

About us

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:

Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
Delivering value for money.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visithttps://www.england.nhs.uk/.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

We can offer reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for candidates with disabilities, please let us know if you require any adjustments.

Date posted

02 October 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£82,462 to £93,773 a year (inclusive of London Weighting)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

990-COO-6641413-E

Job locations

Wellington House

133 – 155 Waterloo Road

London

SE1 8UG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for a detailed breakdown of the essential and desirable criteria for this post.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for a detailed breakdown of the essential and desirable criteria for this post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to PhD level or equivalent level in a scientific discipline with a specialism related to autism
Undergraduate and post-graduate education in an applied scientific subject with specialism in autism and/or learning disability

Knowledge and experience

Essential

Subject matter expertise relating to the use of research and evidence in the NHS - specifically operation and delivery of autism research in the NHS and the role of key stakeholders and organisations
Understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and legislation with respect to the delivery of healthcare of autistic people and people with learning disability in England
Understanding of the relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
Experience of delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals
Direct experience with health research infrastructure and systems, including peer review, research governance arrangements, contract management, intellectual property management and research ethics approval processes
Experience line managing staff

Desirable

Demonstrable senior management experience
Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

Skills Capabilities and Attributes

Essential

Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
Persuade Board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and new market opportunities
Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
Ability to build effective cross functional working relationships across a diverse range of stakeholders to drive organisational agenda

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to PhD level or equivalent level in a scientific discipline with a specialism related to autism
Undergraduate and post-graduate education in an applied scientific subject with specialism in autism and/or learning disability

Knowledge and experience

Essential

Subject matter expertise relating to the use of research and evidence in the NHS - specifically operation and delivery of autism research in the NHS and the role of key stakeholders and organisations
Understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and legislation with respect to the delivery of healthcare of autistic people and people with learning disability in England
Understanding of the relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
Experience of delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals
Direct experience with health research infrastructure and systems, including peer review, research governance arrangements, contract management, intellectual property management and research ethics approval processes
Experience line managing staff

Desirable

Demonstrable senior management experience
Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

Skills Capabilities and Attributes

Essential

Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
Persuade Board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and new market opportunities
Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
Ability to build effective cross functional working relationships across a diverse range of stakeholders to drive organisational agenda

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).

Additional information