Head of Research Delivery and Support for Wider Care Settings


Company:	University Hospitals of Leicester
Salary:	£66,582 - £77,368 pro rata
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	Leicester or Nottingham (NG7 2UH), LE1 6XP
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	8 Jul 2026
Closing date:	14 Aug 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

A Vacancy at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of our East Midlands RRDN leadership team, as the The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings. This is a job share to work alongside the current post holder. The opportunity to work up to 22.5 hours a week over 3 days across Monday to Friday with normal office working hours, we require cover on a Friday but have some flexibility over the other days

The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings is a senior leadership role that has a focus on the strategic oversight, deployment and delivery capabilities of the RRDN’s Agile Research Delivery Team. The role leads a multi-professional team to deliver National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) Portfolio studies across various settings. This role leads a team of regionally based, flexible, multidisciplinary staff to support the delivery of NIHR RDN portfolio studies in diverse specialties and settings. The post has a dual function, managing and leading either research delivery and/or research support for wider care settings, dependent on regional need.

This role also involves working closely with key stakeholders within region, across other regions and at a national level. The role involves working closely with the ARDT Senior Manager and reporting to the Operations Director.

The Head of Research Delivery and Support for Out of Hospital Settings is a senior leadership role that has a focus on the strategic oversight, deployment and delivery capabilities of the RRDN’s Agile Research Delivery Team. This role will work alongside the Head of Partner Liaison and Planning to co-lead the work of the Study Support Service Team with a focus on out of hospital settings .

East Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network

The NIHR RRDNs have three key roles.

First, to provide support to research sites to enable the effective and efficient initiation and delivery of funded research across the health and care system in England.

Second, to enable the strategic development of new and more effective research delivery capability and capacity. This includes bringing research to under-served regions and communities with major health and care needs.

Third, to work jointly with the Coordinating Centre in the strategic oversight of the NIHR RDN. This ensures that the Portfolio is maintained as a cohort of high-quality, fully-funded, viable and deliverable studies. It also ensures that the NIHR RDN as a whole serves the needs of researchers and R&D teams and is responsive to the changing domestic and global environment for health and care, life sciences and health research.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,

• being a great place to work,

• partnerships for impact, and

• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,

• we are proud,

• we are inclusive, and

• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Act as a senior leader within the RDN, providing strategic direction and guidance

• Work as part of a community of senior leaders across the national network, exercising shared leadership and promoting the consistency of experience across a nationally-harmonised Agile Research Delivery Teams and study support services for out of hospital settings

• Co-develop and lead on national projects as required

• Collaborate with National and RRDN Specialty and Settings Leaders to align regional operational activities with national strategic objectives

• Offer strategic leadership to research delivery sites, contributing to strategic planning (including the development of three-year strategies) and proactively tackling operational challenges as an active partner

• Lead the implementation and cascade of a range of national strategic directives within the region and the local RRDN, reporting on local learnings, successes and challenges

BUSINESS PLANNING

• Contribute to collective national business planning for the Agile Research Delivery (all settings) and Study Support and Partner Liaison services for out of hospital settings

• Contribute to coordinating, 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

• Lead on regional business planning for the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service, ensuring effective implementation and reporting

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT

• Oversee the regional implementation of the Agile Research Delivery Team, ensuring its effectiveness and alignment with regional and national objectives

• Contribute to the regional implementation of the Study Support Service, working as part of a national network

• Work closely with Setting Leads to ensure there is robust strategy for delivery in the primary care, community and residential care settings

• Manage programmes and projects within the remit of the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service. This may include national projects, the oversight of local programmes of work, and coaching and supporting team members in their project management

• Lead communities of practice and events for senior leaders, facilitating system-level collaboration and learning to solve operational challenges and pursue opportunities for strategic development

• Lead a dedicated team to provide Agile Research Delivery Team services, ensuring a collaborative and inclusive team environment

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

• Promote a nationally consistent customer-centric approach to service delivery, ensuring that the needs and expectations of stakeholders are met or exceeded

• Maintain awareness of research process initiatives undertaken with other national bodies to support future integration into the study support service (e.g. just in time site activation, digital recruitment, Be Part of Research)

• Maintain an excellent working knowledge of relevant legislation and processes, and work with national colleagues to respond and incorporate these into RDN business

• Keep up to date with innovative study design and delivery methods, exploring opportunities for promotion and roll-out within national and regional delivery operations

• Develop trusted relationships with partners, and promote a culture of seeking and acting on feedback from customers and partners, so as to provide a responsive service and identify opportunities for improvement, sharing insights and learnings across the national network

• Identify, implement and lead strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service operations regionally and nationally

• Support the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service team members with solving identified challenges in study delivery, particularly in more complex or sensitive situations

• Lead on building capacity and capability for study delivery across specialities and settings, including:

• In collaboration with RRDN Specialty and Settings leads, oversee horizon scanning to ensure there is the capacity and capability within the research system to accommodate new and emerging technologies

• Under the RDN Operating Model for strategic development, and Research Delivery Models lead and participate in projects to address any opportunities or challenges identified

• Assist in the development of research delivery staff

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

• Oversee the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support Service

• Develop and implement strategies for ensuring service delivery meets or exceeds established benchmarks, including targets and obligations specified in the RRDN Host Organisation Contract

• Develop and implement strategies and systems for quality assurance, including audit and review of the work, providing feedback, development and support as necessary

• Ensure seamless coordination with other services and functions within the RRDN and across the national network, working with other teams to provide a consistent experience and work as one organisation

• Identify and support the dissemination of RDN impact across RDN and RRDN activities

LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY

• Champion the RDN’s capacity and capability to support Life Sciences Industry research and the contribution of the Life Sciences Industry to the NHS

• Be responsible for ensuring that RRDN Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support services provided to the Life Sciences Industry are provided consistently, within the required timeframes to a high quality standard and in line with identified national RDN requirements

• Oversee the business development activities of the Agile Research Delivery Team and Study Support services, including providing clinical research expertise and knowledge to support optimal research delivery in discussions with commercial organisations; and attending meetings and presenting at events, webinars etc

This advert closes on Wednesday 22 Jul 2026

Apply for this job