Senior Research Manager - Infrastructure Monitoring and Evaluation

Company Description

The NIHR is funded through the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and was established with the aim of creating a health and care research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals, working in world-class facilities, conducting leading-edge research focused on the needs of patients and the public. The NIHR Research Infrastructure provides a platform to enable research by creating an environment where early stage and applied research can thrive. Our Research Infrastructure consists of research expertise, specialist facilities, a research delivery workforce and support services. The NIHR invests more than £606 million a year of infrastructure funding through a number of different five-year infrastructure funding schemes. 

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/infrastructure

Job Description

We are looking to recruit a motivated and experienced Senior Research Manager to manage the monitoring, evaluation and learning activities of a high profile National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) portfolio of translational, clinical and applied health research infrastructure funding schemes. 

Job Purpose 

Reporting to the Assistant Director, the post holder will work closely with the rest of the infrastructure team (especially the Programme Leads and Senior Research Managers who are responsible for the development and management of the infrastructure schemes), and with Data Analytics colleagues (who are responsible for designing systems for capturing, cleaning and presenting data), to manage the infrastructure reporting and evaluation activities. At an award level, you will develop, improve and maintain monitoring and reporting processes, and at a scheme level, you will implement monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches, including overseeing the delivery and/or commissioning of impact evaluations. You will support a wider programme around visibility and the strategic use of data within infrastructure, considering links to policy directives around Busting Bureaucracy, the developing NIHR digital strategy and system operability issues with NHS and University systems. 

You will be adept at dealing with an array of data sources (metrics, narrative and financial reporting information), have a good understanding of research impact, an understanding of the routes to achieving it, and how to apply monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches to generate insight that can evidence impact and support continuous improvement of scheme funding and support processes. You will have experience of managing complex projects, knowledge of the UK’s research environment and political agenda, and honed skills in stakeholder management. You will be a strategic thinker, capable of seeing the issues and solutions from a number of different stakeholder perspectives to see the bigger picture. You will be comfortable dealing with complexity and developing an approach to balance the needs of different stakeholders. You will be a team player, able to work in close partnership with a number of teams at NIHR and the DHSC.

Key Accountabilities:

• Manage elements of the infrastructure monitoring processes: you will manage parts of the infrastructure reporting process both internally at the technical systems level and externally with users to support training and propose improvements. You will work with others to develop new reporting processes (for new awards), maintain existing annual and quarterly reporting, support the review of submitted reports by the team and the production of feedback, and drive process improvements through a continuous improvement cycle.
• Development of reporting outputs: support quantitative and qualitative data interrogation in projects across the infrastructure. Interrogating data to support strategic reviews, and, where feasible and appropriate, designing visual dashboards of progress using data collected and collated for reporting purposes. Also draw on award level reported data to feed into strategic scheme level evaluations and reviews, to produce impact case studies, and to feed into organisational level learning and reporting. This work will help articulate the contribution of the NIHR infrastructure to the wider health and social care system as well as feeding into broader NIHR initiatives such as the NIHR Impact Programme.
• Scheme reviews: support the delivery of scheme mid-term reviews and evaluations, working closely with the infrastructure team’s Senior Research Managers responsible for specific schemes and the central Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to design and plan an appropriate review process for individual schemes.
• Stakeholder engagement: through appropriate stakeholder engagement, developing a sound understanding of data needs, minimising additional requirements of key stakeholders and understanding the types of reporting outputs/feedback that would provide the greatest utility for accountability and learning purposes. Proactively share key learnings across the infrastructure team and with wider stakeholder groups as appropriate.
• Flexible support to the team: flexible approach to work tasks with ability to ‘muck in’ and provide support on additional tasks across the team during busy times.

Line Management:

• The post holder will be responsible for the line management of one Research Manager and will matrix manage other team members, where appropriate.

Qualifications

Experience and Technical Skills

Required Criteria: 

• A PhD degree in biomedical or health sciences research (or significant equivalent sector experience)
• Experience of implementation or management of monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches including impact assessment and reporting, ideally within health and care research
• Data collection, collation and analysis skills using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Current knowledge of the UK’s health and care research and policy landscape
• Strategic thinker able to interpret complex information while having a clear view of the “big picture”
• Solutions orientated with evidence of delivering projects, requiring evidence synthesis, report writing and developing implementable recommendations

Desirable Criteria:

• Specialist training/knowledge in monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches and methods
• Experience of authoring high quality impact reports and case study reports for a variety of technical and general audiences
• Experience of developing electronic dashboards using visualisation tools such as Qlik Sense, Looker Studio or equivalents
• Line management and staff development experience

Key Competencies

• Committed team player with an ability to build effective working relationships

Additional Information

Why work for us
Join our team and you’ll be working with an exceptional organisation who manage high quality health and care research for the benefit of patients and the public. NIHR is one of the UK’s largest funders of health and care research.

Salary & Benefits  

• £48,600 - £51,300 per annum 
• Bonus - subject to company performance
• 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays (UK)
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme
• Life Insurance
• Benenden Healthcare
• Season Ticket Loan

This is a permanent, full time position.  

NB: We offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, flexible working arrangements. This is an office-based, hybrid role with an expectation for all employees to attend our offices a minimum of 4 days a month, usually worked as 1 day per week, and may increase, subject to team requirements. 

Application Process
If you are excited about the prospect of joining our team and believe you possess the relevant skills and background, we invite you to apply. Please submit your CV along with a 'Statement of Suitability' that showcases your key skills and experiences in relation to the 'Required Criteria' outlined in the job description. Additionally, share your enthusiasm for working with NIHR. 

NB: Closing date for applications is 5pm 16th July, interviews to be scheduled from the 28th July to the 8th August.

Our Commitment to Equality and Diversity
LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of age, disability, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age or trade union membership.