Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services. Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients. In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research. We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’. The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients. We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS. Job overview We are looking to appoint a highly motivated, experienced and enthusiastic individual to undertake this newly created senior role of Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) Director. You will be responsible for the overall leadership, delivery and management of the Regional Research Delivery Network in the South London region which will come into effect from 1 October 2024. The expectation is that the successful applicant will commence in post by no later than 1 April 2024. The RRDN South London will be one of 12 Networks which will replace the existing Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRNs) throughout the country from 1 October 2024 and will 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 Main duties of the job Supported by the RRDN senior team, the RRDN Director will also be accountable for devising and delivering a 3-year RRDN Strategic Implementation Plan in line with the RDN national strategic aims. The RRDN Strategic Implementation Plan will be developed in conjunction with regional partners, including NHSE regional offices, ICSs, AHSNs, patients and the public, and should: include measures to tackle health inequalities deliver the objectives of the NIHR Best Research for Best Health and Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery March 2021, Lord O'Shaughnessy's review and any subsequent national reviews and policy directives The RRDN Director will be a member of the RDN Board which also includes representatives from the RDN Coordinating Centre and Department of Health and Social Care. As an RDN Board member the RRDN Director will be a 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. Alongside their regional responsibilities the RRDN Director will co-develop and lead national programmes of work on behalf of the RDN Board. The RRDN Director will be accountable for the financial management of the allocated RRDN funding (£35 million per annum, per RRDN region on average), ensuring that the funding is used appropriately and effectively Working for our organisation From October 2024, the current NIHR Clinical Research Network will be changing to become the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN). The RDN will continue 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, with a name that better reflects the scope and purpose of the network to support: Clinical trials and other well-designed health and social care research studies (including studies that are delivered outside of an NHS setting); Public health studies that require the recruitment of individuals within an NHS setting (that is, acute, ambulance, mental health, community or primary care) or an episode of care which involves contact with the NHS. The whole of England will be supported through 12 NIHR Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs). These will work with the national Coordinating Centre to provide a joint RDN leadership function so that the NIHR RDN as a whole functions as a single organisation with a shared vision and purpose across England. Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust will be the Host Organisation for the South London RRDN region. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Detailed job description and responsibilities are outlined in the attached job description and include strategic leadership, business planning, operational management, organisational development, performance management, engagement with life science industry, financial management responsibilities, continuous improvement, ensuring patient carer and public impact on delivery of the RDN strategy, NHS and non-NHS engagement and corporate governance. Responsibilities include: Overall leadership, delivery and management of the RRDN Strategic oversight, development and approval of RRDN business, financial, strategic development and impact plans, and associated reports Overall accountability for the delivery and management of the RRDN with oversight of all aspects of the RRDN’s daily business Be a visible leader and actively promoting a culture of staff development, collaboration, positive staff experience, wellbeing and inclusion, and embedding patient, carer and public involvement within the RRDN at all appropriate levels of decision making Provide strong leadership, engaging with the regional research community to support and enable the efficient set up and delivery of RDN Portfolio research, with particular emphasis on addressing the needs of the life sciences industry Establish mutually beneficial relationships with life sciences industry partners in collaboration with RDNCC to maximise the opportunities available for the benefit of our population Be accountable for the effective financial management of all RRDN funding (£35m per annum per RRDN on average) Utilise performance and other available data including benchmarking to identify and drive forward improvements in service delivery and performance Develop and foster effective relationships and collaborations with stakeholders such as, but not limited to, ICS/ICBs, HEIs, charities, other NIHR infrastructure, NHSE/I, AHSNs, to enhance and promote research and development across the health and care economy Act as a champion for patients, carers and the public, ensuring that their interests are meaningfully incorporated into the development and delivery of the RDN and RRDN Ensuring all required governance forums are established and maintained (including RRDN Partnership Board and RRDN Management Group) as required by the RRDN Host Organisation contract Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria 1. PhD, MD or Masters level qualification or equivalent 2. Executive level management qualification Knowledge and experience Essential criteria Extensive experience of research, the NHS and the wider health and care system including associated responsibilities to the public and patients Experience of working in the health and care research sector, the health and social care service sector or academic environment at a senior level Extensive experience of professional research leadership, both strategic and operational at a senior level Experience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management Proven senior level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment Significant experience of managing a large budget with solid knowledge of financial process requirements Extensive experience of leading business planning cycles from concept to delivery Direct extensive experience of business planning and robust financial management at appropriate scale Knowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research in NHS and non-NHS settings Experience of working collaboratively and in partnership with other organisations, with demonstrable experience of delivery across organisational boundaries Knowledge of utilising Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework Political astuteness and understanding of the health & social care context Skills and abilities Essential criteria Highly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments Extensive experience of proven leadership skills in the management of change Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues Proven 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 Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations Advanced negotiation skills to reconcile stakeholder organisation expectations of financial allocations and within challenging fiscal environments Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments to a high standard (Board level quality) Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex management issues Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities to tight deadlines Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Flexible working We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process. Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now." Applicant requirements The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Further details / informal visits contact Name Kate Blake Job title Director of R&D Strategy Email address [email protected] Telephone number 07939201313