Head of Strategy, Engagement and Inclusion
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to enable the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England. The RDN consists of 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) and a Coordinating Centre (RDNCC), working together as one organisation with joint leadership. The Network contributes to NIHRs mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. North London RRDN, hosted by Barts Health NHS Trust, is at the forefront of this mission, enabling research that improves lives.
The Role: As Head of Strategy, Engagement, and Inclusion, you will play a pivotal role in driving the strategic development of the North London RRDN. Working at the regional and national levels, you will lead initiatives to engage diverse stakeholders, embed inclusive practices, and enhance public involvement in health and care research. Reporting to the RRDN Strategic Development Director, you will manage the domains of Strategy, Communications, and Study Participation Inclusion, supporting the delivery of national priorities across the region.
Main duties of the job
1. Develop and implement regional strategies aligned with national RDN priorities.
2. Lead engagement and inclusion initiatives to increase participation in research, particularly from underserved communities.
3. Provide senior leadership to the RRDN, overseeing Strategy, Communications, and Study Participation Inclusion teams.
4. Manage stakeholder relationships, ensuring alignment with NIHR and NHS objectives.
5. Analyse data to support decision-making and the development of regional capacity and capability.
6. Promote continuous improvement by embedding inclusive practices in research delivery.
7. Represent the RRDN at national forums, acting as an ambassador for the RDN.
We are looking for a strategic thinker and visionary leader with a strong background in stakeholder engagement, inclusion, and strategy development within the NHS or a related field. You will have experience in matrix management, financial planning, and performance evaluation. Your ability to build collaborative relationships, coupled with advanced communication and analytical skills, will be critical to your success in this role.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country and one of Britains leading healthcare providers. The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.
Job responsibilities
We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Further information
For more information, please contact sandra.shaw@nihr.ac.uk to arrange an informal conversation with Reggie Pestininkas, Strategic Development Director.
Person Specification
Experience
* Professional operational and strategic leadership in a related field.
* Management experience within the NHS with understanding of operations across all sectors relevant to the respective Health and Care systems.
* Experience of working across complex organisational structures and effective matrix management.
* Experience of business planning and robust financial management at an appropriate scale.
* Evidence of managing effective collaborations and partnerships.
Skills
* Good IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, Google Workspace applications and MS Office applications.
* Highly developed leadership, strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to demonstrate these in highly political environments.
* Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver highly complex projects, involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities, to tight deadlines.
* Ability to prepare and deliver presentations and business cases to diverse audiences at regional and national events.
* Ability to analyse and interpret specialised, confidential research management information and ability to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex research management issues.
* Proven leadership skills, including leadership in the management of change.
* 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.
* Able to analyse performance of area of activity in relation to performance targets, strategic objectives and make appropriate suggestions.
Knowledge
* Knowledge of national systems, structures and processes for supporting clinical research (industry and academic sponsored) in the NHS.
* Understanding of latest population-wide engagement techniques, including off and online.
* Understanding of governance and legislative frameworks for clinical trials, including GCP.
* Good understanding of quality assurance and performance management techniques.
* Understanding of workforce planning.
* Knowledge of utilising business intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework.
Other
* Acts as a champion for patients, carers, the public and their interests, ensuring the public voice has an impact on RDN activities.
* A strong visionary leader, who brings together ideas and expertise to deliver strategy.
* A resilient and open individual demonstrating clear understanding of the RDN vision, routes for influencing strategy, engaging with diverse groups of people and continuous improvement.
* Role models and works in accordance with the values of the RDN and the employing NHS trust.
Skills
* Ability to work autonomously.
* Strong problem-solving skills.
Other
* Flexible approach to working and enthusiastic attitude towards challenges.
* Attention to detail.
* Highly motivated, with the ability to influence and inspire others.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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