Band 8a Deputy Head of NIHR Birmingham BRC

Job summary

Are you looking to demonstrate and further develop your leadership skills as part of a large and complex research programme and dedicated team? This role is for you!

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is one of the largest NIHR-funded infrastructures in the region, receiving 30.7m over a 5-year programme from December 2022. Hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), we support experimental research with a focus on inflammation across 11 research themes and 8 partner organisations (www.birminghambrc.nihr.ac.uk).

We are looking for someone enthusiastic to join our recently expanded core team, with exceptional attention to detail and who thrives in a fast-paced and varied environment where no two days look the same -- priorities change regularly to meet contractual requirements, BRC objectives and deliver key strategies. It's important that you can prioritise workload, delegate and escalate appropriately and have a strategic understanding of the research landscape.

UHB is committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. In the NIHR Birmingham BRC, we believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in our workforce.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of this role is to co-ordinate and provide programme management and leadership support to the NIHR Birmingham BRC, and specifically the Director and Head of the BRC. Alongside a co-Deputy Head, you'll support the achievement of BRC objectives and make sure that appropriate reporting processes are followed. Excellent communication skills are essential as this will form a key part of the role, allowing you to build relationships with key stakeholders across the regional partner organisations from researchers, clinicians, scientists and patients to colleagues in relevant teams (such as finance and contracts) to provide operational and financial support to the programme.

You will contribute directly to the daily smooth running of the BRC by providing pivotal line management support, as well as direction to other core team members through dotted-line responsibility. Working closely with research theme leads and project managers, you'll ensure a well-informed and co-ordinated support mechanism for BRC-related projects and activities, while also supporting the communication and training strategies of the BRC. In collaborating with NIHR infrastructures both locally and nationally, there is an opportunity to build networks with peers from other BRCs through relevant channels, like the NIHR BRCs Managers Group and Midlands Health Alliance.

For more information, please see the attached JD/PS and contact Pernille Woods (Deputy Head of BRC) to discuss the role on 0121 371 8461.

About us

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to:

Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can;Offer our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their 'whole self' to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

University Hospitals Birmingham is a Smoke-Free premises hospital.