Digital Research Facilitator
Job Description
Job summary
The Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) Sussex is transforming the delivery of commercial clinical trials across the region, improving access to research opportunities for local communities. By bringing together healthcare organisations, researchers and stakeholders, CRDC Sussex is accelerating study delivery and adopting innovative approaches that are shaping the future of commercial research.
As a Digital Research Facilitator, you will play a key role in connecting patients with commercial clinical research opportunities. Working across healthcare, data and innovation, you will support a digital pathway that enables researchers to identify eligible participants more quickly, accurately and fairly.
Using digital tools and regional datasets, you will work closely with hospital research teams and primary care partners to streamline participant identification and recruitment. By reducing manual processes and supporting faster recruitment, you will help attract commercial research investment into Sussex and improve patient access to innovative treatments and technologies.
You will also support a more inclusive approach to research participation, helping ensure opportunities reach diverse and underrepresented communities. Through collaborative working and the effective use of data, you will contribute to better health outcomes and make cutting-edge clinical research accessible to more people across Sussex.
Main duties of the job
As a Digital Research Facilitator , you will support the delivery of digital participant identification and recruitment pathways for commercial clinical trials across Sussex. Using healthcare datasets, digital systems and research tools, you will undertake feasibility assessments and identify potential research participants efficiently and ethically.
Working with clinical teams, GP practices, digital partners and research colleagues, you will help streamline recruitment processes and support the achievement of recruitment targets. You will monitor recruitment activity, maintain study records and produce reports that support performance improvement.
The role includes analysing recruitment pathways, identifying risks and implementing solutions to improve efficiency, reliability and participant engagement. You will act as a key link between research teams, primary care organisations, secure data environments and external partners to support effective study delivery.
You will champion the safe and compliant use of patient data, ensuring adherence to information governance, GDPR and research regulations. You will also support the development of guidance, training and best practice resources to encourage adoption of digital research processes.
Working with patient, public and community groups, you will help ensure research opportunities are inclusive, accessible and reach diverse and underrepresented communities across Sussex.
About us
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer abuddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
Candidate Pack
This vacancy is advertised as a time-limited opportunity is expected to be undertaken on a secondment basis. Before applying, employees must discuss the opportunity with their current line manager to confirm whether they may be released from their substantive role if successful. Release to undertake a secondment is not an automatic entitlement and must be agreed by all relevant parties: the employee, their current line manager, and the recruiting line manager.
Job responsibilities
Main duties and responsibilities
Communication
Act as a key liaison between the Commercial Research Delivery Centre, clinical teams, Kent, Medway, Sussex Secure Data Environment, GP practices, the Research Delivery Network (RDN), and any other digital services that are appropriate, ensuring seamless communication to facilitate the identification and recruitment of research participants.
Proactively engage with and solicit feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders to refine digital workflows and ensure processes are fit for purpose.
Work closely with the CRDC Sussex PPIE stakeholder group to ensure recruitment pathways are inclusive, transparent, and meet the needs of diverse regional communities.
Translate complex digital data sets and feasibility metrics into clear, actionable reports for clinical teams and commercial sponsors to strengthen Expressions of Interest (EoIs) and recruitment strategies.
Influence and persuade primary care partners to adopt new digital workflows, overcoming barriers to engagement by demonstrating the reduction in administrative burden and benefits to patient care.
Communicate the importance of health equality and regional data usage to stakeholders, ensuring that recruitment strategies are designed to reach traditionally under-represented groups.
Responsible for producing high-quality documentation, risk reviews, and performance updates regarding the new digital pathway, presenting findings to the Digital Research Access Manager and regional heads of service.
Service delivery and improvement
Lead the operationalisation of a new digital workflow connecting hospital-led research with primary care data, converting complex manual processes into a streamlined, scalable digital pathway.
Continuously evaluate and test new processes for participant identification, producing relevant documentation and adapting workflows based on feedback from a range of stakeholders
Take responsibility for a 2-day invitation turnaround, ensuring that for at least 80% of eligible studies, potential participants are contacted within 48 hours of study opening.
Produce comprehensive monthly activity reports to track progress against regional and national recruitment targets.
Through proactive pre-screening across the community, monitor performance against UK government metrics for commercial research, including the first recruit in less than 30 days target is met for >/80% of eligible studies.
Conduct regular risk reviews of the digital recruitment pathway, implementing corrective actions and process adaptations to mitigate bottlenecks and improve the reliability of trial feasibility data.
Contribute to service improvements that specifically target previously less well served communities in areas such as Crawley, Eastbourne, and Hastings, ensuring the service model promotes equity of access to clinical trials.
Maintain and update the local portfolio management system (LPMS), ensuring all study data is accurate and timely.
Support the study set-up dashboard, providing real-time visibility of feasibility assessments and recruitment milestones to the wider Research Delivery team.
People management and development
Responsible for carrying out duties in line with the Trusts e-rostering processes, including managing rosters, supporting staff allocation, and contributing to effective budget reconciliation and workforce planning
Patient care delivery
Act as a guardian of patient data, ensuring that all digital identification and pre-screening processes adhere to the highest standards of data protection and confidentiality. Ensure that the use of data is conducted ethically and in full alignment with Trust information governance and "Patient First" values.
Directly contribute to patient care by using digital tools to identify and include under-represented populations and seldom heard communities. This ensures that access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials is determined by clinical need and regional equity rather than geographic location or GP practice capacity.
Collaborate with PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) stakeholders and the Surrey and Sussex Research Engagement Network to ensure that digital recruitment pathways are respectful, accessible, and designed with the patient experience at the forefront.
Support the delivery of high-quality research by ensuring the rapid identification of participants, thereby accelerating the timeline for patients to access novel therapies and interventions that can improve health outcomes across Sussex.
Learning and development
Identify learning and development needs within Primary Care and community settings regarding digital research workflows; design and deliver targeted training or guidance to GP staff and researchers to ensure the effective use of the new digital recruitment pathway.
Act as a regional subject matter expert for digital participant identification, providing consultancy and support to the South East Research Delivery Network (SERRDN) and wider care settings to help staff adopt new digital tools, share best practices, and standardise recruitment processes across Sussex.
Attend mandatory training updates as required.
Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with ...
