PORTFOLIO SUPPORT OFFICER
(Industry)
Author:
Date: 10 July 2014
Job reference number:
Part-time 60% Full time equivalent
Fixed term until 28 February 2015
This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual with experience and interest in
clinical research to work on a diverse and dynamic national initiative. Working independently,
under the direction of the Industry Liaison Manager and working closely with other members
of the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Coordinating Centre team you will work to
support development of the Industry studies portfolio which focusses on primary care,
ageing, oral and dental, public health and health services research specialties.
You will liaise with Industry to facilitate the eligibility, feasibility, set up and delivery of
Industry sponsored trials to time and target within the CRN. This will involve communication
with industry partners, Local Clinical Research Network staff, other CRN specialty teams,
expert Clinical advisors, the NHS and other stakeholders.
Based within the NIHR CRN Coordinating Centre team in London, you will work closely with
other members of the CC team. Effective communications and relationships will be built with
the Industry team, other NIHR Industry Research Delivery Managers, Clinical Research
Network staff, and the NIHR CRN Coordinated System for gaining NHS Permissions (CSP)
team. Close links with each of the specialty Coordinating Centres and the Managers will be
essential. Some travel to internal and external meetings, particularly London-Leeds, may be
necessary.
You will be managerially responsible to the NIHR CRN CC Industry Liaison Manager, who
has overall responsibility for managing the feasibility assessment and delivery of the primary
care, ageing, oral and dental, public health and health services research specialty Industry
study portfolio. You will assume individual responsibility for assigned studies within this
portfolio.
The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all
and offers a range of family friendly policies:
http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/homepage/4/policies.
The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze
award. The School of Medicine gained the Bronze award in 2013. We are
committed to being an inclusive medical school that values all staff, and we
are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working
arrangements from our employees.
Secondments will also be considered.
University Grade 7 (£31,342 - £37,394 p.a) Pro rata. £4,041 London Weighting Allowance
p.a. plus University of Leeds benefits
Informal enquiries should be directed to: Dr Patricia Ellis, patricia.ellis@nihr.ac.uk or
+44 (0)203 328 6733
General enquiries regarding your online application should be directed to: Kate Scott,
kate.scott@nihr.ac.uk or 0113 34 30349.
Job Ref: MHNCC1000
Closing Date: 22 September 2014
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Industry Support Officer is responsible for the following areas of work:

Work closely with the Industry team, Research Delivery Managers and Local Clinical
Research Network staff to facilitate the delivery of Industry sponsored trials within the
primary care, ageing, oral and dental, public health and health services research
specialties.

Assume responsibility for assigned studies ensuring that eligibility and feasibility
procedures are effectively planned and completed to due timescales.

Liaise with companies and local network staff to confirm network sites, recruitment
targets and key performance indicators for assigned studies and work to ensure the
timely set up, performance management and delivery of these studies.

Liaise with companies to ensure that patient recruitment data is obtained on a
monthly basis and use information and generated reports to actively performance
manage allocated studies.

Liaise with other NIHR Specialty Coordinating Centres and Local Clinical Research
Networks to identify examples of best practice in terms of industry collaborations and
trial management and share these across the NIHR Networks. Develop and
implement models of working to facilitate such collaborations.

Work with Local Clinical Research Networks to identify barriers/difficulties faced by
the Networks associated with Industry sponsored studies and consider changes to
improve processes to facilitate high quality contract research and build effective
interactions with Industry.

Provide input into the CRN CC industry research portfolio in terms of
problems/barriers to recruitment and raise any issues with the Industry Liaison
Manager. Work innovatively with the Industry Liaison Manager and to address any
such problems, implementing changes or introducing new processes or systems to
resolve these.

On behalf of the Industry Team assess the impact of the month to month workload,
producing plans to monitor and prioritise studies, how these decisions will be
communicated to the research community in a positive manner and work with all
companies to streamline processes.

Actively performance manage allocated studies within the industry research portfolio
and take appropriate action to meet recruitment milestones and timelines, patient
recruitment targets and timeliness of the data collection for any given trial.

Develop processes to streamline set up of studies where the division is engaged in a
support role of identifying Participant Identification Centres and work across LCRNs
to help to centralise these processes and enhance clarity

Develop links with Industry project managers, Local Clinical Research Network staff,
and NIHR CRN Coordinating Centre staff.

Actively participate in NIHR Industry meetings, linking in with counterparts in the other
divisional NIHR CRNs and providing input to NIHR and DH policy on Industry working
where required. In particular in the development of suitable national metrics and
target setting.

Advise and support Companies and individual investigators on the process and
advantages of NIHR study adoption for commercial studies.
General:

Develop an awareness and understanding of the key activities and ensure that any
work being undertaken by this post is fully integrated and responsive to new
developments.

Maintain responsibility for own professional development by keeping up to date with
relevant policy and key professional issues so as to be able to inform colleagues and
national debate as required.

Undertake any ad hoc initiatives as required by the Divisional Research Delivery
Manager.
The job description provides a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a
definitive list of duties and responsibilities, which will develop and change over time through
natural progression.
University Values
All staff members are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and
standards, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of
how we work together. More information about the university’s strategy and values is
available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/
PERSON SPECIFICATION
You should be able to work effectively in a new and growing organisation and manage
change.
You must be able to demonstrate effective organisational and interpersonal skills with the
ability to take on responsibility and exercise skills in managing projects effectively.
Specifically you need to be able to demonstrate the following experience and competencies,
or their equivalents in other fields:
Essential

Experience of working on clinical trials, ideally in an industry environment

Understanding of NHS primary care organisation

Effective organisational skills demonstrated by a proven ability to successfully initiate,
manage and complete projects

Ability to collect and collate information and present it in a clear and concise manner
in written and presentational reports

Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team

Ability to prioritise work, manage time effectively and deliver results on time

Experience and ability to participate constructively in meetings and decision making
processes

Experience of inputting into the development of policies, procedures and standards

Ability to function productively within, and contribute to, an environment of
organisational change and progress

Well-developed interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills and the ability to
convey complex and tailored information to a range of stakeholders, including
company personnel, senior investigators, network and NHS staff.

Capacity to solve problems, identify issues and develop contingency plans

Availability to travel within the UK as required
Desirable


Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject area (e.g. science or
biomedical)
An understanding of the UK Clinical Research Networks and NHS structures
FURTHER INFORMATION
Faculty Information
With more than 6,000 students, 1,600 staff and annual research income of £50m, the
Faculty of Medicine and Health at Leeds is bigger than some universities. Leeds has
one of the largest medical and bioscience research bases in the UK, and is an
acknowledged world leader in cancer, cardiovascular, psychiatric, genetic, musculoskeletal and health services research. Treatments developed in Leeds are
transforming the lives of people around the world living with conditions such as HIV,
TB, diabetes and malaria.
The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network
(NIHR CRN)
The Clinical Research Network is a key part of the National Institute for Health
Research, or NIHR. The NIHR was established by the Department of Health to
create a world-class health research system within the NHS, with the strategic aim of
improving the health and wealth of the nation through research.
The NIHR Clinical Research Network comprises:


A national Coordinating Centre function
15 Local Clinical Research Networks that, together, cover England. These
Networks deliver a national portfolio of clinical research studies across 30
different specialities
The Coordinating Centre
The NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre provides the overall
management and coordination of the CRN. It is responsible for the development and
delivery of the operating systems that underpin the whole initiative, and for provision
of support and guidance to the Network within a performance management
framework.
Supporting industry
The CRN CC Industry Team supports direct and indirect collaboration between the
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology industries and the CRN,
including oversight of the activities of the CRN to facilitate delivery of life-sciences
industry-sponsored studies on the CRN Portfolio.
Further information
For further information about the Coordinating Centre, please visit our website:
www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk (changed to www.crn.nihr.ac.uk from 1 April 2014)
For information about the National Institute for Health Research (overall) visit:
www.nihr.ac.uk
Additional Information
Terms and Conditions
Details of the terms and conditions of employment for all staff at the university,
including information on pensions and benefits, are available on the Human
Resources web pages accessible via the links on the right hand side, or at
http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/policies
Disclosure and Barring Service Checks
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check is not required for this position.
However, applicants who have unspent convictions must indicate this in the ‘other
personal details’ section of the application form and send details to the Recruitment
Officer
Disabled Applicants
The post is located on 7th Floor, 18 King William Street, London. Disabled applicants
wishing to review access to the building are invited to contact the department direct.
Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment Officer, email
disclosure@leeds.ac.uk or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.
Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still
be covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.
Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health
conditions is available in the applicant guidance.