The Head of Approvals Support and Improvement leads a diverse team who facilitate core regulatory services, and coordinates quality and continuous improvement activity in the Approvals Service.

This role has a significant external profile with research communities, regulators, research, and counterparts in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where collaborative skills, leadership, and expert knowledge and significant experience in research regulation and delivery are at the fore.

The team works with around 800 volunteer members of Research Ethics Committees and the Confidentiality Advisory Group to deliver. Our community ranges from noted academics and clinicians to members of the public, all with important contributions to make in a closely supported, organised way. Consequently, the Head of Approvals Support and Improvement is a skilled communicator and negotiator, able to achieve alignment in a complex, highly regulated environment.

You will be responsible for recruiting and supporting REC and CAG members in England. The team plays an important role in the co-production of learning opportunities and materials, as well as planned and ad-hoc communication and engagement with the membership.

The postholder is responsible for the business and improvement activities in the directorate, with dedicated staff managing an active portfolio of continuous improvement, quality assurance, and overseeing our business planning and financial management across multiple teams.

The team leads involvement in operational policy for research ethics committees coordinates our input to the UK wide framework for research ethics, working closely with colleagues in Devolved Administrations. You will work closely with chairs of the committees, as well as providing leadership in the special and valuable relationship we have with volunteers who deliver a significant proportion of the HRA’s work, ensuring that members are supported, while agreed practices are upheld.

This is a 1-year fixed term contract / secondment in the first instance, with the possibility of an extension for a further year depending on business need.

Working at the HRA, we are reminded daily of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services.

We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our
community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to
accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for us, we will do our best to make it work for you.

This role sits within the HRA Approvals Service directorate which consists of various teams that all work together to provide the appropriate approval for health research in England and, for some applications, across the UK.

This directorate is responsible for:

• Delivering HRA Approval
• Supporting the Confidentiality Advisory Group and advising on the use of

confidential patient information without consent

• Working to refine the systems and processes researchers need to follow to ensure a swift, robust and simple experience
• Providing guidance to applicants
• Providing training
• Working collaboratively with external partners to improve the research environment

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.

In submitting your application with us, please note the following:

We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.
We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.

Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.

The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.