NIHR Portfolio Insight Leads

Company Description

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the United Kingdom’s largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR invests more than £1.6 billion a year of research funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The NIHR’s research programmes, people, centres of excellence and systems together represent the most integrated health research system in the world.

Established in 2006 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the NIHR’s mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. It funds, supports, and delivers high-quality research that addresses the needs of patients, the public, and the healthcare system.

Job Description

We are looking for two individuals with an excellent knowledge of the health research funding landscape in the UK who can apply this experience to understanding, and providing insight on NIHR’s research portfolio in a range of areas related to key aspects of the Government’s Health Mission and NHS 10 Year Plan. Insight will include collating up to date information on NIHR’s research investment, research activity, outputs and impact.

Job Purpose
You will maintain an overview of NIHR’s research portfolio, particularly in a number of key areas of strategic importance to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and wider Government, including the Health and Growth Missions and the NHS 10 Year Plan. You will liaise with key stakeholders and organisations working in the relevant research sectors and provide information and advice on aspects of the NIHR’s research portfolio to policy colleagues in the DHSC’s Science, Research & Evidence (SRE) Directorate and relevant staff across NIHR.

You will need to have excellent interpersonal skills to establish productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, and will need to be comfortable with working to short notice deadlines for high profile information requests and managing competing priorities while maintaining a high quality of outputs.

Main Responsibilities

We are looking for someone who can:

• Maintain an overview and knowledge of NIHR’s research portfolio in a number of key areas of strategic focus for NIHR and DHSC, bringing together data, information and case studies from a range of disease and technology areas across NIHR’s research programmes and research infrastructure.
• Work with DHSC SRE policy colleagues to support their work, including responses to Parliamentary Questions and briefings for Ministerial offices and senior Government department colleagues on issues relating to key research areas, providing consistent and validated information on NIHR investment and activity, often at short notice.
• Work collaboratively with the NIHR Centre for Business Intelligence and data teams across the NIHR to coordinate portfolio analyses where required to enable a clear articulation of the research funded or supported by NIHR in key areas and to identify where gaps/opportunities exist.
• Work collaboratively with the NIHR Impact Programmes to provide evidence of impact to DHSC SRE in the relevant portfolio areas; including contributing to the development of impact products.
• Work with funding teams across the NIHR to support the identification of research gaps or opportunities for development of cross-NIHR funding streams in key areas to synergise and maximise the potential outcomes.
• Liaise with other research funders in key therapeutic and technology areas, including relevant research charities and industry, to identify opportunities to coordinate and join up research funding across the landscape.
• Represent NIHR at meetings with external stakeholders in relevant research fields, including research charities and other research funders.
• Providing well informed and accurate advice to DHSC Science, Research & Evidence colleagues on the portfolio.
• Undertake ad hoc special project work relevant to key research areas for the NIHR. 

Organisational Relationships

• The postholder will work collaboratively with teams across the NIHR Coordinating Centre.
• There will be a close working relationship with policy colleagues in the Department of Health & Social Care’s Science, Research & Evidence Directorate as part of an extended team. 

Qualifications

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate the following:

Essential Criteria 

• A good biomedical science degree relevant to the research areas funded or supported by the NIHR, or equivalent expertise gained through previous employment
• Experience of working in a research funding organisation or policy body
• Detailed knowledge of the UK’s health and care research landscape
• An understanding of how clinical research in the NHS is carried out, and of the role of the NIHR
• Ability to think strategically, interpreting complex information, putting information in context and having a clear view of the “big picture”
• Highly motivated self-starter – ability to work both independently and effectively in a team environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrable success in stakeholder management within and across multiple organisations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, evidenced by high-level reporting and presentation abilities
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, able to prioritise and manage multiple tasks, working to challenging targets and deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail, including meticulous record-keeping
• Good IT skills, including Excel

Desirable Criteria

• A postgraduate degree in a relevant area
• Previous experience of working with the NIHR
• Previous experience of working in a health policy area

Additional Information

Compensation, Benefits & Working Arrangements:

• Salary: £58,000
• Location: Victoria, London / Hybrid working model
• Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent 
• Working Hours: 7.5 hours per day
• Annual Leave: 25 days, plus UK public holidays

Employee Benefits Include:

• Annual bonus, subject to company performance
• Enhanced Contributory Pension Scheme
• Life Insurance Cover
• Benenden Healthcare Membership
• Training and Development Opportunities 
• Season Ticket Loan  

Please note: This is an office based hybrid position, with a mandatory requirement to attend our offices in  Victoria, London, two days each week.  

Application Process
If you are excited about the prospect of joining our team and believe you possess the relevant skills and background, we invite you to apply. Please submit your CV along with a 'Statement of Suitability' that showcases your key skills and experiences in relation to the 'Essential Criteria' outlined in the job description. Additionally, share your enthusiasm for working with NIHR. 

If you wish to make an informal enquiry about this post, please contact [email protected].

NB: The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 29th August, interviews to be held from the 8th September. 

Our Commitment to Equality and Diversity
LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of age, disability, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age or trade union membership.