Research Programme Manager (ENHANCE)

About us

The UCL Division of Psychiatry is within the Faculty of Brain Sciences and a centre of excellence in Mental Health research. The Director is Professor Glyn Lewis. Our aim is to contribute to the improvement of mental health through research and education. We address clinical problems in order to achieve benefits for patients and public health, using insights from basic science. We also deliver innovative teaching, relevant to clinical practice, which is informed by our research.

The Division has multi-disciplinary research and teaching staff based in the Bloomsbury Campus of UCL. The Division is one of the largest departments specialising in mental health in the UK with over 150 staff. It has an active research programme with funding from NIHR, MRC, ESRC and medical charities including the Wellcome Trust and Alzheimer’s UK. Our research programme is wide ranging and has strengths that include epidemiology, randomised controlled trials, health services research and molecular genetics and includes research into psychosis, depression and intellectual disability (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry). There is considerable potential within UCL to develop collaborations with outstanding scientists from other disciplines. We encourage joint projects within and outside our Faculty and this provides exciting opportunities for applying novel ideas and methods to psychiatric problems.

About the role

We are seeking a Research Programme Manager for the ENHANCE programme.

ENHANCE (TailorEd iNtervention for brain HeAlth aNd Cognitive Enrichment) is a 72-month research programme funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)’s Programme Grants for Applied Science (PGAR). The ENHANCE team will first co-develop, and then test an app intervention to facilitate evidence-based, positive behaviour change on 10 risk factors that have been found to increase dementia risk. Our multi-professional expert team consists of PPI, doctors, psychologists, policy leads, managers, an app company, statistician, health economists, and human-computer interaction experts. The ENHANCE app intervention will then be tested in a randomised trial and we will purposefully recruit participants from underserved populations, including people from deprived areas, people with less education, and people from an ethnic minority background.

The successful applicant will ensure the efficient day to day management of the study and its team. They will work closely with Chief Investigator, Dr Sergi Costafreda Gonzalez, co-Chief Investigator Prof Gill Livingston and the rest of the ENHANCE Team to plan, monitor and deliver the study goals according to timelines. The Programme Manager will play a key role in obtaining research permissions and to ensure compliance with the relevant research regulatory framework. The Programme Manager will liaise with community groups and GP practices to facilitate recruitment and study goals. The Programme Manager will monitor study progress to ensure adequate recruitment and data collection, adherence to the protocol and to anticipate, identify and rectify problems. The Programme Manager will organise study meetings, produce regular study reports, and act as point of contact for participants, groups and bodies associated with the study. The Programme Manager will represent ENHANCE at external meetings and contribute to the dissemination of study finding. The Programme Manager will be supported by and will line manage 2 research assistants and an administrative support post at the Division of Psychiatry.

The researcher will be based at UCL but will need to work and liaise with other sites. Willingness and ability to travel locally and occasionally around England is therefore a necessary part of this role.

About you

The successful applicant will be a researcher with a first degree (2:1 or higher) in a relevant health, psychology or social science, experience in line management and recruitment to a clinical study, and in depth understanding of the regulatory framework for human research. Candidates must have excellent organisational and project management skills necessary for the coordination of a multisite study with tight deadlines. Candidates must also have excellent interpersonal, oral, organisational and written communication skills, and experience in scientific and lay report writing.

Appointment details:

• This post is offered on Grade 8, the annual salary for which ranges from (£47,414 - £55,805 per annum including London Allowance).
• The post is funded at 1 FTE for 33 months in the first instance, with extension to 72 months subject to satisfactory review by the funder, and is available to start in March 2023.
• Any offer of employment will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
• Interviews will be held on Tuesday 28 February (PM).

Contact details:

• If you have any queries regarding the vacancy please contact Dr Sergi Costafreda s.costafreda@ucl.ac.uk
• For queries regarding the application process please contact dop.hr@ucl.ac.uk

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/