RSS Partnership Development Lead

About the role
Our RSS Hub is seeking a highly effective senior leader to establish and maintain strong and productive working relationships across the RSS partnership and to broker collaborations between service clients and partnership groups, regionally and nationally. The Partnership Development Lead will be a strategic role which ensures that all collaborating groups contribute effectively to RSS and that they are properly supported to do so. They will work with other members of the RSS Executive and partners to develop and agree quality standards and operating principles so that researchers who use the service are dealt with quickly, confidentially, expertly, and professionally.
In response to client feedback, and in discussion with the Director and Partners’ Forum and Strategic Oversight Group, the Partnership Development Lead will be responsible for regularly reviewing RSS Hub expertise and capacity against evolving client needs and service demand. They will lead on initiating changes to the partnership and communicating how RSS can contribute research strengths and fill methodological gaps across the RSS as a national service. 
Newly established as part of National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) research infrastructure, the Research Support Service (RSS) Hub, hosted by the University of Leicester, is a close partnership between more than 20 research groups and clinical trials units. Collectively, these groups and units comprise more than 1000 experienced researchers across a wide range of specialisms. Our aim is to develop capacity in areas of current and future need, to ensure that research design and methodology keep up with new technologies and ways of conducting research. 
Our RSS Hub offers a range of flexible, accessible research support services, including:

One-to-one advice clinics and multi-disciplinary discussions with methodologists/advisors (statisticians, social scientists, economists, data scientists, clinical trialists, behavioural scientists, etc).

Review and feedback on draft funding applications from research advisors and public contributors.

Advice, support, and funding for public involvement and community engagement in research development, delivery, and dissemination.

Opportunities to work with partner clinical trials units in support of study set-up, management, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Opportunities to collaborate with experienced methodologists and research teams in areas of international strength.  

About you
The post holder will be a skilled communicator with proven ability to forge trusted relationships across academic, health and social care organisations. They will be a capable and persuasive negotiator with the capacity to understand complex partner and client needs (including potentially competing priorities and pressures) and to ‘translate’ between different domains of activity and organisational contexts.
Additional information

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Martin Williams at [email protected].
The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change , which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.

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We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.