Commercial Trials Manager

Job description

The King’s Health Partners Clinical Trials Office (KHP-CTO) is a collaboration between King’s College London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. It is set up to provide a single interface for those wishing to conduct clinical trials within the partner organisations and to ensure that there are common, efficient processes for the set up and administration of clinical trials.   

We wish to recruit a Commercial Trials Manager, to lead the Commercial Team within KHP-CTO. The Commercial Trials Manger will work closely with the Director to ensure the successful and efficient set up and administration of the commercial trial portfolio across our Partner Organisations. The main responsibilities of the post holder are to provide day to day line management for our Senior Associates (Finance, Contracts, Governance, Feasibility), set and track key performance metrics, report and analyse performance data for various internal and external stakeholders and lead on the development of relevant policy and processes. The post holder will play a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of relationships with industry wishing to conduct commercial clinical trials within the partner organisations and raise the appetite within KHP to engage in commercial research. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract contract.

This is a full-time - 100% full time equivalent.

Key responsibilities

• To work closely with the Director to ensure the successful and efficient set up and administration of the commercial trial portfolio across our Partner Organisations.  
• To lead a team of 25 staff members from Grade 3 to Grade 7.
• To directly line manage a Senior team: Senior Feasibility Associate, Senior Agreements Associate, Senior Facilitator and Senior Finance Associate. Conducting appraisals and ensure professional development of direct reports and to support direct reports in the management of their teams.
• To champion the engagement of the partner organisations in commercial clinical trials. Proactively seeking out investigators and support departments to ensure they aware of the service and can make best use of it, contributing to the growth of clinical trial activity.
• Provide a first class service to prospective Sponsors, thus growing the business and increasing the reputation and standing of the Partner Organisations.
• To identify potential barriers to the successful conduct of commercial clinical trials and appropriate solutions.
• To ensure that robust processes are in place and utilised for the resource review, negotiations and agreement for commercial clinical trials to obtain the best possible financial and legal contractual terms. 
• To work with finance to ensure that commercial trials income is adequately distributed and reported.
• To develop and maintain suitable metrics and tools to permit day to day management of the commercial team and provide activity overviews of commercial clinical trials.
• To ensure the provision of statutory archiving requirements for the partner organisations.
• To maintain a working knowledge of prevailing regulations, guidance, best practices and GCP standards regarding the conduct of clinical trials.
• To work with the Quality Manager to deliver the compliance activities required when hosting clinical trials and to address any emergent quality issues.
• To work with the Quality Manager to ensure smooth, cohesive day to day management of the KHP-CTO.
• To lead on ensuring successful communication of the Partner Organisations positions to external stakeholders, negotiating and influencing at various levels and across roles, in order to build long term working relationships and grow trial activity. 
• To build strong relationships with Industry, Governmental bodies, and relevant professions. 
• To communicate the progress of projects and provide metrics in appropriate formats to the Director of the KHP-CTO.
• Ensure KHP-CTO processes are fit for purpose and compatible with national models.
• To lead and work flexibly as a member of a team. 
• Update KHP-CTO staff on developments within KHP and the wider environment. 
• Ensure all commercial staff understand KHP-CTO’s processes, national commercial trial set up and are adequately trained to fulfil their roles.
• Managing HR issues within the commercial team, including recruitment and performance management 
• The post holder will be expected to work across all the sites of the partner organisations.   
• To act as an ambassador for the KHP-CTO 
• To deputise for the Director as appropriate and undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by the director of department. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria  

1. Significant experience in field of clinical trials in the NHS/Academic and/or commercial sector 
2. Knowledge, understanding and experience of the legal, regulatory and statutory governance of clinical trials and GCP 
3. Knowledge, understanding and experience of commercial clinical trials including current national infrastructure for the set-up, approval, management and monitoring of clinical research in the NHS 
4. Significant line management experience 
5. Ability to develop, implement and work to SOPs. 
6. Ability to explain complex ideas with clarity, and have excellent written and oral communication skills 
7. Ability to analyse and interpret research management information and ability to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex research management issues. 
8. Excellent organisational and time management skills 
9. Demonstrably high levels of accuracy and attention to detail 
10. Autonomous, highly motivated, and with the ability to influence and inspire others. 
11. Excellent interpersonal skills – tactful and being able to deal with a wide range of people in an enthusiastic and helpful manner whilst being capable of firmly maintaining policies and regulations 
12. Strong computer skills (proficient with MS Word, Excel and web-based applications). 

Desirable criteria

1. Educated at post-graduate level.
2. Knowledge of medical, scientific and /or research terminology.

Further information

The Kings Health Partners Clinical Trials Office (KHP-CTO) is a joint initiative between the member institutions of King’s Health Partners. It has been set up to provide a single interface for those wishing to conduct clinical trials within the Partner Organisations, and to ensure that there are common, efficient processes for the set up and administration of clinical trials - http://www.khpcto.co.uk.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearance.