“The Director of Science, Research and Evidence for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is looking to select an exceptional person to be the Programme Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme, to succeed Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone who comes to the end of her tenure at the end of November 2021.

If you believe passionately in evidence-based care and want to make the health and social care services and organisations work better for service users, patients and the dedicated staff and managers who provide care, and you have a strong track record in health and care services research, then this is the role for you. Leading this influential programme will allow you to work across the health and social care sectors and alongside key influencers in government.

As Programme Director, you will be accountable to the Director for Science, Research and Evidence for the DHSC through the Head of Research Programmes. You will be accountable for the programme’s research budget, the overall scientific quality of its portfolio and for probity of decision-making. You will have oversight of the programme’s portfolio of funded studies, currently around 193 contracts with a total value of around £122M. Working in the NIHR, you will have the opportunity to improve the care and well-being of service users, patients and their families and support networks, as well as health and social care professionals across all sectors of care provision.

The right candidate will have proven experience of health and social care services research and proven reach into service management, as well as sound knowledge of research and development (R&D) in the field of health and social care. They will also have a good understanding of research methods, excellent communication and negotiating skills and proven ability to chair large committees effectively.

The total time commitment to the NIHR HS&DR programme is, on average, around one and a half days per week, to cover attendance at meetings, approval of contracting new research, and undertaking a strategic role within the HS&DR programme and wider NIHR. The contract will initially be for three years, to be reviewed after two years. The Department of Health and Social Care will reimburse the successful applicant’s employing institution for their time commitment.

At NIHR our people are our success. We aim to attract a diverse community from a broad range of cultures, ethnicities, and beliefs. We want to unite under our shared vision, best research for best health, by attracting a diverse community of stakeholders. We welcome applications from under-represented groups.

We strive to host inclusive and accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. We will do everything we can to meet individual committee member’s needs.”

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