Associate Director - NHS Research SDE Network

The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive - and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a 'home' office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you., The postholder will lead on strategic direction and provide the technical expertise to ensure delivery of the high-profile NHS Research SDE Network, an interoperable and federated system that will improve outcomes through better research and grow the economy by bringing life sciences to the UK.
Reporting to the Deputy Director of Data for Research (and Programme Director for the Data for R&D programme) as Associate Director of the NHS Research SDE Network, the post holder will lead and work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting and managing staff across the Data for Research Team., The post holder will be responsible for:
+ Leadership in design and delivery of the NHS Research SDE Network, working closely with the Programme Director and SRO.
+ Be the technical expert for development of the NHS Research SDE Network.
+ Leading the development, implementation and maintenance of the essential common operating model and standard operating procedures to deliver a single user experience across the Network.
+ Fostering a culture of collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure delivery of updates, progress reports, challenges, and partnerships within the Network
+ Be part of the Programme SLT and Programme Board, representing NHS Research SDEs, including ownership of reporting and raising board level risks and issues
+ Take a leading role working with SMEs and external partners to form partnerships and solutions around multi-modal data and interoperability.
+ Lead and oversee delivery of the SDE Network to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery as well as risk management.
+ Making recommendations, providing advice and preparing reports and briefings for senior stakeholders as well as representing the Programme as the senior leader for delivery of the SDE Network.
+ Building, managing, leading and supporting a team of SDE leads.
+ Championing and promoting at every opportunity the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion, whilst also driving continual improvements to support a diverse and inclusive workforce., The Associate Director will be responsible for fostering more widespread data partnerships with industry, that offer value back to the NHS and support the NHS to be a world leader.
Working with a range of stakeholders across the health, research, life science and government ecosystem, the Data for R&D programme is leading the design, commissioning and delivery oversight of at-scale data assets and data partnerships that support priority use cases, including supporting clinical research, early cancer diagnosis, and the development of new digital therapies.
The postholder will also provide senior coordination within NHSE for work to transition away from data dissemination to SDE access as the default. They will work across other groups such as DPU, CTO, and D&A to deliver both the SDE Network and lead cross-programme interactions to ensure the activities contributing to this complex change are fully aligned.
The Associate Director for the NHS Research SDE Network will also be responsible for leading and overseeing regional and NHS England SDE teams through the SDE Community of Practice (CoP). This CoP will co-design and agree implementation of the Network through NHSE teams and partner NHS organisations.
The CoP consists of six groups:
+ Technology and infrastructure
+ PPIE and Comms
+ IG and Ethics
+ Commercial Principles
+ Operations and Services
+ Data
These groups come together monthly to discuss challenges, explore solutions, and make recommendations that the Community will ratify with the Research SDE SRO Board.
The Associate Director for the NHS Research SDE Network will lead and oversee the overall Community, provide senior input, challenge, and guidance to agendas, ensure cross cutting themes are surfaced across all groups, and ensure the CoP delivers on commitments and agreements.
Our commitments to you
We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes. We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. We're passionate about nurturing and developing people. When you join us, we want you to grow and excel, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that. We welcome your talent and enthusiasm irrespective of age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent.
We welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you meet all the essential criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview.
Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK under the Skilled Worker route are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
If applying for this role on a secondment basis, please make sure you have obtained prior agreement from your current line manager to apply for this position.
Please note that we currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.
The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the processing of your application; a privacy notice is attached to advise you on how we will process your personal data.
If you have applied via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:
+ Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
+ Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
+ Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
+ Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
+ Delivering value for money.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band., NHS England