Associate Director of Research, Development & Discovery

Associate Director of Research, Development & Discovery Band 8d Main area Corporate Grade Band 8d Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 320-SNR-0265

Site Royal Derby Hospital Town Derby Salary £94,356 - £108,814 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 25/11/:59 Interview date 11/12/2027

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together.

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

With over 14,000 members of staff, you can expect huge variety and new opportunities every day! Our staff go above and beyond and take pride in caring for our patients.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust are fully committed to promoting inclusion, equality, diversity and human rights in employment and delivery of its services. The Trust is committed to providing an environment where all employees, patients, carers and visitors experience equality of opportunity by means of understanding and appreciating the value of diversity.

As a Trust we promote an inclusive environment and welcome applications from a diverse pool of talent and backgrounds. All individuals are valued and given every opportunity to succeed based on merit.

The Trust actively encourages applications from members of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. These groups are under-represented in our organisation, and it's important to us that our workforce reflects the diversity of our communities as much as possible.

Armed Forces and Disability Confident guaranteed interview scheme

To further support the pledges in the Armed Forces Covenant and to make a positive contribution to support ex-armed forces personnel (veterans) make the transition to civilian life, the Trust has introduced a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for veterans who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification, to help them overcome barriers to find civilian employment. The scheme will operate for all external recruitment.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer and committed to both employing and retaining people with disabilities. This commitment is to guarantee an interview for any candidate that has disclosed a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 will be considered upon request.

if you are blind or visually impaired and require application material in an alternative format- such as Braille, large print, audio or accessible electronic formats or you require support/adjustments with your application please contact the recruitment team on

The Trust is proud to be a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant and is committed to supporting care-experienced people into employment.

Applicants who identify as a care leaver and who meet the essential criteria for the role, as detailed in the person specification, will be guaranteed an interview.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this within your application.

Here's more about the role and what we're looking for;

Job overview The Associate Director of Research, Development & Discovery is a key senior leadership role within UHDB, providing vision, direction and corporate leadership for the development of a high performing research, innovation and organisational discovery culture. The postholder leads the Trust's research, development and innovation functions, including operational leadership of the Research & Development Department, ensuring the delivery of high quality, compliant and patient centred research services that meet and exceed the expectations of regulators, commissioners and national bodies.

Working at the interface with the University of Nottingham, other Higher Education Institutions, partner Trusts, NIHR infrastructure, and industry collaborators, the Associate Director plays a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the UHDB Research & Development Strategy. The postholder is responsible for creating the organisational conditions in which professional discovery, inclusive research participation, evidence led improvement and research active clinical services can thrive across all professions and Divisions.

The Associate Director provides leadership for research, innovation, organisational discovery and workforce capability.

Main duties of the job The Associate Director of Research, Development & Discovery holds Trust wide responsibility for the full Research & Development portfolio, providing strategic and operational leadership across a rapidly expanding research portfolio, with increasing volumes of active clinical trials, externally funded projects, and applications for major research infrastructure.

The Associate Director is responsible for multi million pound R&D income streams, including NIHR infrastructure funding, commercial research income, grant income and charitable funds. The postholder oversees significant digital, data and research infrastructure including EDGE, electronic data capture systems and the Study Intensity Tool, ensuring that the Trust maintains high quality, compliant and efficient research systems. The breadth, scale and external visibility of the portfolio require the Associate Director to exercise substantial autonomy, advanced leadership, and considerable influence across the research ecosystem, ensuring UHDB maintains a credible national reputation as a provider of world class research and innovation.

Interview date: 11 December 2026

Working for our organisation As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence continue to shape how we work as a Trust, and the associated behaviours are well embedded across our services and teams.

In return we will offer:

• Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
• On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
• Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts:

• We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
• We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week.
• An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&E across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country.
• Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
• Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
• We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
• We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
• UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities The postholder holds senior responsibility for Trust wide research governance, the development and stewardship of R&D financial resources, oversight of research performance, and the development of applications for major R&D infrastructure, including NIHR bids and national reporting requirements. The role requires substantial external engagement at local, regional and national levels, and demands exceptional strategic leadership, partnership building, communication and negotiating skills.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy and authority, the Associate Director is expected to act independently within minimal guidelines, setting organisational standards, shaping long term strategic direction, and ensuring UHDB maintains a credible national reputation as a provider of world class research, innovation and clinical trials.

Please see attached Job description and Person Specification. You will need to register if you do not already have an account.

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AI generated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).

Person specification Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field, e.g. health management, research leadership, biomedical or social science.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in leadership, research governance or improvement . click apply for full job details