Programme Director – Public Partnerships

The Medical Research Council (MRC)

Programme Director - Public Partnerships

Salary: £84,001 per annum (Band H)
Hours: Part time 0.6 FTE (22.2 hours per week)
Contract Type: Fixed Term (24 months)
Location: Base: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire. Remote or hybrid working.

Purpose of the role

The role of ‘Programme Director – Public Partnerships’ will be to provide thought leadership, advocacy, and internal and external visibility to the MRC’s exciting programme of activity around public partnerships and to work with existing MRC head office staff to implement and evaluate the new MRC public partnerships strategy. This is a fantastic opportunity for a motivated individual to ensure the successful integration of public partnerships into research funding and research culture, and impact on the wider biomedical research landscape.

Responsibilities

Providing leadership and vision:

• Providing intellectual and strategic leadership, visibility to support implementation of the MRC public partnerships strategy, with a focus on adding value to clinical and non-clinical research.
• Promoting a positive vision for the MRC public partnerships strategy to MRC and UKRI staff and senior leaders, the public and external stakeholders; developing a strong narrative for its activity and achievements.
• Providing expertise and thought leadership for the MRC on topics related to public partnerships (including public involvement, public engagement, community engagement and co-production).

Delivering a programme of work, with MRC head office staff and public partners, to implement the MRC public partnerships strategy and effect culture change, through:

• Defining and shaping an action plan to implement the priorities set out in the MRC public partnerships strategy.
• Drawing on their own public partnerships expertise, and the expertise of others, to identify the most effective ways for MRC to build on areas of strength in public partnerships.
• Developing and co-chairing an MRC public advisory group to influence MRC strategy, culture, policy and practice at MRC head office and throughout the MRC research community.
• Supporting the MRC to involve public partners in the development of corporate strategic priorities and delivery plans.
• Identifying and filling gaps in the knowledge, skills and expertise of MRC staff to enable the effective delivery of the strategy and embedding of public partnerships across head office activities.

Enabling the wider MRC research community to build effective public partnerships to support research, through:

• Acting as a visible champion for the MRC public partnerships strategy with internal and external audiences.
• Energising and cultivating public partnerships at MRC head office and in MRC research establishments, engaging with different public and professional communities to support research culture change and the embedding of co-production within research-related activities.
• Identifying, and strengthening collaborations with a wide range of public partners, organisations and stakeholders within health and biomedical research.
• Ensuring there is coherence across head office activities and through wider MRC public partnerships initiatives.
• Leading external engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including public partners, drawing on their expertise to establish new partnerships and define future priorities.

Assure the future sustainability of public partnerships at MRC, through:

• Co-developing future MRC strategic priorities and initiatives.
• Supporting a change in culture that embeds public partnerships across the research that MRC funds.
• Supporting the development of an appropriate monitoring and evaluation framework for the MRC public partnerships strategy and related initiatives.
• Communicating the achievements of the programme to different audiences.
• Preparing a final report, drawing together lessons learned and making recommendations for future strategic commitments by MRC.

Essential skills, qualifications and experience

To be assessed at shortlisting:

• A degree and/or appropriate professional qualifications or equivalent experience.
• Have credibility within a field(s) relevant to public partnerships through personal leadership or management of a significant programme of public partnership activities.
• Able to provide evidence of successful research-related co-development activities working in partnership with patients, public partners or community groups.
• Demonstrate the ability to guide and inspire others and bring people together to reach consensus and build common purpose.
• Have experience of forming good working relationships.

To be assessed at interview:

• Must have experience of identifying important audiences and priorities for partnerships.
• Be a strategic thinker focused on achieving maximum research and policy impact.
• Demonstrate they can act as a figurehead for the MRC Public Partnerships Strategy.
• Appreciate the requirements of delivering a complex project effectively with high quality outputs.
• Able to share a vision and future plans relating to the responsibilities and goals of this role.

To assess at both shortlisting and interview:

• Must have excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role.