Job Description

Position Details

College of Medicine and Health, Research and Knowledge Transfer

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606

Grade: 8

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to March 2028

Closing date: 27th October 2026

UK travel may be required for this role

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Department Overview

Working on behalf of the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre : Birmingham (BRC), the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Clinical Research Facility (CRF), and the NIHR Healthtech Research Centre in Devices, digital and robotics (HRC-DDR), the Research Inclusion Manager will be responsible for the project management and delivery of tasks and events related to the BRC, CRF and HRC-DDR strategic objectives and associated delivery plans, with guidance from the Research Inclusion Lead.

The NIHR Birmingham BRC is a world-leading centre for translational research into inflammatory diseases. Inflammation plays a major role in many long-term conditions, including cancer, and is responsible for over half of all deaths linked to chronic disease. Working with a large, diverse population of six million people, the BRC develops and tests new treatments for inflammatory conditions, tackling health inequalities and ensuring communities help shape research that improves outcomes for patients.

The NIHR Birmingham BRC is hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Birmingham, joined by our partners in Keele, Oxford and Aston Universities and additional NHS Trusts; Birmingham Women’s and Children’s, Birmingham Community Healthcare and Sandwell and West Birmingham. This broad and expansive partnership gives us greater reach, diversity and opportunities for co-creation and impact across our regional population. We also benefit from Birmingham Health Partners (BHP); a strategic alliance of regional academic and NHS partners dedicated to jointly accelerating and implementing healthcare innovations.

The NIHR/ Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility Birmingham (CRF) was established in 2001 and is based across University Hospitals Birmingham and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s hospital. The CRF provides a high-quality clinical environment where volunteers and patients of all ages can take part in experimental and early phase, clinical research.

The CRF is multi-speciality and works closely with clinicians and academics from many different specialities.

The facilities are equipped to a high standard allowing research to be carried out in compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

The CRF provides multi-purpose generic rooms which include outpatient clinic rooms, day-case facilities, inpatient beds and meeting rooms as well as specialist rooms that include a metabolic studies area, endoscopy suite and high specification isolation rooms.

The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Devices, digital and robotics (HRC-DDR) is one of 14 HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs) in the UK. The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) hosts the NIHR HRC-DDR. The NIHR funds, enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research to improve people’s health and wellbeing and promote economic growth. Through the HRCs, the NIHR supports safe, effective and efficient translation of new healthcare technologies into routine care for NHS patients and follow-on social care. Our work aims to improve the efficiency and success rate of HealthTech uptake into health and social care. We provide a national service that supports partners through the innovation ecosystem and build collaborations with expert academics and clinicians from leading organisations and infrastructures.

The post holder will be a core member of the NIHR Birmingham BRC central coordination team and will hold inclusion leadership roles within both HRC-DDR and CRF as well as working closely across all regional partners. They will also be a key member of the Research Delivery team within the College of Medicine and Health Research Office, which oversees a number of high-profile research programmes.

Role Summary

The role requires working closely with the BRC Research Inclusion Lead, HRC-DDR Programme Manager and CRF Programme Manager, research inclusion and public involvement colleagues and other internal managers and leaders across partner organisations.

You will need specialist equality and inclusion knowledge, excellent leadership skills, a high degree of motivational skill, working closely with colleagues at all levels in the organisation, clinical and non-clinical, public and patients, and where appropriate the wider healthcare community. You will need experience of influencing behaviour, in often challenging situations. You will lead efforts to develop an inclusive culture and increase diversity across our public research participants, collaborators, and workforce.

You will:

• Possess extensive knowledge and experience of equity, equality, diversity and inclusion within a healthcare/research context.
• Be an EDI champion across the infrastructures, their host organisations and partner organisations.
• Identify and design innovative solutions to complex equity, equality, diversity and inclusion issues.
• Build, manage and foster sustainable relationships effectively with a range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels across the BRC, HRC-DDR and CRF Programmes.
• Inspire, encourage and support stakeholders to learn and develop knowledge and skills in relation to research inclusion.
• Interpret and disseminate complex information to others in the form of guidance and training.
• Co-create and deliver presentations to a range of stakeholders at all levels.
• Organise your own workload, dealing with conflicting priorities and multiple deadlines.
• Possess a high level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude.
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Have highly developed skills to negotiate, persuade and influence at a senior level with Programme and Project Leads, Heads of Service/ Trust Leads, Senior clinicians, and Researcher and other groups.

Main Duties

• Responsible for the project management and delivery of tasks and events related to BRC, CRF and HRC-DDR Research Inclusion delivery plans and associated strategic objectives, with guidance from Research Inclusion Lead.
• Develop and foster strong working relationships and coordinate efforts to develop and implement a shared and inclusive research culture for the BRC/CRF/HRC-DDR, improving involvement from our public contributors, public research participants, collaborators and workforce.
• Develop systems to monitor the implementation, progress, and outputs and impacts of EDI initiatives.
• Seek and manage opportunities for collaborative EDI work across infrastructures.
• Working alongside our PPIE leads, embed and enhance equity, equality, diversity and inclusion to increase relationships and improve understanding of public involvement, participation and engagement across our communities and neighbourhoods.
• Working closing with the BRC Research Inclusion Lead, provide expert strategic advice and guidance to the programme on equity, equality, diversity, inclusion, and Human Right issues, including supporting the development and implementation of the programmes EDI Strategy.
• Working in partnership with operational and corporate managers across the programmes, enhance equity, diversity and inclusivity in our recruitment and development practices, diagnosing issues and agreeing priorities for action with Programme Leads and Heads of Service through an appreciative enquiry method of working.
• Support service areas in identifying and taking forward service delivery equality issues, making positive changes that enhance the employment experience through a targeted programme of advisory sessions throughout the BRC/HRC-DDR/CRF structure.
• Provide managers and staff with the appropriate skills and knowledge to positively promote and embed equity, equality, diversity, inclusion and Human Rights. Help provide staff with the relevant competencies to challenge discrimination and promote an inclusive working culture through the provision of training, development, written guidance, and support.
• Establish and maintain networks with internal and external equality diversity and inclusion leads nationally and locally across the programme footprint including establishing meaningful and productive relationships with the Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and other key stakeholders to share best practice and highlight areas of collaboration on key strategic aims.
• With support from finance teams, support the management of budgets that align with EDI work, for example, arranging orders and cross charges for events.
• Track and report on collaborative outputs for internal and external reports.
• Keep up to date with local, regional, and national EDI policy and practice, and with support of the BRC EDI Lead, embed them into our workstreams where applicable.
• Actively manage equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour in line with university policies and encourage others to do so.
• Plan, monitor and evaluate relevant processes for equality impact in line with the Equality Act 2010 and the objectives of the University EDI strategy.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

ESSENTIAL

• Degree level qualification in a relevant discipline or an equivalent professional qualification. Or equivalent relevant experience to Masters level which demonstrates how specialist knowledge in EDI and or human rights interpretation, development, and implementation has been gained and applied.
• A formal qualification in project management. Or equivalent relevant experience managing projects in a complex organisation which has multiple organisational structures and stakeholders.
• Significant strategic and operational experience managing and delivering EDI projects.
• Experience of leading and supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion or health inequalities related projects in a complex organisation which has multiple organisational structures and stakeholders.
• Experience of developing plans tactically and creatively, and gain agreement to implement through service delivery.
• Experience of presenting concepts and ideas, clearly engaging the audience.
• Significant experience in the preparation of EDI service change which impact the organisations.
• Evidence of successful experience of implementing equality and human rights change programme within a complex structure.
• Experience of managing a range of projects which require the application of in-depth specialist knowledge of equality diversity and inclusion.
• Experience of developing and delivering EDI education and development initiatives to a range of stakeholders.
• Knowledge of EDI in a local, regional and global health context.
• Knowledge of the health inequalities legislation and initiatives such as Core20Plus5.
• Thorough understanding of the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty.
• Well-developed influencing skills, able to motivate and empower others.
• Approachable leadership style and support staff development through a compassionate/encouraging approach.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with people at all levels using a range of methods and approaches.
• Ability to analyse complex problems in detail, interpret complex information, and develop practical and workable solutions to address them.
• Ability to analyse and interpret technical, sensitive or contentious information and share this accessibly and tactfully with a variety of audiences.
• Ability to establish and maintain strong and effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to organise own workload, dealing with conflicting priorities and multiple deadlines.
• Ability to implement practical solutions to make a difference at behavioural and system level.
• Ability to interpret equality and human rights legislation and national policy and data.
• A commitment to advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion by creating equitable environments.
• An understanding of the principles of cultural intelligence, cultural humility and compassionate leadership.
• Flexible working arrangements to meet reasonable demands and deadlines of the post including occasional evening and weekend working.
• Willingness to travel across the wide footprint of the programme, to attend meetings and events relevant to the role. In rare occasions, with notice, may include overnight stays.
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact protected groups and take appropriate action.

DESIREABLE

• Evidence of continuing professional development in equality diversity and inclusion, health inequalities or public health.
• Experience of leading projects which collect and use data to inform intelligent insights and decision making.
• Experience and or knowledge of current public and political social and racial justice issues.
• Experience and or knowledge of inclusive patient and public involvement and engagement.
• Knowledge of other EDI linked strategies.
• Established networks with local community and public groups in the Birmingham area.
• Driving license and access to a car.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Claire Wickett, email: c.wickett@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.