Join the NIHR North West Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) to play an integral role in supporting the effective and efficient delivery of health and care research across the North West. As a visible leader and ambassador for the RDN, you will directly enable the strategic development of new research delivery capability, including extending research access to under-served regions and communities.
The Agile Research Delivery Team Manager leads a regionally based, flexible, multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) Portfolio studies across various health and care settings. This role has a particular focus on research in wider care settings, specifically within community and residential settings, e.g. schools, care homes, prisons, local authorities, and community trusts, to name a few.
This is an opportunity to work for the UK's biggest funder of health and care research, and contribute to making the UK a global leader in high quality, inclusive, and accessible research, that improves the health and wealth of the nation.
NIHR North West Regional Research Delivery Network is hosted by Manchester Foundation Trust.
This role is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of the NIHR RDN portfolio, ensuring it reflects the health and social care needs of the regional population. The postholder will work across organisational boundaries, encouraging collaboration between stakeholders and customers, and supporting a range of research naive to experienced wider care settings sites. The postholder will work closely with researchers, the life sciences industry, local delivery organisations, and other regional research infrastructure to ensure the successful delivery of studies in our area.
As such, extensive experience of managing and delivering health and care research is essential, as are effective relationship management and leadership skills. Working in innovative ways to increase research capacity and capability across the region, excellent planning, organisational, interpersonal and communication skills are necessary. Candidates must have the ability to work autonomously, coordinate their own workload, and motivate their team to achieve the NIHR's strategic aims.
In return, the postholder will work in an organisation that fosters continuous improvement and wellbeing, with opportunities for ongoing professional development.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe - what better place to shape and develop your leadership career.
We deliver care to over 1 million patients & users each year through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. Our 30,000 plus strong workforce is central to our success and innovation.
You will play a pivotal part in supporting our operational excellence and strategic ambitions. You’ll work collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical teams, driving improvements that enhance patient experience, staff wellbeing, and service efficiency across the Trust.
MFT offers a dynamic, inclusive environment where your leadership, ideas, and expertise are valued. You’ll have access to professional development, digital tools and opportunities to contribute to transformational projects that shape the future of healthcare delivery.
We are committed to supporting your growth and wellbeing, recognising the vital role you play in our organisation’s success.
Join us and help shape the future of our Trust—make a real difference to our teams, our services, and our communities, and fundamentally, our patients.
To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading.
Explore ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’
To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place . This welcoming one‑stop hub gives you a real sense of who we are — what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. You’ll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.
To access ‘ Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the ‘Supporting Documents’ section and once opened, you can where either scan QR code or click on the link provided.
Closing vacancy listings early
We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.
Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application
Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU—for our patients, our communities, and each other.
As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application—especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions—is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.
Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.
