Bioresource Project Assistant

Salary: £29,605 to £30,487 with progression to £32,982 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 29 May 2024

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Project Assistant.

Working collaboratively with one other Project Assistant, you’ll have the autonomy and freedom to shape the role into your own. If you have experience in an administrative position with experience of engaging with the public, we want to hear from you. We have fostered an environment that will allow you to work collaboratively, creatively and with a strategic focus.  

The position will be based within the National Institute for Health and Care Research
(NIHR) BioResource Centre associated with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Chronic Disease and NIHR Clinical Research Facility. You’ll work in a team of three that interact with several other Universities and trusts up and down the country. 

In this role, you’ll be based at our Newcastle Upon Tyne campus that has fantastic transport links and state of the art facilities. You’ll report to Emma Raine (BioResource Manager) who has been in the team for over 7 years. We offer a hybrid and flexible working model. 

The main purpose of this position is to support the day-to-day operation of the project and support the manager to oversee the appropriate collection of tissue for medical research.

Day to day, you’ll implement and administer systems to facilitate and oversee the efficient collection of human tissue samples from patients and healthy volunteers, ensuring that all the relevant governance requirements are fully satisfied following consultation with your line manager.
 
More broadly, you’ll work across the wider partnership and the public to promote and communicate the activities of the BioResource project.

This post is full time, fixed term until 30 April 2026.  

To apply for this position, we will need your CV and ideally a personal statement outlining how you are suitable for the role. Please focus your personal statement on the below points using examples where possible:

•    Any communications and engagement experience 
•    Experience and skills of working in an administrative role
•    Experience of organisation and prioritising of multiple tasks 
•    Experience working to regulations (attention to detail)

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role.

If you have any questions prior to applying, please contact Emma Raine emma.raine1@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

•    Work with the NIHR BioResource Manager, and local Principal Investigators, to identify potential patient and volunteer cohorts as needed for participation in NIHR BioResource studies in accordance with research ethical approval and Standard Operating Procedure, deputising for the Manager where necessary
•    With the Manager, implement systems necessary for safe and ethical collection of tissue samples to ensure full compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements
•    Co-ordinate the delivery of events and public engagement activities in line with the NIHR Bioresource Strategy, liaising with public engagement teams from the national NIHR BioResource and NIHR Newcastle BRC, public, patient groups and wider voluntary and community sector
•    Be the primary contact for any information requests regarding the NIHR BioResource
•    Facilitate and oversee sample collection, including leading of study set-up meetings where necessary, training, and management of site files and maintenance of BioResource records
•    Assist the Bioresource Manager in activity relating to the NIHR Newcastle BioResource and provide an additional point of contact in relation to delivery in terms of internal and external collaborators and stakeholders
•    Collate financial, administrative and participant information relating to the project and assist the Manager in preparation of annual reports to the NIHR
•    Maintain records/reports to meet both internal and external regulatory requirements including helping to maintain and implement sample tracking solutions using the Achiever system
•    Liaise with NIHR and BRC communications teams to maintain the NIHR BioResource website and other communications channels
•    Participate with the Bioresources Manager in attending meetings across the UK, as required, to contribute to the development and delivery of Newcastle’s approach to managing the NIHR BioResource in line with organisational strategy, deputising for the Coordinator where necessary. Assist the Manager in meeting project milestones that are set at these National meetings
•    Assist the Manager in providing specialist advice, training and supervision of NIHR Bioresource users including project students and research staff
•    Contribute to the co-ordination of the Newcastle NIHR Bioresource project and its partners and any other duties within the wider NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and in the general nature of the grade which may be required to provide a coordinated and efficient service

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Excellent administrative and organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and manage conflicting priorities
•    Relevant project or people management experience in a research, scientific, project management, pharmaceutical or medical environment 
•    Effective report writing and presentation skills 
•    Excellent communication, networking and negotiation skills
•    Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and experience of using databases

Desirable
•    Knowledge and understanding of regulatory issues, specifically with regard to the Human Tissue Act or medical ethics 
•    Experience of public engagement/communication and patient involvement 

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Has a positive and proactive attitude and strives to deliver excellent service to BioResource users and volunteers
•    Uses initiative, pays attention to detail, and takes a flexible attitude to work demands and customers
•    Independent problem-solving skills, acting on own knowledge and experience to decide on a course of action on a daily basis, and to make decisions on when to escalate issues to more senior members of staff
•    Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams, working co-operatively, and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued
•    Self-confident with strong interpersonal skills
•    Appreciation of the importance of maintaining confidentiality
•    Exhibits University and Faculty values and principles

Qualifications

•    Graduate qualification, or equivalent experience of at least 5 years demonstrating professional development through a series of more demanding and influential roles

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27071