Programme Director of the NIHR Policy Research Programme

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to shape the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (PRP). This prestigious appointment also offers a platform to inform the NIHR strategy through contributing to the NIHR strategy and engagement board and other NIHR strategic initiatives dependent on the successful candidate’s interests and experience. 

This is a fantastic time to be joining the NIHR as it is an opportune moment to be taking up this role in the first year of a new government. There will be scope to influence science, policy, and practice particularly to support the major health and care priorities of (i) Treatment to prevention (ii) Hospital to community (iii) Analogue to digital, and (iv) Economic growth.

The role holder will work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Science, Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to maximise the impact of NIHR commissioned research on national policy and practice. 

We are looking for someone with proven experience of working at the coal face of evidence-informed policy making, ideally gained through the direct commissioning and translation of evidence into government policy and practice. The role will be accountable to the Director of SRE via the Deputy Director (DD), Research Programmes and the NIHR Scientific Director for Programmes.

The Programme Director  will be responsible for examining the impact and coherence of the NIHR policy research portfolio, including the 20  Policy Research Units (PRUs), the Call off Analytic Facility (CAF) and the Evidence Reviews Facilities (ERFs). 

This new appointment seeks to increase the value of the portfolio and to ensure that evidence is generating maximum impact on DHSC policy and practice. The Programme Director will work with the SRE Deputy Director of Programmes and the NIHR PRP secretariat team to explore the current strengths and areas for improvement of the NIHR approach to commissioning policy-led research, consider alternate models of delivery and propose improvements to maximise policy impact while sustaining research quality of the Programme’s portfolio, including its PRUs. Working closely with DHSC, the Programme Director will ensure the portfolio is delivering on its strategic objectives and providing value for money through developing monitoring and assurance in line with objectives and the overarching programme(s) logic models. 

The Programme Director will be expected to review and lead the development and refinement of appropriate structures/mechanisms to support priority setting for the directly funded research projects, responding to policy needs and Government priorities.  They will be expected to collaborate with and work closely with the Programme Directors of the other eleven NIHR programmes and work across DHSC policy areas to understand and respond to their evidence-needs. Although the primary focus is the PRP, the successful candidate will advise on knowledge management, evidence brokerage and getting evidence into use in DHSC across all programmes to enhance NIHR’s readiness to respond to policy needs. 

About the Policy Research Programme

The origin of the Policy Research Programme dates back to the 1970s. It was established as a function of the then Department of Health. In 2018, the programme transitioned into the NIHR, but it retains its primary function of funding high quality, cost-effective research to deliver relevant, timely and accessible evidence to inform national policy decisions across the health, care and public health systems. The Programme funds research in four main ways:

• large-scale initiatives comprising linked groups of studies, or single projects;
• long term programmes of research in Policy Research Units (PRUs), based at leading academic institutions;
• syntheses of evidence through a Reviews Facility, based at two centres in London-York and Exeter
• fast, responsive analysis through the Call-off Analytical Facility

PRP funded research will typically:

• provide robust evidence to inform policy development and implementation in timely and accessible ways, including assessment of potential impact and cost-effectiveness
• evaluate policies, including the evaluation of pilots before policies are fully implemented
• address policy priorities and evidence needs over the longer term.

The PRP primarily  operates as a ‘policy-led’ programme, responding to the requirements of the DHSC Secretary of State and ministerial priorities, and to policy teams in the DHSC and its Arms-Length Bodies (ALBs). As a result, its research portfolio encompasses the entire translational pathway and is both thematically and methodologically diverse. 

Research priorities are currently identified by policymakers via the DHSC R&D Committee for Prioritisation. This Committee brings together representatives from across the DHSC policy groups, and DHSC ALBs to identify, prioritise and agree research to be commissioned through the PRP or other NIHR funding streams. It is chaired by the DHSC DD Research Programmes and the Head of Analysis and overseen by Professor Lucy Chappell as Chief Executive of the NIHR and DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser. The R&D Committee convenes three times a year to coincide with the open competition commissioning rounds for the PRP.

The policy/analysis teams requesting research are supported by DHSC SRE Liaison Officers, who broker requests, support the development of commissioning briefs, share findings and gather comments on research outputs and publications. The PRP Team at NIHR CC is responsible for the operational delivery of the Programme, including commissioning, contracting and financial reporting.

Expected Time Commitments

The overall time commitment is expected to be 2-3 day/s per week including attendance at meetings, providing specific advice and undertaking background and planning work.

Key responsibilities 

• work with the DHSC DD for Programmes, the NIHR Scientific Director for Programmes and NIHR CCs senior representatives to review the PRP and its component parts, in particular to ensure that it is fit for purpose, relevant, efficient, effective and impactful. This will include advising on how to design and improve the Programme to maximise applying evidence into policy where required.
• support the definition of the strategy and profile of the NIHR PRP, in synergistic development with wider NIHR programmes and strategy, including in the context of One NIHR objectives. This will require collaborative working across different parts of the NIHR and with other NIHR Programme Directors, considering the overall policy framework and budgetary constraints.
• maintain oversight of the policy relevance, academic and scientific direction of the NIHR PRP portfolio, including the balance of its content, relevance, and responsiveness to the priorities of the DHSC
• maintain complex relationships with contract holders, and related stakeholders.
• advise the NIHR on all matters related to the programme and areas of interest. The post holder will be encouraged to review and assess opportunities to expand the relevance of the wider NIHR portfolio in the context of policy decision making.
• promote the PRP (and the NIHR more generally) within the wider research and stakeholder communities and expand PRP’s capacity to address underserved policy areas and organisations.
• strategic oversight, through the NIHR Coordinating Centre and in conjunction with DHSC, for the procedures adopted for commissioning and managing projects, and ensuring delivery of results, advising on operational changes, efficiencies, and improvements at each stage of the research management cycle, with a view of making research increasingly timely and relevant. 
• raise the profile and impact of the NIHR PRP through internal and external liaison.
• grow the pool of research suppliers to expand the intellectual base drawn upon.
• develop and oversee PRP’s prioritisation processes for commissioned research, where appropriate