Research Impact and Engagement Lead

We're the UK's specialist blood cancer charity and our vision is clear: we’re here to beat blood cancer. We fund world-class research; provide information and support to patients and their loved ones; and raise awareness of blood cancer.
As Research Impact and Engagement Lead, you will be integral in leading our impact and engagement workstreams within the research team. You will lead the implementation our research impact programme to ensure that we appropriately monitor and report on the impact of our life-saving research. You lead the delivery of a programme of researcher engagement activity into regular practice, establishing our stewardship programme to bring us closer to our funded researchers and the wider blood cancer research community.
This is an exciting time to join the organisation as we work to deliver our strategy, funding impactful research to drive forward the day when nobody dies of their blood cancer or its treatment. Expected travel for this role is approximately 1 day a week: meetings with researchers, conferences, team workshops, team/department away days plus two all-staff away days a year We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. In line with our strategy we welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minority communities, and applicants with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives. First stage interviews will be virtual and held on 13th and or 14th February 2025. Second stage interviews will take place in person at our London office, to be held the following week, date TBC.

Key Responsibilities

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Impact

• Lead the development and implementation of an impact framework to monitor progress of funded research beyond the project lifespan.
• Lead on the analysis and production of summaries of our research portfolio, drawing insight on the shape of our research funding.
• Lead on processes to monitor activity and outputs for all funded research, including collation and analysis of research grant progress and final reports.
• Design and deliver analysis and insight to understand the performance of the research portfolio and progress towards our strategy.
• Scope out and implement new systems/analytical tools to improve our impact assessment processes.
• Work with the Research funding Lead and Deputy Director to identify metrics and evaluate our funding schemes and strategic initiatives.
• Identify impacts from the wider blood cancer and health research landscape that highlight the progress that has been made and the potential to be delivered through BCUKs research strategy.
• Further develop expertise on how to conduct research impact assessment by working with organisations such as the AMRC and by attending relevant workshops and meetings.

Showcasing our research impact

• Act as the internal resource on our research portfolio and impact to feed into relevant activity to teams across the charity.
• Lead the interpretation and presentation of research impact, for example through the development of visualisations, which will provide engaging content for the organisation.
• Develop high functioning relationships and effective processes for sharing research impact with key internal teams, including fundraising and communications teams.
• ork with the communications team to understand the audiences for our research impact to shape analysis. Provide analysis of our outputs/impact and information on potential longer-term impact to the Communications team for development into case studies, which can be used to extend the reach of the charity.
• Collaborate with fundraising teams and communications teams to understand the impact needs of our supporters and individual donors to produce tailored and compelling content that demonstrates our research impact and credibility as a research funder.
• Present at relevant events, such as donor stewardship events, to bring our research impact to life.
• Work with the Deputy Director of Research to develop and track metrics to use in organisational monitoring and reporting of research.
• Lead on the dissemination of research impact internally to all members of staff by delivering lunch and learns and other mechanisms of updating the organisation.
• Work with Services Team and Policy and Influencing Team to develop our approach to cross mission impact monitoring and reporting.
• Be an internal expert on measuring impact, sharing knowledge and skills with colleagues.
• Collaborate with the health data role to understand the impact of our research in the context of the research funding and healthcare landscape.

Researcher Engagement

• Lead our strategic approach to our researcher engagement and stewardship programme; so that award holders work with us and are and ambassadors for the charity.
• Work with fundraising and communications teams to identify showcase opportunities to support communications and income generation.
• Ensure we maintain long lasting relationships with researchers, to monitor impact and gain insight.
• Develop a strategy for identifying and engaging with related research fields with a potential interest in our funding opportunities.

General Responsibilities

• Attend meetings and conferences as required, utilising as opportunities to engage grant holders and wider research community,
• Contribute to the team being proactive and supportive, and working effectively and efficiently to achieve agreed objectives
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of strong internal relationships across the charity, working specifically with the Engagement Teams to provide updates, content and support income generation.
• Undertake other work as required by the Deputy Director of Research and Director of Research, Policy and Services

THINGS WE ALL DO

• Promote Blood Cancer UK’s vision, mission and core values
• Support Blood Cancer UK’s commitment to actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity
• We’re all fundraisers. This is slightly different for all roles, and your team will have fundraising KPIs and objectives we all work to
• Attend and assist at Blood Cancer UK events and activities as required (NB this involves evening and weekend work)
• Be an effective ambassador for Blood Cancer UK at any activity you attend
• All staff are expected to adhere to Blood Cancer UK’s policies and procedures
• Do any other reasonable things your manager needs you to do
• We work in partnership with our community by actively involving people affected by blood cancer in the decisions we make about our work – what we do and how we do it

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Skills, knowledge and experience

• Educated to degree level in a relevant biomedical science or equivalent experience in a scientific or research environment
• Experience of research admin and management, can be either pre or post award or equivalent in managing delivery of research programmes
• Understanding of the research funding landscape and research impact.
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex scientific information and ability to produce reports for a range of audiences
• Expertise in systems and methods for collection, analysing and visualisation of data demonstrating research impact.
• Ability to think and work strategically to review and refine systems and processes in line with the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills for liaising with internal and external communities, including senior academics, and committed to delivering an excellent, consistent and professional service
• Efficient, flexible, well organised self-starter with ability to manage multiple projects.
• A positive attitude to technology, insight and data, including an enthusiasm to use new technologies and ways of working to deliver against objectives.