Clinical Science Director of CAR-T and Vector

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Our trust has around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers' money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

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Job overview

The CCGTT is a developer and manufacturer of cell and gene therapies for clinical trials. The CCGTT collaborates with biotechnology companies and academic groups for manufacture under the CCGTT's MHRA license.

The CCGTT is a prominent manufacturer of CAR-T products for multiple clinical trials, that require a stable provision of lentiviral vector as a critical starting material. The CCGTT will manufacture both to mitigate the risk of lack of supply from external manufacturers.

This is a multifaceted role that involves strategic direction of the CAR-T and Vector Projects to fulfill clinical need.

As Director, the post holder will provide clinical and scientific leadership to support the development and establishment of these projects including sourcing of suitable grant funding streams, CCGTT Governance and interaction with stakeholders including clinical teams

Main duties of the job

The CCGTT is a developer and manufacturer of cell and gene therapies for clinical trials. The CCGTT collaborates with biotechnology companies and academic groups for manufacture under the CCGTT's MHRA license.

The CCGTT is a prominent manufacturer of CAR-T products for multiple clinical trials, that require a stable provision of lentiviral vector as a critical starting material. The CCGTT will manufacture both to mitigate the risk of lack of supply from external manufacturers.

This is a multifaceted role that involves strategic direction of the CAR-T and Vector Projects to fulfil clinical need.

As Director, the post holder will provide clinical and scientific leadership to support the development and establishment of these projects including sourcing of suitable grant funding streams, CCGTT Governance and interaction with stakeholders including clinical teams

Working for our organisation

About us

Our mission is to improve the health of the people we serve by delivering exceptional care, teaching and research every day.

What you'll love about working here

We are outstanding! The CQC rated the organisation as Outstanding for services being caring and well-led. The Trust was the first in the country to go from Requires Improvement to Outstanding in 2017, and is now the first to do this and then retain this rating. The Trust is currently one of only seven in the country to have been rated Outstanding twice, and one of only three general acute Trusts to achieve this.

A digital exemplar- Being appointed as a Global Digital Exemplar means we can realise this vision by implementing digital technologies that will help us to transform the way we work and how we relate to our colleagues, patients and partner organizations.

Sustainable healthcare - We have joined the international movement to declare a climate emergency, recognising the impact climate change is having on the world. Climate change is labelled as the greatest threat to health in the 21st century, with a range of conditions related to heat, cold, extreme weather and air pollution predicted to rise. To lead the way in healthcare the Trust has set ambitious goals to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for the long-term strategic planning of the service provision of the facility as part of the management team of the CCGTT

Responsible for the development and establishment of CAR-T and Vector manufacturing projects within the CCGTT

Provide clinical guidance to the development project team regarding design, development, and evaluation of products.

Support and advise the CCGTT Director in establishment of Vector Manufacturing Facility.

Provide clinical expertise and governance support for the adoption of delivery for Cell based at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Attendance of weekly managerial meetings, and monthly Senior Management Management meetings.

Support for CCGTT Governance within the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Responsible for leading grant funded applications to support CCGTT development projects

Person specification

Education / experience

Essential criteria

• MD / PhD
• 5 years or more experience with delivering clinical grade ATMPs

Desirable criteria

• Lead clinical and development teams for CAR-T products

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Skills and aptitudes

Essential criteria

• Strong leadership
• Strong organisational skills

Personal Qualities & attributes

Essential criteria

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Self motivated

• Covid-19 Vaccination

  Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19.
  We encourage and support staff to get COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.

• AT* - Apprenticeship Training. Where AT* is entered next to the job title indicates that this vacancy is for an apprenticeship role.
• By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers. Therefore we require you to complete your stat and Man e-learning modules prior to joining our organisation.
• If you are an EU/EEA citizen who does not have EU Settlement or Pre-Settled status, you will require a visa to work in the UK.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a "selfie" using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• The Trust will request a DBS (CRB) if post involves regulated activities. The Trust is compliant with the Disclosure and Barring Service Codes of practice and the Rehabilitation of offenders act.
• By applying for this post you are agreeing to Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams - unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.

Please note:

• Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
• Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
• Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• Clinical Science Director JD (PDF, 336.4KB)
• Clinical Science Director PS (PDF, 56.7KB)
• Clinical Science Director Effort FQ (PDF, 24.7KB)
• Medical and Dental - benefits, about RFL, values and governing objectives (PDF, 940.0KB)