Senior Manager - Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement
8 September 2025
Purpose of the post
This is a unique and exciting opportunity for an experienced senior PPIE professional to lead delivery of the HDR UK 2025–2028 PPIE Strategy, which aims to make a tangible difference to people’s lives through health data research. The Senior Manager Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement (Methodology & Implementation Science) will provide operational leadership and provide methodological and scientific strategic advice to ensure meaningful, inclusive and impactful public involvement and engagement across all areas of research. The role will set standards of excellence by embedding evidence-based methodologies, drawing on social and behavioural science, and ensuring robust evaluation to continuously improve practice.
The post holder will be an accomplished individual with a proven track record of working at a senior level in PPIE within an academic environment, with expertise in managing complex delivery plans and in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). The role also encompasses matrix management responsibilities, leading emerging programmes from inception to maturity, building internal and external collaborations and partnerships across diverse organisations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in PPIE practice and programme delivery, and ensuring that best practices are embedded and followed across HDR UK’s research, infrastructure investments and partnerships.
Working as part of the Legal, Trust and Ethics team, the post holder will be responsible for devising programmatic strategy and managing delivery of the HDR UK PPIE Strategy. The role will have a significant focus on leading or supervising engagement and involvement initiatives for the Institute, including oversight of key groups such as the Public Advisory Board (PAB), the Strategy Steering Group and the HDR UK PPIE Leads Community. The post holder will also have co-oversight of PPIE in key HDR UK-funded research, infrastructure programmes, regional networks and initiatives. Close working with the Big Data for Complex Diseases Driver and the Brain Health Initiative and will work with other PPIE leads to ensure best practices are adopted and embedded across HDR UK research, infrastructure and partnerships.
They will take a lead role in reporting and impact tracking and will oversee Public Engagement and Communications activity to ensure that outputs from PPIE work are impactful, widely disseminated and enable effective knowledge exchange with the wider community. The post holder will also provide leadership for strategic activities HDR UK is involved in, including the UK Health Data Research Alliance, the Public Engagement in Data Research Initiative (PEDRI) Good Practice Working Group, and the Health Research Authority and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) facilitated Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.
Reporting to the Head of Public Involvement and Engagement, the post holder will line manage a team of PPIE staff (currently three, with potential to expand). They will work closely with colleagues across HDR UK and the wider health data research ecosystem to deliver the HDR UK PPIE strategy. The post holder will thrive in managing multiple activities within a fast-paced, dynamic organisation and will play a key role in promoting the involvement and engagement of the public in HDR UK’s work. They will inspire, lead and influence individuals at all levels, motivating and empowering direct reports, peers, collaborators, partners and senior stakeholders to work together and commit to shared objectives.
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