Job description

The purpose of this job is to project manage the Wellcome-funded “Immune mechanisms of antipsychotic treatment response” (IMAT) study, reporting to and working closely together with the project Co-Investigator and Clinical Lead (Dr Pollak), the teams at the other study sites on the administrative, operational, and financial aspects of the project. IMAT is an exciting new prospective, longitudinal study aiming to assess the immunological effects of antipsychotic treatment. It is being led by a team from KCL and the Francis Crick Institute and is unique for its interdisciplinary nature, combining expertise from clinical psychiatry, immunology and neuroscience, with significant ongoing input from people with lived experience of psychosis. The Project manager will have a central role in the team and will contribute to its dynamic, friendly and supportive culture, and to its strong spirit of scientific enquiry. 

Our team believes the immune system may hold clues to how psychosis is caused and how people respond to treatments. We will investigate blood and cerebrospinal fluid from people with psychosis, and use machine-learning to identify the treatment-relevant immune processes. If we can show causal links, our work could guide future targeted immune-based interventions for psychosis. 

The Project Manager will be responsible for the management of all aspects of the Clinical Study activities and will be accountable for achieving successful delivery at the project level by meeting funder and regulatory requirements according to time, quality/scope and budget constraints. The project manager will work closely with Dr Pollak’s team at the IoPPN and also with Dr Schmack’s and Professor Hayday’s team at the Crick, as well as our industry partners IMU.

The lead site will be the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, one of the most prestigious research institutions dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. The study will involve 2 academic sites (King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute) and will recruit from other sites around England and Wales. Recruitment will be the most challenging part of the trial, therefore the project manager will have a key role in keeping all the sites active and engaged, assisting with recruitment-related issues.  

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract for 4 years.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the application process for the necessary permissions associated with the study such as R&D and ethical approval  
• Manage the advertisement and appointment of other posts within the project.   
• Manage the operational aspects of the IMAT project and associated immunopsychiatry studies under the supervision of Dr Pollak ensuring the study conforms with all funder and regulatory guidelines and requirements 
• Manage reporting to Wellcome, including the submission of the project deliverables, periodic and final reports, publishable summaries of progress, use of resources, financial statements and providing references of all scientific publications, drafting documentation and reports as required and ensuring that all reporting is submitted using the required format 
• Write reports and assist with scientific paper production and publication 
• Plan and monitor participant recruitment, implementing strategies for improvement as needed 
• Manage logistics for meetings, secondments and dissemination 

Communication & networking

• Prepare and draft papers and reports for meetings, funders evaluation reports, seminars and presentation at conferences, dealing with complex information such as status reports of the project deliverables and financial summaries and attend meetings as needed 
• Participate in networks and events within the College or externally, in order to build relationships and contacts to facilitate future exchanges of information 
• Develop and maintain the content of the IMAT website. 
• Manage PR and promotion of the project, both internally and externally, such as organising press releases and any project-related activities and events 

Service delivery

• Gain and maintain up-to-date knowledge of all relevant guidelines and requirements, providing expertise and guidance as necessary 
• Ensure work procedures and objectives are met on time and all reports and delivery requirements of the funding body are met. 
• Deal with internal and external contacts, routine and non-standard queries, referring to others where necessary (including Procurement, Contracts and RMID Teams). 

Sensory/physical demands & work environment

• Hybrid working is possible, with an expectation that the PM will spend 2-3 days in the office 
• The PM will be required to travel to site visits within the UK.  
• Help maintain a safe working environment following local codes of safe working practices and the College Health and Safety Policy 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.       Bachelor's Degree   

2.       Ability to work with clinical and academic teams in research  

3.       Proven strong communication and interpersonal skills in order to receive, understand and relay specialist or professional ideas or complex information to various groups. 

4.       Excellent task management skills and ability to work under pressure in a busy environment with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail  

5.       Experience of managing clinical research projects  

6.       Highly proficient IT skills (including Excel, Word, Powerpoint) and experience of utilising advanced digital technology in day-to-day work 

7.       Knowledge of research governance procedures (including R&D and ethical approval processes) 

8.       Experience in drafting reports of deliverables and financial summaries  

9.       Willingness to travel on project business when required  

Desirable criteria

1.       MSc or PhD in project management or a discipline relating to medical/scientific research 

2.       PRINCE training or equivalent accreditation 

3.       Experience with specialist project management software