King's College London

About us

Research and innovation are at the heart of King’s College London’s mission to make a positive difference in the world. The Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID) leads this ambition by shaping and enabling the university’s research and innovation agenda, ensuring an environment in which our researchers, professional staff and doctoral students can excel. This work is guided by King’s Strategy 2030, which emphasises academic excellence, real‑world impact, and a culture where research and innovation can truly thrive.

The Department of Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity (RGEI) plays a critical role in safeguarding the quality and credibility of King’s research. The department ensures that all research conducted across the university is safe, ethical, lawful and carried out to the highest standards of integrity and rigour. Our teams develop and deliver policies, systems, guidance, training and initiatives that support researchers in navigating ethical and regulatory requirements, enabling them to conduct high‑quality research with confidence while feeling supported and valued.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated individual to join the Research Governance Office (RGO) at King’s and support the set-up and management of high-quality clinical research.

King’s is committed to delivering world‑leading, ethically robust, and socially impactful research that improves health outcomes locally, nationally and globally. This post plays a critical role in enabling that vision by ensuring that all King’s‑sponsored clinical and health‑related research is conducted to the highest standards of integrity, governance, and regulatory compliance. Through rigorous oversight, expert guidance, and collaborative working, the post holder will directly support the University’s strategic objectives to enhance research quality, strengthen partnerships across King’s Health Partners, and build an efficient, researcher‑centred operating environment.

The recently developed KCL Clinical Research Hub, co-led by the Department of Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity (RGEI), King’s Clinical Trials Unit (KCTU) and Research Pre-Award and Contracts has led to the expansion of the existing RGO with two new Clinical Research Governance Coordinator posts to embed within the current RGO team. The posts will report to the Research Governance Manager. The post holders will work closely with both the KCTU and Research Pre-Award and Contracts teams, as part of hub working.

The Research Governance Office sits within the wider RGEI team and is responsible for providing for ensuring  that King’s sponsored research falling under the remit of the Health Research Authority (HRA)/NHS or Social Care Research Ethics Services is conducted and managed in accordance with the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research and all other relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

The post holder will support an expanding portfolio of clinical and health‑related research through the implementation and continuous improvement of research governance and sponsorship processes. They will develop strong working knowledge across a range of study types—from qualitative research and basic science to CTIMPs—and provide authoritative advice to researchers on sponsorship requirements, HRA and NHS REC/Social Care REC processes, amendments, and regulatory submissions.

The role involves conducting governance and sponsorship reviews at all stages of the research lifecycle, supporting the development of clear and concise policy and guidance, delivering training, and maintaining accurate oversight of King’s‑sponsored studies. The post holder will work proactively with a wide range of academic, clinical, and professional services stakeholders, helping to identify and deliver improvements in efficiency and service quality.

King’s adopts a hybrid working model, and the post holder will be based at the Lavington Street Building, Waterloo Campus, when on site. Comprehensive training will be provided.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), offered on an indefinite contract.

We reserve the right to close the application process early in the event of a large volume of applications.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      Degree in a related discipline and/or relevant experience in a HEI, NHS trust

2.      Working knowledge of the UK research governance landscape, including the UK Policy Framework for Health & Social Care Research, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), GDPR/Data Protection, Human Tissue Act, Clinical Trials Regulations, and other regulatory issues pertaining to clinical research governance

3.      Experience reviewing or completing research documentation, for example study protocols, participant information materials, risk assessments, and/or regulatory application forms.

4.      Ability to interpret and apply regulatory and ethical requirements to a wide range of study designs and scenarios, exercising sound judgement and proportionate decision‑making.

5.      Ability to manage a diverse portfolio of research studies, balancing competing deadlines while maintaining high accuracy, attention to detail, and high‑quality outputs.

6.      Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to analyse complex information and communicate clear, actionable outcomes

7.      Experience working independently, using initiative, and contributing to continuous improvement, including the development of guidelines and/or process enhancements.

8.      Good IT literacy, including the ability to use digital tools, databases, or research management systems (e.g., IRAS, EDGE, or equivalents).

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of auditing and monitoring research, including quality assurance or compliance checks.

2.      Experience conducting sponsorship reviews and/or amendment reviews for HRA/NHS REC research including CTIMPs, medical device studies, or other highly regulated research.

3.      Experience developing governance‑related SOPs, templates, policies, or training materials.

4.      Knowledge and understanding of research methods, Including qualitative, quantitative, or clinical research methodologies.

5.      Experience delivering training or presenting complex governance topics to diverse audiences, including students, researchers, and clinicians.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided on the next page (click ‘apply now’). This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.