Research Manager - Cancer Surgery

• Senior Manager – CRU
• Director of Cancer Surgery
• Director of Anaesthetics

Clinician Researchers (including Research Fellows, Registrars and Honorary Appointments)

• Operational Director – Cancer Surgery
• Commercial Finance Partner
• Office of Cancer Research Support Services (including but not limited to Clinical Research Development Office, Sponsorship, Computing, Grants, Education, Commercialisation)
• Centre of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials (BaCT)
• Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and Research Governance Office (RGO)
• Parkville Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (PCCTU)
• Other departmental Clinical Research Managers
• General Counsel
• Departments engaged in supporting research studies (e.g. pathology, cancer imaging)

• Clinical Trials Sponsors Representatives (industry, collaborative group/project managers)
• Investigators at other institutions
• Funders of research including pharmaceutical companies
• Alliance Partnerships
• Other Cancer Clinical Trial Services
• Sub-Contracted Third-Party Vendors

• Postgraduate degree in the health sciences, clinical research, management or a related discipline.
• High level management skills in leadership and stakeholder engagement
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing research staff and multidisciplinary teams.
• Significant experience in clinical research and clinical trial management.
• Experience supporting grants, ethics and governance processes.
• Knowledge of Australian regulatory requirements including TGA, ICH- GCP, NHMRC National Statement
• Demonstrated experience in research budget development and financial management.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and relationship management skills.
• Comprehensive IT skills.

• Experience in Oncology Research, specifically surgical oncology research.
• Experience managing tissue banking or bio-specimen programs.
• Experience managing clinical research and research databases.
• Experience working within a tertiary public health system.

1. Research Leadership and Strategy

• Contribute to the strategic direction, growth and sustainability of clinical research within Cancer Surgery and across Peter Mac.
• Support the development and implementation of research strategies, priorities and initiatives that align with organisational objectives.
• Promote a culture of research excellence, innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Represent the CRU and Cancer Surgery on relevant institutional committees, working groups and research forums.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen research performance, capability and impact across the portfolio

1. Clinical Research Unit Leadership

• Contribute to CRU strategic planning, operational development and service improvement initiatives
• Collaborate with other Research Managers to ensure consistency of research governance, workforce capability and operational practises across portfolios
• Support the development and implementation of CRU policies, procedures, quality frameworks and workforce strategies
• Contribute to the organisation-wide clinical research standards and best practise processes and service delivery models across Peter Mac
• Foster a collaborative, integrated and patient-centred approach to clinical research delivery

1. Portfolio and Operational Research Management

• Provide operational leadership for the Cancer Surgery research portfolio, ensuring research activities are appropriately planned, resourced and delivered.
• Oversee the implementation and management of clinical trials, translational research, registries and investigator-initiated studies.
• Lead feasibility assessment, study prioritisation, operational planning and resource allocation processes.
• Monitor portfolio performance, including recruitment, study milestones, timelines, quality indicators and research metrics.
• Manage research budgets, study revenue, cost centres and portfolio sustainability.
• Ensure the effective utilisation of workforce, infrastructure and research resources.

1. Research Governance, Quality and Compliance

• Ensure research activities are conducted in accordance with ICH-GCP, NHMRC National Statement, TGA requirements, HREC requirements and Peter Mac policies.
• Maintain oversight of ethics, governance, quality and compliance requirements across the portfolio.
• Support audit readiness, monitoring activities and quality assurance programs and inspection preparedness.
• Promote participant safety, research integrity, and best practice clinical research conduct.
• Identify and mitigate operational and research-related risks.

5. Research Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Support investigators in the development, implementation and translation of clinical, translational and investigator-initiated research.
• Provide strategic advice regarding grant applications, protocol development, ethics submissions and study implementation.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, collaborators and funding partners.
• Identify and facilitate opportunities for collaborative, investigator-led and externally funded research.
• Promote multidisciplinary partnerships that enhance research capability and outcomes.

6. Workforce Leadership

• Lead, manage and develop research nurses, study coordinators, data managers, project managers and other research personnel.
• Ensure effective workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, professional development and succession planning.
• Support staff competency, training and performance development processes.
• Foster a positive, collaborative and high-performing research culture.
• Promote staff engagement, wellbeing and retention.

7. Cancer Surgery Research Leadership

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Cancer Surgery research portfolio.
• Support investigators in the development and delivery of clinical, translational, perioperative and investigator-initiated Cancer Surgery research.
• Coordinate research activities across surgical tumour streams, anaesthetics and associated perioperative services.
• Facilitate collaboration between Cancer Surgery, Anaesthetics, Perioperative Services, Pathology, Cancer Imaging and laboratory research programs and other key stakeholders.
• Lead feasibility and resource assessments for proposed Cancer Surgery research projects, including workforce, budget and infrastructure requirements.
• Coordinate prioritisation of research projects requiring Cancer Surgery resources and support portfolio-wide operational planning.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships that support the growth, sustainability and impact of Cancer Surgery research.
• Support the integration of clinical, translational and health services research across the Cancer Surgery portfolio.