Occupations and Terms of Reference › Director of research
Universal terms of reference · POS-220 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Director of research
To lead research for the organisation, so that projects are ethical, funded and used to improve care and the evidence base.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You lead research. You set the research portfolio, make sure ethics and good practice are in place, support funding, and make sure findings are published and used.
Reports to: Chief strategy and development officer.
Leads or supervises: Clinical researchers and trials manager.
What you do on a typical day
- Review the research portfolio each month.
- Approve new studies within the ethics and safety rules.
- Support funding bids and funder reporting.
- Review publications and findings.
- Report research performance to the board.
Working conditions and demands
- Competing demands for time and funds.
- Must keep research independent of commercial pressure.
- Research carries reputational risk.
What good looks like
- Every study has ethics approval.
- Studies meet milestones and report on time.
- Findings are published and used.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Patients are treated with dignity, respect and privacy at every step.
- Accurate information is given to patients and families, in a language they understand.
- Confidential information is protected and used only for care, legal and agreed purposes.
- Safety comes first: errors are reported, reviewed and learned from without blame.
- Medicines, records and appointments are handled to the standard, every time.
- Anyone can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
- Waiting and flow are managed fairly, with patients kept informed.
- Work is done to written procedures, and deviations are reported.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-220 |
| ISCO-08 | 1223 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Education and research |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-011. Supervises: POS-221, POS-222.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Chief strategy and development officer | Research strategy and priorities. |
| Ethics committee secretary | Ethics approvals. |
| Chief medical officer | Clinical relevance and safety. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Manages the research portfolio and its milestones. | Portfolio reviewed monthly | Monthly | C-01 | T-06 | – | 2 |
| Ethics | Makes sure ethics approval and consent are in place before work starts. | Approvals on file before start | Monthly | C-02 | T-04 · T-05 | POL-DATA · POL-INC | 2 |
| Findings | Makes sure findings are published and used. | Publications and reports issued each year | Annually | C-01 | T-06 | – | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Research priorities within the approved strategy | Studies with significant new risk (ethics committee and CSDO) |
| Selection of research leads | Research with commercial partners (CSDO and legal counsel) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Doctoral or master's degree in a health or research field | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Good clinical practice certificate | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Research leadership in a health setting | 8 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | C-02 |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-02 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | C-01 · C-03 |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-01 | Immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases relevant to the setting, documented at entry | At entry or as set | essential | Documented hepatitis B status at entry |
| H-02 | Tuberculosis screening at entry, then as the national rule requires | At entry or as set | essential | Symptom screening at entry and after exposure |
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Research design and leadership | Follows protocols | Leads a study | Designs the research portfolio | Portfolio review | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-02 | Research ethics and governance | Follows ethics rules | Ensures ethics approval | Designs ethics oversight | Ethics audit | Every 12 months | T-04 · T-05 |
| C-03 | Funding and partnerships | Supports bids | Leads bids | Sets funding strategy | Funding review | Every 12 months | T-06 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Studies with ethics approval before start | 100% | ethics register | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Studies on schedule | set in plan | portfolio tracker | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Findings published each year | set in plan | publications register | Annually |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Director of research | 8 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 expert, C-02 practitioner | T-04 · T-06 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |