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Director of Research and Principal Research Associate Recruitment
For the recruitment of Director of Research and Principle Research Associate posts, the process differs slightly to that of standard posts. The process below should be followed and applies to clinical and non-clinical appointments:
- Director of Research (Grade 12, equivalent to Professor)
- Principal Research Associate (Grade 11, equivalent to Reader)
These are unestablished research appointments and are normally fixed term appointments. Appointments to Director of Research and Principal Research Associates are either by open recruitment campaign or as the award of a personal fellowship.
Generic role profiles can be found in the quick links and documents section of this page.
Approvals Process
The Head of Department should seek agreement in principle from the Regius.
In addition, an Exceptional Case for Recruitment (ECR) form may be required to be completed. Speak with your department HR team for details on how this is completed.
- An ECR is required if the post is fully or part funded by UEF or sustainable external trading sources, College funds, trust funds, donations, endowment funds or other non-Chest sources, an ECR form is required.
- An ECR is not required if the post is directly and wholly funded from external research grants or the NHS.
School of Clinical Medicine Business Case
Once agreement has been sought, the Head of Department should complete the School of Clinical Medicine Business Case and submit with the approved ECR form to cshrclinical@admin.cam.ac.uk in the Clinical School HR team to obtain approvals from the Head of HR, School Finance Manager and Regius.
Clinical Appointments (co-terminous appointment)
If the post is clinical, the paperwork for the Medical and Dental Workforce Committee (MDWC) at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) will need to be completed and submitted. (For non-CUH posts, please contact the cshrclinical@admin.cam.ac.uk for the process).
MDWC will require the Trust business care and financial proforma and a NHS job specification.
Please note for the post to be considered by the MDWC, the approved University business case should be submitted together with all MDWC paperwork.
Additional Documentation
A set of further particulars and advert text should be sent to the cshrclinical@admin.cam.ac.uk once the approvals are in place.
Open Recruitment Campaign
The Medical Staffing Coordinator will advertise the post for a minimum of 28 days on Uni Jobs, Find A Job, Jobs.ac.uk and any specialist media requested (this will be a cost to the host department).
The Medical Staffing Coordinator will liaise with the Head of Department and Business and Operations Managers at the end of the recruitment campaign to arrange the shortlisting of the applications.
The shortlisted candidate(s) will be invited to attend a departmental interview (arranged by the department). This is usually in the form of a presentation or seminar given to members of the host department and used as an informal research discussion.
Please note this process is not required for individuals on a named fellowship, however, it is assumed that meetings will have taken place with the Head of Department and members of the host department.
Formal Interview – Faculty of Clinical Medicine Selection Committee
Candidates via the open recruitment campaign and via personal Fellowship will be invited to attend a formal interview with the Faculty of Clinical Medicine Selection Committee:
The Selection Committee will comprise of:
- Head of School (or Deputy Head if Regius is not available)
- Head of host department
- Two members of the Faculty Promotions Committee
- One external academic and/or specialist
- HR representative/Secretary of the Panel.
The Medical Staffing Coordinator will liaise with the Head of Department/Business and Operations Manager to discuss external panel member suggestions based on the model approved.
The candidate will be asked to give a presentation (maximum of 10 minutes) on current and future research plans at the start of the interview. Presentation length and content can be determined by the Head of Department/Director of the Unit, and the panel will receive the application including CV, publications list, current and future research plans and a minimum of 3 references.
Once the Selection Committee have made a recommendation to appoint, the individual’s CV and references together with the minutes of the meeting and a case for appointment from the Head of HR will be sent to the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Institutional Affairs for approval.
Offer paperwork and contract of employment
The Medical Staffing Coordinator will liaise with the Head of Department regarding start date and salary and prepare the offer paperwork accordingly.
Senior Research Associate
For appointment or promotion to the position of Senior Research Associate (SRA), CRUK – CI Junior Group Leader (JGL) or MRC Programme Leader Track (PLT), the guidance document below should be followed.
Should you have any questions about this process, contact cshrstaffhub@admin.cam.ac.uk
