Director - UK Trusted and Connected & Data Analytics Research Environments (DARE UK)

Director - UK Trusted and Connected & Data Analytics Research Environments (DARE UK) Salary: £165,000 - £175,000 per annum before pro-rating Location: Flexible. Primary base could be anywhere in the UK but must be willing and able to travel to London and elsewhere (mainly UK) in connection with the role. Reporting To: DARE UK Programme Board. Hours: Full Time Contract: Concluding 31 March 2027 Secondment: The successful applicant will join HDR UK as their employer, while spending the majority of their time (0.9 FTE) seconded to UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC). This unique arrangement offers the best of both worlds: you’ll enjoy HDR UK’s supportive employment terms and conditions, while being embedded within the MRC to collaborate closely with leading stakeholders with the weight and backing of UKRI behind you. Closing Date: 18 January 2026 Proposed Interview Date: W/C 02 February 2026 ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONS Health Data Research UK (HDR UK): HDR UK is the national Institute for data science in health. Our UK team of experts develop and apply cutting-edge data science approaches to clinical, biological, genomic and other multi-dimensional health data to address the most pressing health research challenges facing the public. Our mission is to accelerate trustworthy data use to enable discoveries that improve people’s lives with a vision that large-scale data will benefit every interaction with patients, every clinical trial and every biomedical discovery, and to transform public health. For the first time we are bringing together the UK’s population-wide health data assets, enabling specialists across academia, industry and healthcare to unlock knowledge and deliver new insights from molecules to humans. By undertaking research at scale, across a population of up to 67 million people, we have an unrivalled opportunity to use data to the highest ethical standards to drive breakthroughs in medical research. This unleashes the potential to improve the way we are able to prevent, detect and diagnose diseases such as cancer, heart disease and asthma. At Health Data Research UK, we employ talented individuals who bring their own unique skills and experience to support the vision and benefit the whole team. Administrative Data Research (ADR UK): ADR UK is a partnership of government and academic groups, led by a team within UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), working with UK government departments and devolved administrations to create linked research datasets from administrative sources, then making these available to researchers via the ADR UK Trusted Research Environment (TRE) network. Good government policy – policy that solves social and economic problems and improves lives – needs good evidence. But good quality evidence is expensive and time-consuming to produce, and evidence from academic research can also have a different focus from what government needs most to make policy decisions and deliver effective services. ADR UK’s mission is to solve both these problems by transforming the way researchers access the UK’s wealth of public sector data. By joining up the abundance of administrative data already being created by government and public bodies across the UK and making it available to approved researchers in a safe and secure way, we are enabling vital research that has the potential to lead to better informed policy decisions and more effective public services, in areas from improving education and healthcare to tackling crime. ADR UK’s work plays an important role in bridging the gap between government and academia, enabling government policy to be informed by the best evidence available, and putting us on the path to a future in which the true potential of administrative data to improve society is realised. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation. UK Trusted and Connected Data and Analytics Research Environments (DARE UK): The formation of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) provides an opportunity to develop a collective and coordinated vision for the research data and related digital infrastructures in the UK, enabling UK researchers and innovators to harness the full power of multi-dimensional data, modern digital platforms, tools, techniques and skills. The UK Trusted and Connected Data and Analytics Research Environments programme (DARE-UK) aims to support the development of a national federated digital infrastructure, working with Trusted Research Environments (TREs) across the UK to achieve this. DARE UK will do this by delivering: A mature, robust set of TRE capabilities in the areas of federation, semi-automation of export processes, training and export of AI models, and common TRE-to-TRE interoperability standards. A cohort of TRE partners that have tested and adopted these capabilities. A cohort of real-world research exemplars that have demonstrated the utility of these capabilities. A set of priority TRE capability prototypes, ready to be matured and adopted in future phases. A cohort of community groups that underpin the adoption and ongoing development of all the above. DARE UK’s scope is pan-UKRI, and includes all data infrastructures that support access to large scale sensitive datasets, including social, biological, medical and environmental science. The programme has just entered its second ‘Build, Test and Establish‘ phase, securing £18.2 million over 2.5 years to enhance the UK’s capacity to conduct safer, more efficient, and collaborative research using sensitive data. With £18.2 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this new phase will focus on creating a connected national network of secure data infrastructures to benefit UKRI funded communities of practice. These secure digital environments will allow researchers and innovators to access and analyse sensitive datasets across various fields, such as health, education, and public services, in a way that protects privacy while generating valuable insights for public benefit. Further phases will be dependent on the iterative success of phase 2. ABOUT THE ROLE We are seeking an exceptional individual to lead, in this instance, the second phase of the DARE-UK programme. As well as the key role of furthering support for the development of a national federated digital infrastructure, and, working with Trusted Research Environments (TREs) across the UK, this role will deliver, as part of the Phase 2 Programme three key work programmes: Transformational Programmes: Building new capabilities to support sensitive data research across the UK, supporting the testing and adoption of these capabilities, and demonstrating real-world scientific impact using these capabilities. These capabilities include support for federated projects, AI training, standardisation and interoperability. Next-Generation Proof of Concepts: Developing prototypes of next-generation capabilities needed to enable future innovative sensitive data research. Community Building, Engagement and Standards: Supporting a vibrant community of researchers, information governance professionals, computer scientists, technologists, public involvement and engagement practitioners, and software engineers. Through collaboration, the programme will promote information sharing and consensus building around common standards and good practice. The DARE UK programme will also continue to be underpinned by public involvement and engagement (PIE) across all work programmes. The Programme Director will lead a core team and report to the DARE UK Programme Board. They will be supported in their role by HDR UK and ADR UK, including respective partner organisations, to access wider expertise that can inform sustainability planning for continued investment and progress in this critical national research infrastructure domain. ABOUT YOU S – Assessed at shortlisting I – Assessed at interview S&I – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview The ability to lead, persuade and inspire a new team and a complex network of stakeholders around a common vision for TREs across the 4 Nations and across different data domains. Including engaging with a very wide stakeholder group to identify opportunities for expansion of DARE UK across the UKRI remit. (I) Proven capability to develop and implement new programmes within an organisation and across organisations at pace and on a significant scale. These programmes include community programmes, software and infrastructure programmes specialising in TREs and research and development programmes. (I) Experience in the delivery of complex, large-scale, user-focused software and infrastructure products, resources and services; with good understanding of ethical and public trust dimensions. (S&I) Good understanding and experience of secure data infrastructures for research (including security, privacy, cybersecurity, storage, analytics, standards). (S) Experience of operating with Executives and Boards and senior external stakeholders including academic, industry, senior policy and ministerial stakeholders. (S) Effective leader and manager of teams of professionals and functional leads spanning a range of expert areas (e.g. data science, PPIE, software, secure infrastructures, communications), leading others using a coaching, supportive, and visionary style. (S&I) Experience working with cross functional teams and with many delivery partners demonstrating an ability to build a strong relationship and credibility with Technology, Engineering and Science teams in industry, NHS, academia, charities and government. (S&I) An in depth understanding of the domain including Trusted Research Environments. (S) SUMMARY OF BENEFITS 27 days annual leave plus 8 days for Bank Holidays Annual leave purchase scheme Medical Cash-Plan and Doctorline Wellbeing support, including access to the TogetherAll app Generous pension scheme, with 10% employer contributions APPLICATION GUIDANCE To view the role in more detail, please contact us at seniorrecruitment@ukri.org to request a copy of the candidate pack. We encourage you to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in your cover letter to clearly demonstrate how your experience meets each of the ‘person specification’ criteria outlined in the job description. For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’. Please ensure your CV and cover letter are no longer than two A4 pages each, using a minimum font size of 11. Once submitted, your application cannot be edited via your careers website; however, if you encounter any issues or need to update your documents, please contact us at SeniorRecruitment@ukri.org. OTHER INFORMATION If you'd like to have an informal chat about the role before applying, you're welcome to get in touch with us at seniorrecruitment@ukri.org