Job summary
- Main area
- Research
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- 11 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 282-CR1524
- Employer
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Marsden Hospital Sutton
- Town
- Sutton
- Salary
- £33,262 - £36,027 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Biological Specimen Coordinator, Breast Research
NHS AfC: Band 4
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Biological Specimen Coordinator within the Breast Research Team at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will have oversight at Sutton location. We are looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated team members to work on our new and existing tissue studies contributing to the ground-breaking research run out of this unit.
The Royal Marsden is a world leader in cancer research, treatment, and education. Together with our academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), we are the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe and the only National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) specialising in cancer in the UK.
Continuous professional development is encouraged. Working as a highly valued member of the MDT, we support further study opportunities.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work within the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) Tissue Collection Facility and be responsible, in conjunction with the other Biological Specimen Coordinator(s) within the Breast Unit for collecting, logging, and processing clinical samples (usually tumour and blood specimens) belonging to the Breast Clinical Trials Unit.
The post will be responsible for developing, implementing, and reviewing tracking systems for all tissue samples coming through the unit and will ensure all procedures meet with Human Tissue Act (HTA) requirements and Good Clinical Practice UK Regulations for hosted commercial/academic studies as well as all tissue retrieved for central review from all participating centres in the UK and globally for the Trusts sponsored studies running through the Breast Unit.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:
The BSC will be required to liaise with internal and external customers: these will be patients, researchers, commercial and academic organizations. Specifically, the post holder will:
- To ensure the timely and efficient collection of tissue and fluid samples
- To send and retrieve samples from external Biobank facilities
- Distribute samples to research groups, laboratories, commercial and academic sponsors
- To ensure samples are packed, labelled and handled appropriately, according to IATA specification.
- Ensure the dispatch and retrieval of samples ambient or frozen (using dry ice) as requested via external courier services
- Retrieval of samples nationally and internationally and coordinating the receipt of these samples in a timely fashion to meet research study time points for central interim and final analysis as well as treatment decisions and diagnostic purposes.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to A-level or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Biomedical Science degree or equivalent experience
- Technical qualification in pathology/histopathology
Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable laboratory experience in the techniques listed in the job description
- Experience of working in a laboratory environment (preferably within a clinical/ hospital setting
- Experience of database management
Skills Abilities/knowledge
Essential criteria
- Prepared to work with biological materials such as tissue and body fluids on a daily basis.
- Flexible attitude to work
- Ability to work outside of standard working hours if necessary.
- Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role
Desirable criteria
- Venepuncture and/or cannulation skills
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachel Rock
- Job title
- Lead Research Nurse
- Email address
- [email protected]
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