Vacancy: Office Coordinator

Close date: 22nd July 2024. Shortlisting and interviews will happen on a rolling basis so early application is encouraged. We may close this vacancy early if a suitable candidate is found.

Symmetron has over 15 years of business activity in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), providing solutions for major pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers worldwide. We promote a culture of creativity, independent thinking, teamwork and scientific excellence.

We are looking for an Office Coordinator with exceptional organisation and people skills to join our team. This job is an opportunity for an enthusiastic, organised and approachable individual with a keen interest in supporting team growth and operational success through delivery of high-quality office and business administration support. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing all day-to-day office related issues and queries.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about developing excellent relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels; and will thrive in an environment where excellent communication, organisation, and problem solving is a day-to-day part of the role. Alongside excellent attention to detail, being able to maintain confidence and process sensitive information is an essential part of the job.

The role sits within the Operations and Communications team, and will report to the Office Manager, Team Lead and Managing Director in a matrix environment.

We are committed to the personal development of our employees. Symmetron was awarded the Investors In People accreditation in 2021, with 100% of our team agreeing Symmetron was a great place to work. Our company offers excellent benefits, including but not limited to:

• A competitive base salary, pension scheme and annual performance-related discretionary bonus.
• Professional development opportunities, within a friendly and supportive team, with access to our tailored internal training programme and external training as needed.
• A hybrid and flexible mix of home and in-office working.
• Life and private health insurance.
• Access to free confidential well-being advice via our employee assistance programme.
• A cycle to work scheme.
• Eye care contribution.

Key responsibilities

• Coordination and being the first point of contact for a range office administrative tasks, including those that regard:
  • General office related issues (i.e. office upkeep, desk management, reception duties, procurement of office supplies)
  • Human resource management, inclusive of involvement in recruitment and onboarding of new team members.
  • Finance administration (i.e. processing of purchase orders, payments, invoicing and expenses using dedicated online platforms)
  • Data governance administration.

• Coordination, liaison and relationship management with suppliers and vendors, including our information technology support service and cloud based platform providers.
• Coordination of staff engagement activities and events for the London office team, as well as supporting the team in logistical arrangements regarding conference attendance and travel.
• Provide ad-hoc secretarial support and executive assistance the senior leadership team.
• Keep informed about best practice guidance, policies and procedures as it relates to the role, and be able to present and advise colleagues about these.
• Undertake activities related to system maintenance (update of records), running of reports and quality assurance (i.e. using quality assurance checklists, proofing).
• Undertake activities of continuous professional development and learning, including providing assistance to, or supervision of, team members with less experience.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by the organisation's overall business objectives.

Essential requirements and qualifications

• Professional experience in office management and/or an administrative role; ideally in a hybrid working consultancy environment.
• A genuine interest in, and ability to stay well informed of and comply with, data governance and UK employment legislation.
• Ability to be approachable, while maintaining confidence on sensitive matters and process sensitive information appropriately.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage with a wide-range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong interpersonal skills to effectively understand people’s needs, and be able to find appropriate solutions to problems (including efficient escalation of the query when needed).
• Strong attention to detail and ability to ensure records are accurate, maintained and reported in a timely, concise manner.
• An organized and methodological approach to planning and delivering high quality work, with the ability to manage competing demands and prioritise effectively.
  
• Good numeracy skills (so far to be able to collate, summarise and report on quantitative data), along with an excellent and consistent level of accuracy.
• Ability to efficiently research and communicate different options as it regards supplies and services according to set requirements
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a team-oriented environment.
• High self-motivation, can-do attitude and optimistic outlook.
  
• Willingness to learn new skills and develop within the role, as well as assist others with less experience.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with an aptitude for learning new software.

Desirable skills and experience

These are nice-to-have skills. Candidates that do not fulfil these requirements but have an interest in this role are encouraged to apply.

• Experience in using QuickBooks, HubSpot and/or online learning management platforms.
• Experience in using, maintaining and/or development of websites and/or online platforms to assist in recruitment, contact relationship management, project management, time recording, human resources and/or learning and development.
• Experience in executive level secretarial or personal assistance.
• Project management training and qualification.
• CIPD level 3 or level 5 qualification

Application process

• After the upload of your CV and covering letter, we ask you to fill in a brief questionnaire.
• Candidates successful in this first round will be contacted to undertake an exercise (remotely) to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for the role.
• Shortlisted applicants may also be invited for an initial phone call before the final interview stage.

Please Note:

• This job is a full-time position based in our offices in Central London. Working from home is supported and organised around staff roles and responsibilities, however, a strong office presence is expected for this role.

• No agencies, please.

‍Shortlisting and interviews will happen on a rolling basis so early application is encouraged. We may close this vacancy if a suitable candidate is found.

Who are we?

Symmetron is a health economics and outcomes research consultancy with over a decade of experience in evidence generation, decision-analytic modelling and statistical analysis. Our experience involves designing, developing, and communicating solutions for major pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, both at a global and regional level. We promote a culture of creativity, independent thinking, team-work and scientific excellence.

We are committed to the personal development of our employees and offer excellent training and career development opportunities, inclusive of opportunities to pursue research interests. Our company offers a very competitive base salary, access to a bonus scheme and excellent benefits.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an exceptional Health Economics Manager to join the team. This is an opportunity for a driven, enthusiastic individual with broad technical knowledge and a keen interest to lead on the technical and project management of our high-quality economic models to evaluate health care interventions. Our health economics team primarily focuses on developing economic models and critiquing the existing evidence base to understand the value of new medical advancements. The candidate will lead, supervise and offer support to less experienced staff in all aspects of health economic research, performing clinical and economic evidence review, synthesis of inputs, model development and communication.

Key responsibilities

• Provide leadership and project management on health economics modelling projects across a wide range of therapeutic areas.
• Provide technical expertise and develop conceptual frameworks that guide the analysis and internal methodological standards in economic modelling projects.
• Conduct, supervise, oversee and quality assure the development of cost-effectiveness models, budget impact models, local adaptations, burden of illness etc, in collaboration with fellow technical analysts.
• Lead and oversee activities related to quality assurance (i.e. design and implementation of quality control procedures to ensure that deliverables are delivered at an excellent standard).
• Lead the development of slide decks, study reports, manuscripts, evidence dossiers, posters and other publications related to health economics and outcomes research.
• Proactively encourage and engage with interdisciplinary team working to scope new projects, research new and innovative methods in health economics and outcomes research and ensure consistency in the use of evidence across the life cycle of a multi-disciplinary project.
• Develop and maintain strong client relationships to ensure high client satisfaction, while keeping projects to time, budget and scope.
• Confidently interact with clients on a regular basis, being the main point of contact for assigned projects and able to lead client meetings and written communications that may be highly technical or sensitive in nature.
• Recognise, generate and lead on opportunities for the development of the business, including proposals for new projects.
• Lead, co-ordinate and supervise project teams, and provide mentorship and/or line management for less experienced staff.
• Undertake activities of continuous professional development and learning, inclusive of recognising and generating opportunities for further training of the staff.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by the organisation's overall business objectives.

Essential requirements and qualifications

• Proven experience in health economics research, ideally within academia, consulting or the pharmaceutical sector
• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. Health Economics, Health Technology Assessment, Medical Statistics, Biostatistics, Mathematics, Econometrics)
• Excellent technical expertise in the development, audit and critical assessment of health economic evaluation and models, with experience in the development of economic models with various conceptual designs over a wide range of therapeutic areas.
• Demonstrated capability of mentoring less experienced health economists
• Demonstrated knowledge of health technology assessment methodology and processes
• A genuine interest and good understanding of statistical concepts, systematic review, evidence synthesis and critical appraisal of scientific literature
• Excellent quantitative, critical thinking and analytical skills, and able to review and synthesize large amounts of scientific information under a deadline
• An organised and methodological approach to planning and delivering work of high quality, inclusive of experience in project management
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to effectively engage with a wide-ranging audience and explain complex modelling techniques and results
• Interest in publication and conference attendance, with some publication history
• Excellent writing skills (for example, through development of presentations, reports, dossiers and/or manuscripts)
• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail, along with the ability to maintain high-quality deliverables given competing demands and changing deadlines
• Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment, as well as independently, leading small projects or subcomponents of larger projects
• High self-motivation, can-do attitude, optimistic outlook and leadership ability
• Takes initiative to learn new skills, and develops the skill set of others with less experience
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office and reference management software, with advanced skills in Excel

Desirable skills and experience

These are nice-to-have skills. Candidates who do not fulfil these requirements but are interested in this role are encouraged to apply.

• Experience with statistical and economic modelling software (e.g. R, Treeage, WinBUGS, SAS, Stata)
• Experience in analysing large datasets, understanding of clinical trial design and statistical methods
• Understanding of advanced statistical methods and concepts for evidence synthesis, e.g. indirect treatment comparison and network meta-analysis methods.
• Experience in and/or knowledge of clinical processes or trials
• Line management experience
• Business development experience

Application process

• Candidates successful in this first round will be contacted to attend an introductory phone call with a member of the Symmetron health economics team.

Please note

• This job is a full-time position based in our offices in Central London. Working from home is supported and organised around staff roles and responsibilities. Office attendance is in line with government guidance on COVID-19 restrictions.
• The successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK when starting their employment.
• No agencies, please.