Global Training Accreditation Lead Adviser

The RCR is committed to supporting global workforce development in our specialties, by working with colleagues and partners worldwide to increase the numbers of doctors in our specialties, and by evaluating and – where possible – improving the quality of the training they receive. We now wish to appoint a lead adviser who will work with us to establish the training standards we intend to use as a benchmark for our work with training systems outside of the UK, and the governance arrangements that will underpin our decision-making in this area.

We are seeking a highly experienced and globally minded professional – ideally a former Head of School or senior educator – to join our international efforts to improve the quality and consistency of radiology and oncology specialty training worldwide.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of robust, culturally sensitive accreditation standards and to assess international centres aspiring to deliver training aligned with the RCR global framework. This is not a substitute for the FRCR programme , but a complimentary initiative to enhance training quality and alignment with RCR values internationally.

You will be part of a pioneering team helping shape a sustainable equitable and high impact accreditation model. Some international travel will be required

Standards Development: 

Contribute your expertise to the design, review and refinement of our global training accreditation framework standards and all associated documentation, ensuring they are high-quality, inclusive and adaptable across a range of international contexts.

As Lead Adviser, you will work with our staff team to refine the standards we plan to use as the basis for our work. The standards reflect what we believe needs to be in place to deliver high quality outcomes focussed education and training to develop the global workforce. The standards need to offer sufficient detail to encompass all of the factors that contribute to a high-quality training environment and experience, but in a way that can be implemented flexibly anywhere in the world. This includes considering how doctors in training are developed and supported as learners, and how educators are supported as trainers and supervisors.

In their current draft, the standards comprise elements of the general standards for UK training providers as set out in the GMC’s Promoting Excellence framework, the framework for postgraduate specialty training set out in the Gold Guide and reference the relevant RCR specialty training curriculum.

You will be familiar with how these standards apply in the UK context and will have an interest in and appreciation of the challenges associated with implementing them in training systems and health economies outside of the UK. We will ask you to review the standards and advise on ways in which they can be made appropriately accessible to potential partners seeking to implement them in their non-UK context.

You will also work with our staff team and elected Officers to seek buy-in to and approval of the standards via the relevant RCR boards and/or committees.

Governance and decision-making

We are very clear that accreditation of a national training system against our standards, once those standards and the processes by which we apply them have been approved, does not signify equivalence (e.g. to FRCR), but is intended to allow us to understand global training pathways in our specialties, and to give us confidence about the nature and quality of training that doctors in those national training systems complete. 

In reaching a positive decision to accredit, we’re saying we have confidence in the ability of the national training system to continue to maintain and improve quality throughout the accreditation period through effective management and mitigation of risks (which will include having mechanisms in place to evaluate quality across training providers). 

Training accreditation, and decision-making in relation to individual national training systems, needs to be managed via appropriate governance arrangements to ensure that the standards we publish have credibility, and the decisions we make are based upon sound evidence and judgement. As Lead, you will be familiar with the key bodies overseeing training within the RCR and will work with us to propose how those bodies should provide oversight for this developing area of our work (e.g., chairing, agreeing the composition and developing terms of reference for global training accreditation working parties).

Implementation

We are developing our plans based on a staged model of engagement with potential partners, progressing from comparing the target training system with UK practice to ensure shared understanding, applying our standards in context to identify likely areas of greatest risk, and finally in-country assessment. There is also scope to develop a broader quality improvement offer, depending on need and context. 
As Lead Adviser, we would wish to work with you to develop plans for recruiting, training and supporting members and Fellows of the RCR to contribute to delivering these elements of our work as Expert Reviewers. This would include working with us to develop role and person specifications, making use of your professional networks to engage potentially interested parties, and – in time – potential paid work to develop a programme of training for our Expert Reviewer community as it grows over time.

Cultural and Contextual Sensitivity:

Ensure all engagements, materials and feedback reflect a respect for cultural diversity, educational differences and local healthcare system capacity. 

Representation and Advocacy:

Represent the RCR’s global mission in meetings, site visits and stakeholder engagements as needed. 

Essential Criteria

• Previous experience as a Head of School or equivalent senior educational leadership role within postgraduate medical training. 
• Experience in medical education governance. Curriculum development, quality assurance, or external review processes at a senior level.
• Strong commitment to cultural humility, with experience working in or alongside diverse health and education systems.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to engage constructively and respectfully with stakeholders across different cultural, institutional and linguistic contexts.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, occasionally to low-resource settings with sensitivity to local customs and norms. 
• Collaborative team player with experience contributing to multi-stakeholder panels or committees.
• Proven commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in medical education and training
• Ability to provide clear structured feedback and make evidence-based recommendations.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience supporting the design and implementation of training programmes outside the UK or in partnership with international organisations.
• Awareness of global health workforce challenges and the socioeconomic and geopolitical influences on medical training delivery.
• Understanding of international medical education standards (World Federation for Medical Education, World Health Organisation, regional frameworks)
• Language skills other than English or experience working through translation/interpreters.

• Be part of a globally impactful mission, helping to shape the future of medical training in diverse settings.
• Contribute to the development of fair equitable and high-quality standards for training delivery
• Work alongside international experts and cultural advisers in a collaborative and inclusive environment.
• Travel opportunities to visit and assess centres of excellence around the world (expenses covered according to RCR Policy)
• Earn CPD recognition for your contributions
• Grow your international profile, leadership skills and educational influence.
• Receive administrative support and professional development opportunities through the RCR
• Be publicly recognised as a Global Training Accreditation Specialist by the RCR

There is no specific time commitment for this role, most of the early work will be undertaken as required and remotely.  Much of the this will involve online reading, reviewing, emailing and drafting. 
Overall, it is anticipated that this role will require an average of approximately one day per month (8 hours). The appointee will liaise closely with the Service Development Lead for Global Training Accreditation. The adviser will be expected to chair, agree composition and collaboratively develop terms of reference of Global Accreditation Working Party meetings. 

If you are interested in working alongside us, then please send your CV and 500-word expression of interest to [email protected] Once all applications have been reviewed, we will let shortlisted candidates know of interview dates.