Roles

A TRE conforming to the SATRE specification should provide a broadly similar experience for stakeholders operating in each of these defined roles. There is not necessarily a one-to-one mapping between roles and people. One person can have multiple roles.

Project Roles

Roles for TRE end-users conducting research or analysing data in the TRE and others involved in managing this research.

Role name	Role description
Data Consumer	General term for any individuals who will be provided access to data via a TRE.
Data Analyst	Specific term for people provided access to data via a TRE, who intend to carry out analysis or conduct research using the data. These could be programmers and data scientists, but could also be scientists working in fields where deep computing expertise is less common. Analysts working with TREs that meet the SATRE standard should have a broadly similar user experience, at least where the type of analyst is consistent (e.g. data scientists). This includes both the user experience of the platforms themselves, and the associated documentation.
Project Manager	The person in charge of coordinating other roles for the duration of a specific TRE project. See Project and programme management.
Project Team	Refers to the team of data analysts and project manager(s) working on a specific project that uses a TRE.

Data Management Roles

Roles for people managing data and databases used in a TRE.

Role name	Role description
Data Steward	People who ensure data within a TRE is maintained and processed in ways useful to data analysts, including providing data extracts. May also be known as Data Wranglers, Data Engineers or Data Cleaners.
Database Administrator	People responsible for managing any databases included in the TRE. Where a database is used by multiple projects, this includes handling segregation of users and databases belonging to different projects. See Advanced Computing Systems.
Information Asset Owner	General term for custodians or owners of a datasets, projects or other information assets within a TRE. For example, the owner of a dataset who has liaised with a TRE Operator on secure data ingress to the TRE.
Output Checker	People responsible for checking the disclosure risk of project outputs, before egress, as part of the disclosure control process. See Output management.

Infrastructure Management Roles

The IT professionals and software engineers who will be responsible for developing, deploying and managing instances of a TRE conforming to the SATRE specification.

Role name	Role description
Operator	People responsible for the management of the TRE’s IT infrastructure and general processes documented throughout the SATRE specification. Examples include carrying out data ingress/egress and managing user access. TRE operators should expect to have access to documentation regarding all processes they are required to carry out, developed by themselves or (in partnership with) the TRE Developers. This documentation should be comprehensive and include troubleshooting steps (see Knowledge management).
Developer	People responsible for building the software infrastructure that can be used as a TRE. These could be Research Software Engineers, whose job involves applying professional software engineering expertise to challenges in scientific research. Alternatively, these could be developers who are contracted to build a TRE for a given institution or project. TRE developers include people creating bespoke platforms catering to the specific requirements of a project or dataset, as well as developers building generalisable solutions to TRE provision that can be configured based on the research context.
Builder	People responsible for carrying out the Infrastructure Deployment Process. This role could be taken on by either the TRE Operators or the TRE Developers.

Governance Roles

Roles that uphold the governance of TREs. Such governance responsibilities typically involve establishing policies and procedures to ensure the responsible use of data, protecting the privacy and confidentiality of research participants, and promoting transparency and accountability in research activities.

Role name	Role description
Information Governance Manager	People responsible for writing and/or compiling the correct operating procedures and policies for the TRE.
Quality Manager	People responsible for ensuring the TRE is operating correctly, and all procedures and policies are being followed by other roles and work effectively. See Quality Management.
Top Management	People who lead and control an organisation at the highest level. This definition is taken from ISO 9000:2015 and in this context refers to the most senior governance official who own the risks associated with TRE research, can make decisions and allocate resources. See Risk Ownership Process.
Data Protection Manager	People responsible for data protection at the organisation hosting the TRE.
Auditor	General IT term for people who evaluate an organisation’s IT systems on whether they meet technology or cybersecurity regulatory requirements. For TREs, this may include requirements around sensitive data handling and information security controls. Auditors can be internal, or external people working for a consulting firm.

Public Roles

Roles that concern members of the public with regard to TREs and TRE research.

Role name	Role description
Lay Panel	Members of the public charged with oversight of TRE operational decisions on behalf of parties affected by data usage.
Data Subject	People who are identifiable by data being used for research, e.g. patients in healthcare record data.