Research Administration Manager – College of Engineering and Physical Sciences – 99666 – Grade 7

Job title:

Research Administration Manager – College of Engineering and Physical Sciences – 99666 – Grade 7

Company

University of Birmingham

Job description

Job Description:Position DetailsCollege of Engineering and Physical SciencesLocation: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UKAs this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £40,521Full Time, PermanentClosing date: 2nd August 2024Role SummaryThe Research Administration Manager supports the Head of School, Head of Research and Head of Operations on implementing the strategic research agenda of the School. The post-holder provides high quality support to the School’s research groups to help facilitate their aims and objectives in line with the School’s strategic direction.The postholder supports academics with managing grants and projects by ensuring that key milestones and reports are delivered on time, and will interface with finance, HR, contracts and other stakeholders across the University.They will lead a small team of research-focused Project Officers dedicated to providing excellent research support to the groups across the School.The post holder is expected to have knowledge of the significant challenges and opportunities in the Higher Education sector, particularly in relation to research delivery. They will have an understanding of good practice in delivering professional administration and research support and the ability to balance academic considerations and wider drivers and priorities.The post holder will report into the School Head of Operations with close links to academic leads and members of the College Operations Team. The post holder will deputise for the Head of Operations on research-related matters.Main DutiesStrategic

• Support the Head of School and Head of Operations in preparing and developing the School’s strategic research plan and monitoring progress towards aims and objectives (e.g. Research Initiatives, REF 2029 strategy).
• Working with the Head of School and Head of Operations in identifying School’s strategic research priorities and how they map to College and University strategic priorities.
• Work with the School Heads of Research Groups to support implementation of School’s Research Strategy.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with Heads of Services & key College Business Partners (e.g. RSSD – Research Finance, Pre-award Research Support, Planning)

Team management

• Provide effective leadership and management of the School’s Research Project Officers in the Hub supporting day-to-day activity, reviewing workloads, resources and training needs.
• Undertaking Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs), identifying sickness patterns and leading on performance management issues.
• Take responsibility for the motivation, management and flexibility of staff working within the Hub Project team, instilling confidence in the requirements and importance of relevant functions to ensure that teams work together to effectively deliver on plans and projects.
• Identifying, arranging and/or facilitate training and development opportunities as appropriate.
• To facilitate a wider School Project Network including project staff from across the School who may sit outside the Hub Project Team.
• To establish effective network contacts with similar roles across other Schools, Colleges and external to University of Birmingham to coordinate action, minimise duplication and share good practice.

Operational

• Managing internally held research budgets, including supporting budgetary efficiencies agendas and reporting on endowments.
• Organising School Research Committee, preparing committee papers and reports, and having oversight for secretarial report.
• Providing support for internal processes for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) through ensuring data is captured appropriately, proofreading content, contributing to reports and tracking impact.
• Supporting the Head of Research and Head of School in processes for academic sabbaticals, promotions, performance reviews and workload allocation as appropriate.
• Coordinating recruitment and induction activity for research funded posts in the School.
• Supporting the Human Resources processes at School-level in relation to research-funded staff (e.g. research fellows) particularly in relation to the administration of fixed-term contracts (FTCs).
• Supporting the research visitor processes for the School working in conjunction with the School Operations Manager.
• Taking responsibility for information storage for research records compliant with GDPR.
• Providing support on university systems to members of the School (PURE, Worktribe, Core systems, Clarity).
• Identifying areas for service improvement and leading process improvements, sharing best practice with colleagues across the College and University as appropriate.
• Championing and leading the roll-out of any new systems or processes in relation to research support, and feedback on uptake and user-satisfaction at School/College level.

Grant management

• Acting as the main point of contact for all active research projects in the School with oversight for budget management and reporting across all projects.
• Working with colleagues in pre-award Research Support to ensure that Principle Investigators (PIs) are accurately costing their proposals.
• Supporting academic colleagues in setting up and maintaining systems for project monitoring and reporting.
• Providing proactive advice and guidance to PIs to support them in managing their awards and most effectively using funds.
• Ensuring projects with funded Professional Services time allocated to the School receive the support they require to meet the needs of the award, including allocating resource, writing reports, organising events, recruiting staff, creating marketing content, procuring equipment etc. as appropriate.
• Monitor the costings of Professional Services to projects to ensure that relevant staff costings (e.g. technician time, project support) are recovered.
• Working with RSSD and pre-award, Contracts, ethics, Business Engagement, HR, graduate school, IT services, post award finance, procurement, marketing and beyond, to minimise administrative oversight for PIs.
• Liaising with the Research Development Officer’s and Business Engagement colleagues in RSSD to proactively feedback issues on costing for future applications and contracts for deliverables and milestones.

Communication / Events

• Coordinating research promotion for the School including oversight of research group webpages and School intranet, drafting content for press / promotion in conjunction with academic colleagues.
• Keeping oversight of research events linked to the School, providing support and guidance as appropriate.
• Contributing to internal and external review and/or accreditation exercises.
• Maintaining communications with the School’s Head of Research and Head of Operations on all School research matters and disseminating information to the wider School.
• Supporting the wider College EPS Research and Projects Network, sharing best practice and collaborating with colleagues in the RSSD and across the College.
• Under the direction of the Head of Operations, the Research Support Manager will also from time-to-time support projects spanning the breadth of the School’s research activity which originate from the School’s Senior Leadership Team.
• Undertake additional duties or deputise on behalf of the Head of Operations for research-related matters.
• Any other duties appropriate to the grade of the role as required by the Head of School and Head of Operations.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Honours degree or equivalent relevant work experience
• Knowledge and understanding of the UK research funding environment, key funders and their processes.
• Experience of budget management and line management.
• Knowledge and understanding of a range of current research management areas, such as contracts, research costing/budgeting, research governance, ethical review, data sharing, open access, intellectual property, equality and diversity, etc.
• Experience of supporting research in an academic, public-sector or commercial research environment and of university collaboration with external partners.
• Highly developed organisational skills, with the ability to work flexibly across a portfolio of projects, and prioritise competing demands on time.
• Project management skills, including development of project plans, and experience of budget planning.
• Proven ability to convey complex information, including financial information, in a clear way, and present operational conclusions clearly and concisely.
• Confident and capable user of IT inclusive of all main Office products (e.g. Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word)
• Creative attitude and excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to generate innovative responses when faced with a range of challenging scenarios.
• Able to remain calm under pressure, with a strong commitment to the delivery of exceptional customer service.
• Ability to work autonomously and under own-initiative in resolving issues, and applying a significant amount of professional and independent judgement.
• Ability to take responsibility for resolution of issues, proactively working with internal partners to negotiate satisfactory solutions.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and work as part of a diverse team in delivering challenging outcomes.
• Ability to foster co-operation and collaborative internal partnership working in order to achieve project outcomes.
• Ability to work with others effectively, efficiently and supportively when under pressure, prioritising a diverse workload and always responding professionally and in a customer-focussed way.
• Excellent networking, interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Ali Wright email:View our staff values and behavioursWe believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone .

Expected salary

Location

United Kingdom

Job date

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 04:31:42 GMT

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