Research Officer

We’re looking for a highly motivated person to join us as a Research Officer, to support both our Central & South West Research Teams. 

What it’s like to work here:

The Research teams work in partnership with Trust colleagues and external partners to develop and support excellent research that benefits the Trust’s work. Our varied work takes us across many research-active departments and specialists, and ranges from coordinating internal funding schemes through to large research projects. 

You will split your time equally between working with the Central Research Team (2 days per week) and with the South West Research team (2 days per week). The role will report into the South West Regional Research Sponsor.  Your contractual place of work can be agreed as any one of our South West offices (Bodmin, Exeter, Bristol or Tisbury) or within our National office in Swindon

What you’ll be doing:

Within the South West Regional team, you will be the regional specialist lead for research management and delivery, focussing on:

• Ensuring research is undertaken by a wide range of disciplines by communicating the benefits of carrying out and learning from research to teams across the region.
• Translating research outcomes into how we do things that benefit our National Trust Members and Stakeholders.
• Day-to-day delivery of South West Regional Research Group (SWRRG) business priorities, driving forward key objectives and providing professional research advice and guidance to SW Consultancy project leads and regional teams.
• Building relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, enhancing the SW’s research profile and the Trust’s reputation as an Independent Research Organisation.
• Organising and facilitating SWRRG meetings, partner Steering and Delivery Group meetings, and other in-person and virtual workshops, to enable collaborative ways of working.

Within the Central Research team, you will focus on: 

• Developing a new research development funding scheme for internal researchers: consulting with key stakeholders and using your initiative to identify research needs and put forward practical solutions, including developing guidance and resources and putting in place evaluation measures.
• Running the funding scheme during its pilot: organising assessments, leading on communications about the new scheme and liaising with internal stakeholders, guiding staff through the application and post-award process, evaluation.
• Managing the Trust’s postgraduate student network: initiating and delivering knowledge sharing through guidance, event organisation and general support for students.

Who we're looking for

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what is possible in this role. For this position we’re looking for someone who has: 

• Knowledge and understanding of the research/higher education sector, including research funding and research landscape outside the Trust, and ability to apply that knowledge to the Trust’s work
• A strong ability to understand, analyse and use both quantitative and qualitative data
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills and the ability to build collaborative working relationships with external and internal stakeholders
• An interest in research relevant to one of the three pillars in the Trust’s Research Strategy (Looking After; Land and Nature; Curation and Experiences)

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