Senior Research Operations Manager

Campus / location: Strand Campus, VWB

About us:

The Faculty of Arts & Humanities at King’s College London is seeking an experienced and proactive Senior Research Operations Manager. As a key member of a growing and vibrant research support team in the faculty, the role holder will take the lead on planning, organising, and administering research activities especially in the area of grant management (pre-and post-award), as well as shaping and supporting faculty research strategies.

About the role:

The successful applicant will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build good working relationships with academic and professional services colleagues internal and external to the University. They will have a thorough understanding of the UK research funding landscape and experience supporting or managing funded projects. They will be highly organised, numerate, with strong analytical skills, and will be a confident communicator and experienced team manager. They will bring experience in problem solving and change management.

• To work closely with the Head of Research Operations and Vice Dean Research to develop and deliver the faculty’s Research Strategy.
• To be part of the Faculty Research leadership group alongside the teams for Impact & Knowledge Exchange as well as Research Culture.
• Contribute to the faculty’s preparations for future Research Excellence Framework (REF) submissions.
• Line manage specialist pre- and post-award staff and other junior temporary staff hired by the Research team.
• Lead a ’proposal to final report’ support service for academic staff wanting to undertake funded research, including assistance with application processes, developing effective budgets, project management and all elements of funder compliance, cost recovery, research integrity and grant legacy planning,
• Provide support for academics requiring research contracts, for example consultancy or fees for service contracts.
• Develop & maintain good working relationships with the faculty Research Development Manager, staff in the Arts and Science Research Office and the Research Management & Information Directorate to maximise opportunities for winning grants and to ensure highly efficient faculty processes related to research.
• Monitor key faculty research data (e.g. applications, awards, income, overheads) and KPIs and report on this data to faculty leadership.
• Support the Head of Research Operations in developing a robust research grant income projection model.
• Work alongside the Faculty communications team to improve the content and maintenance of Faculty research project webpages and news stories. 

This is a full time post, and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About you: (the candidate)

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Experience working in HEI research administration and strong understanding of the UK HEI research environment.
2. Experience in managing research grants and contracts at pre- and post-award stage.
3. Experience in contributing to the Research Excellence Framework.
4. Excellent numeracy skills and an ability to understand and analyse complex data.
5. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to present and communicate ideas to a range of stakeholders, including senior members of academic staff.
6. Team building and line management experience.
7. Proficient IT skills (including databases, Excel, Word, & PowerPoint).
8. Ability to work proactively & independently & manage/prioritise a diverse workload.
9. Strong organisational skills with a high degree of attention to detail.

Desirable criteria

1. Evidence of the ability to build good working relationships with stakeholders at all levels internally & externally.
2. Change management experience.
3. Good knowledge of HEI policies & procedures including financial regulation.
4. Strong commitment to ED&I.

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