Centre Manager (Communications and Operations)

The Digital Mental Health Group at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit is seeking a full-time Centre Manager to support our growing team and portfolio of complex multi-stakeholder projects. In this new role you will join as a senior member of our team, leading our relaunch as a nationally recognised Centre for research on digital life and health. You will design, establish and deliver new communications, branding, operations and project management pathways for the to-be-established Centre. There will therefore be extensive opportunities to independently shape outcomes, implement best practice and accelerate research impact.

The primary aim of our current research programme is to understand how digital technologies impact health in young people. We are based at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, a world-leading research department well-known for its close-knit community, collaborative atmosphere, and outstanding research support. Our group currently includes our PI, Dr Amy Orben, two Senior Research Associates, one Research Associate, five PhD students, four Research Assistants, as well as research visitors and interns. We value our team's complimentary skill sets (e.g., differing backgrounds, approaches, and areas of expertise), and actively work with other local and international research groups. A lot of our work is team-based and integrates work with government, charities, NGOs, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The successful applicant will have excellent communication and organisational skills, dealing with a wide range of people including researchers, academics, policymakers, support staff, students and funders. The role will involve a wide variety of tasks including the design and set-up of project management strategies to organise a growing funding and project portfolio. You will also take responsibility for setting up an effective communication strategy (including new branding, website, newsletter and social media channels) to reach a range of national and international stakeholders, including government, funders, parents and young people. You will work autonomously to manage a £2M+ budget and team resources, while also providing administrative support to senior team members, event management (e.g., for small-scale meetings and conferences) and day-to-day activities related to the running of the team. We expect that once additional funding is secured you will also be responsible for recruiting and line managing a part-time Administrative Assistant.

This is a great opportunity for an individual, with excellent experience in operations and communications, to work autonomously and on their own initiative within a growing and dynamic team. You will be able to shape your own ways of working, as well as the project management of the team and related projects, delivering on best practice in ways you see fit. Balancing a busy and varied workload, you will enable the research group to best achieve their aims supporting cutting-edge research that is impacting national policy and child mental health.

The position is permanent, but funding is limited to 3 years in the first instance.

As we expect high levels of interest for this role, we are planning a longlisting stage with an asynchronous task from the 27th of February to the 5th of March. After shortlisting, a final interview will be held in the morning of the 13th of March.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above. 

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and a CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

The closing date for applications is: 25th February 2025

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.