Research Strategy and Development Partner – College Engineering and Physical Sciences

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services play a crucial role in this by providing outstanding support to our researchers, enabling an exceptional educational experience for our students, and helping the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work. 

Role Summary

Reporting to the Head of Research Strategy and Development, the RSDP is an integral part of the University’s community of research development practitioners, and works closely with senior academic and professional services staff to facilitate and support excellence in research, encompassing competitive bids to funders, the development and nurturing of key funder relationships, and the development of research funding and partnership strategies at the level of a defined College and for thematic research areas. In addition, the role holder will develop a strong understanding of research performance across the College, particularly in terms of research applications and awards and will develop proactive approaches to ensuring that all researchers are supported to achieve their full potential. 

The role operates in a matrix system that has been developed by the RSSD to create a vibrant and fluid environment for all colleagues, with the RSDP working across the Research Strategy & Development and Research Support Teams, working closely with colleagues in this latter team on the development and submission of research proposals, and providing mentoring and support as required and in consultation with the Head of Research Support. 

RSDPs are key to the overall research culture of a College and wider University, providing valuable support and guidance to researchers and to research leaders to ensure a positive environment for the development of ambitious research proposals, often with external partners. 

Each RSDP has a delegated responsibility to work alongside a senior academic lead on the development of strategic institutional funder relationships. They will be responsible for the delivery of a portfolio of research grant/contract activity, typically relating to larger more complex projects.  The RSDP will work closely with the Head of Research Support and the Head of Post-Award to ensure that applications and awards progress effectively through the pre-to-post award systems, taking responsibility for problem solving as required and assisting with the continual improvement of systems and processes to ensure an excellent service is delivered to all of our researchers, their collaborators and funders. 

Main duties

• Provide leadership, support and guidance to the development of detailed strategies and actions plans for major externally-funded research and research-related (including research infrastructure) initiatives, proactively seeking new funding opportunities and multidisciplinary projects, developing relationships with research partners and key strategic external funding agencies – Research Councils, Innovate-UK, Charities, National Academies, Government Departments, Industry, EU & International organisations;
• Be instrumental in developing and shaping the research and impact strategies and priorities of the Schools/Institutes and Colleges, working closely with senior academics, other colleagues in RSSD (notably other RSDPs, Business Engagement and Research Impact) and colleagues from the wider Professional Services;
• Provide dedicated research development support where required, in a pro-active and targeted manner and as defined by School, Institute or College need. Advise, brief and support senior academic staff, researchers and managers on new research funding opportunities from UK and international funding agencies including the coordination and preparation of major project proposals and their budgets/costing and pricing of activities, in response to funding initiatives. Run training sessions and workshops aimed at stimulating demand and increasing high quality applications to targeted funders and schemes across the College;
• Lead the development of clear and timely cases for external/internal investment and manage requests for institutional support ensuring all internal processes and cases have been made clearly including, but not exclusively, the preparation of business cases, papers for internal committees (e.g. College Board, UEB, SPRC), risk management plans, financial plans etc.
• Contribute to the delivery of contracts and agreements for research projects and research-related activities (including research infrastructures) including costing and pricing of activities and compliance with regulatory, ethical, insurance and indemnity issues. 
• Provide expert research development leadership, mentoring and support to the Research Support Team(s) working in your area to actively drive up the quality, scale and impact of research application activity linked to key School, Institute and/or College Research Strategies. 
• In developing projects, ensure that key project delivery risks have been fully understood and accepted or mitigated appropriately by the delivery teams in College, and that key delivery partners (both internal and external to the University) have been engaged in the design and development of projects at the earliest opportunity.
• Provide expert practitioner support to College research awards and income planning processes and to REF submissions.  Provide advice and guidance to senior members of the College and to the PVCR on matters pertaining to research performance, including research applications and awards, research publication and citations. Provide research updates and advice at a number of School/Institute and College level bodies such as research committees/forums, and College Boards.
• Support the development and implementation of College and University-level external research partnerships, working closely with the College Directors of Research and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research.
• Develop and maintain a network of senior contacts within the College, Professional Services departments such as Development and Alumni Relations, University of Birmingham Enterprise, and External Relations, and externally with key funding bodies and peer organisations and utilise these networks for the benefit of the College and the University
• As a member of the cross-college research strategy & development practitioners forum, work across Colleges in the development and delivery of complex, inter-disciplinary research initiatives including being the nominated lead for discrete initiatives as required. 
• Produce high quality written papers /reports and presentations for a range of internal and external audiences (e.g. College and Schools academic management Team; academic leads, Professional Services) on a wide range of topic areas associated with the wider responsibilities of the role.
• Be the Professional Services lead for maintaining, and providing critical opinion for optimising, the strategic links with an identified portfolio of key funders relevant to your areas of responsibility in order to influence and align funder opportunities with the interests and priorities of the University.  This will include supporting development and management of internal strategy groups; maximising institutional engagement (e.g. through membership).
• Personally model the Values of the University, and in particular those in the Strategic Framework and Birmingham Professional;
• Undertake any other duties as required from time-to-time by the Assistant Directors (Research Strategy & Services Division). 

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent level qualifications) plus significant relevant practical experience – where no equivalent qualification is held substantial practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required 
• A clear and demonstrable appreciation of the academic fields within which the role will operate
• Authoritative knowledge of the strategic issues impacting the UK and/or overseas research funding environment, including broader sector/commercial awareness
• Highly developed project and people management, negotiation and diplomacy skills used to bring complex groups of stakeholders together to address significant challenges or opportunities
• Experience of successfully leading the development of major, complex research grants and contracts or similar including detailed analysis and assessment of delivery risks and their mitigation
• Substantial experience of engaging, and collaborating, with internal and external stakeholders to build teams, deliver key outcomes or resolve complex challenges across a wide range of activities 
• Excellent interpersonal and management skills, with proven experience of using coaching and other appropriate skills to lead, motivate and manage teams, including staff who are not direct reports working across different parts of the RSSD and other Professional Services
• Excellent analytical skills with an ability to analyse complex qualitative and quantitative information and present conclusions clearly and concisely to senior audiences, internal and external.
• Proven problem solving skills that will help to identify and implement significant improvements and efficiencies across the service area and beyond 
• Excellent communication skills –oral, presentational, and written – with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively with a range of internal and external stakeholders at senior levels.
• Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office suite and corporate systems such as WorkTribe or Tableau.  Confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
• High level of self-motivation and personal accountability with ability to plan and deliver goals to deadlines under pressure and set priorities for a wide range of tasks and duties for the role holder and others
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area and ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied. 
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Role context

Roles at this level provide authoritative professional advice across a range of activities and/or will lead and manage diverse team(s) and resources. You will use your professional skills to resolve problems where the solution is not immediately apparent. Significant evaluation and independent thought is therefore required to resolve ambiguity. You will have wide discretion to decide on direction whilst ensuring activities are broadly consistent with operational policies. You will be able to influence policy through advising on the impact of policy change and implementation in your area of work. You will need to assess the impact of your activities across your area, with related areas and to ensure they fit with the broader objectives of the University. 

Core competencies/transferable skills

Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully use the following core competencies/transferable skills in each of the areas shown below. You will be expected to take ownership for getting things done, including calling on or joining others to assist. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University. 

Planning and organising

• provide professional expertise, and manage resources and/or a diverse team;
• integrate and co-ordinate work across different parts of the department/university;
• lead and manage staff who are likely to be carrying out diverse duties, and ensure collaborative working to deliver a successful service;
• project manage activities to facilitate major changes;
• develop policy within functional guidelines, and contribute to strategic development within own area;
• be accountable for the quality and professionalism of service delivery, with an appreciation of longer term issues.

Problem solving and decision making

• anticipate, interpret and assess customer needs, identifying trends, generating original ideas and testing innovative solutions; 
• deal with significant people management issues such as change programmes;
• resolve issues which may not have arisen before through use of experience and judgement. 

Organisational understanding

• have an excellent understanding of your own working area and a broad understanding of the contribution other areas make to the success of the University; 
• have an excellent understanding of how the University operates, together with an understanding of how academia operates in the UK;
• demonstrate empathy with the academic endeavour and seek to encourage others to do so. 

Relationships and communication

• use coaching skills to motivate and develop staff;
• proactively and sensitively manage the performance of their team and create a motivating environment;
• influence others (including across the University) to follow a particular course of action;
• represent the department at internal and external meetings/events/network with colleagues in other institutions to share best practice.

Please attach your CV to your application.

For informal queries contact David Boardman, Head of Research Strategy & Development – d.i.boardman@bham.ac.uk 

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.