Research Support Officer (Grants and Contracts)
Position Details
Research Strategy & Services
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,396 to £33,966 with potential progression once in post to £38,205
Grade 6
Full Time, Permanent
2 positions available
Closing date: 13th February 2024
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
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 put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help 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.
Department Overview
The University has an exciting vision to build on the success of REF2021, by continuing to transform its research performance across outputs, income, impact, and policy influence. Central to this ambition is the Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD), a new Professional Services department that is being established to provide a transformative and sector-leading approach to research strategy and support. The RSSD brings together into one connected eco-system professional staff that work within and across the following teams: Research Strategy & Development; Research Support (Grants & Contracts); Research Partnerships, Research Impact & Innovation; Research Policy & Environment; Research Systems & Data; Research Governance; Research Communications; Legal & Regulatory Compliance and Research Finance Accounting.
Role Summary
The Research Support Officer (Grants and Contracts) sits within the College Research Support Team and provides academic facing support to researchers in defined Schools/Institutes across all elements of pre-award research support. This includes proactive support across the life cycle of research proposals from costing/pricing, approvals, support with due diligence, the set-up of successful bids and transferred awards.
Reporting to a Research Support Manager, and working as part of a team, the Research Support Officer (Grants and Contracts) will work closely with academic teams, including in the identification of funding opportunities; supporting the submission of research applications and supporting low-risk contractual arrangements; and ensuring internal approval processes and procedures are followed throughout.
We have two roles available: one supporting the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, and another supporting the College of Arts and Law and the College of Social Sciences.
Main Duties
Contribute to the identification of funding opportunities and their timely and targeted dissemination to academic colleagues.
Provide support to a portfolio of research applications which will include the preparation of budget information, administrative information within application forms, checking of funder requirements and managing the submission process.
Support the acceptance and set up of new awards from funders, which will include reviewing budgets and making changes to budget lines stipulated by funders; updating Worktribe records and completing the funder portals, as well as awards being transferred into the University by new researchers.
Manage any additional awards to existing projects (supplements), ensuring costings and documentation is complete, working closely with RSSD Post Award team colleagues as well as College Research & Knowledge Transfer teams to ensure these are set up in a timely fashion.
Following agreed processes, ensure correct internal approvals as well as due diligence are in place prior to the submission of proposals to funders, identifying and escalating risks as appropriate.
Ensure entries in the Research Grant management system (Worktribe) and other tracking documents (e.g. pipelines) are completed accurately and in full.
Assist in the sourcing, preparation and maintenance of standard texts for applications, e.g. relating to EDI priorities, University research strategy and approach to open research, that can be adapted as necessary in response to specific funder calls and requirements.
Working with the wider Research Support Team, arrange and contribute to application pipeline reporting and to meetings with academic colleagues on pipeline development in order to maintain an up to date picture of applications in the relevant area.
Where appropriate, contribute to the development of more complex bids in liaison with other RSSD professionals. This may include organisation of meetings and workshops (e.g. funding webinars, sandpits, pitch to peer sessions etc); capturing of key information for the bid such as project partner details or budgets; or the dissemination or collection of key information from partners.
Undertake any other appropriate duties as required by the Line Manager in support of RSSD activities.
Promote equality and value diversity, act as a role model and foster an inclusive working culture.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) – where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required
Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data.
Knowledge of the UK research funding ecosystem, key research funders and an understanding of their processes is desirable but not essential
Experience of engaging and collaborating, with internal and external stakeholders to build teams, deliver key outcomes or resolve challenges.
Experience in improving processes, service quality and/or efficiency, and delivering high quality customer service
Excellent analytical skills with an ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative information and present this to a wide range of audiences
Proficient IT skills, including the MS Office suite and corporate systems. Confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven experience of collaboration within teams, including engaging with peers and staff, within an academic, public sector or commercial research environment
Excellent communication skills – with the ability to negotiate effectively with a range of internal stakeholders in order to convey policies or decisions, and to influence decisions.
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
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.
Role Context
Roles at this level will require expertise and a detailed understanding of methods, systems and procedures in an administrative or professional area. You will either use specialist knowledge or have more of a planning/co-ordination/project role or a role which is supervisory in nature where you may manage a team doing similar kinds of work. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve queries; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision.
Planning and Organising
prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery
set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
contribute to written documents, for example guidelines internal to the area, taking account of audience;
operate with limited supervision as they will have considerable scope for initiative, within established work procedures.
Problem Solving and decision making
anticipate and identify issues in own area based on experience;
make appropriate suggestions for improvements and implement these when agreed in own area
facilitate change, and articulate the implications and benefits of change to others;
focus on determining short-term priorities of work area, and how to maximise quality, efficiency and continuity.
Internal and External relationships
develop and maintain excellent working relationships in own area, and more widely as required for collaborative working opportunities;
communicate clearly and openly with others both within and external to the University, and use a range of communication skills and strategies to gain commitment to a course of action;
demonstrate collaborative working at all times, including with others outside the immediate work area.
Informal enquiries to James Green for College of Arts & Law and College of Social Sciences, email: j.e.green.1@bham.ac.uk and Craig Maskell for College of Medical & Dental Sciences, email: c.i.maskell@bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
We 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 one of our values. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.