Centre Manager

Research Services - Doctoral College

This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

This new full-time post is available from 18 March 2024 on a fixed-term basis until 28 February 2026.

Summary of the role

University of Exeter is pleased to host the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Environmental Intelligence: Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Sustainable Futures. Environmental Intelligence is the use of data science & AI to solve challenges around environment and sustainability. The Environmental Intelligence CDT offers an inter-disciplinary training environment that prioritises responsible innovation and ethics alongside technical solutions. The CDT was launched in 2018 and is now at full capacity with 50 PhD projects currently in progress, spread over 5 cohorts, with plans to recruit at least two additional cohorts (co-funded by non-academic partners and the University) in 2024 and 2025. The CDT has become a thriving research community that is at the heart of the wider Environmental Intelligence research theme at University of Exeter, with a lively range of academic and social activities.

We now seek to recruit a new Centre Manager to play a central role as the CDT enters a new phase of its development. Our funding model is changing and some of our students are reaching the end of their studies, creating new requirements for the CDT to secure external co-funding for new students and to provide career development and employment opportunities for existing students. The Centre Manager will work closely with the Centre Director and two Deputy Directors to refresh CDT processes and strategy for these challenges in the coming years. They will have management responsibility for the Centre Administrator and a number of associated committees and groups, including the External Advisory Board and academic steering group.  This will be a wide-ranging role with responsibility for delivering the strategy of the Centre both within the long-term vision and on a daily basis.  A key part of the position will be professional facilitation of key doctoral training activities such as Grand Challenge events, mini-conferences and student placements with external partners. This will include coordination of the Centre’s training deliverables, and control and allocation of the centre’s budget.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrable track record of successful project management and working in an HE academic environment. They will have strong communication skills, combined with excellent organisation and priotisation skills. Familiarity with doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes would be an advantage. A willingness to engage with non-academic partner organisations to develop funding, placement and employment opportunities for students will be welcomed.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role by clicking on the attachment.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99% of our research is of international quality and 47% is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

Benefits

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• 41 days leave per year
• options for flexible working
• numerous discounts at leading retailers
• onsite gyms on all of our campus’ and a cycle to work scheme
• sector leading policies around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), paternity leave (up to six weeks full pay) and a Fertility Treatment Policy
• stunning campus environments in Exeter and Cornwall, in the beautiful South West of England

Further information

Please contact Professor Hywel Williams, Centre Director, [email protected] or Dr Rachel Hogden, Head of PGR Support, [email protected]