IRTG Accelerating Crop Genetic Gain Project Manager

• Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI)

• Key project coordination role working with international research team

• Collaborate with highly awarded, world-class colleagues  

• Be part of an organisation with a meaningful purpose and impact 

• Based at St Lucia Campus

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.

Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:

• 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave

• 17% superannuation contributions

• 17.5% annual leave loading

• Access to flexible working arrangements

• Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family

• On campus childcare options

• Cheap parking (from just $5.75 a day)

• Salary packaging options

About This Opportunity 

The International Research Training Group (IRTG) for Accelerating Crop Genetic Gain (ACGG) commenced in July 2023 and is led by Professor Rod Snowdon (JLU Giessen) and Professor Ian Godwin (UQ).  The IRTG is funded by the German Research Council (DFG), and participating universities, UQ, Justus Leibig University in Giessen, Geisenheim University and the German Federal Agricultural Research Institute, the Julius Kuhn Institute in Quedlinburg. Leading scientists from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability (AGFS) will be involved in supervising research projects on accelerating genetic gain in grain crops of importance to Australia and Germany.

In this position, you will support management of the International Research Training Group for Accelerating Crop Genetic Gain and will play a key role to ensure delivery of research objectives in a timely manner.

You will oversee all aspects of the project, including recruitment and coordination of PhD candidates, management of project timelines and communications, initiation and management of partner and stakeholder collaborations, regular progress reporting, data analysis, project reports and communication planning.

Key responsibilities will include: 

Project Management

• Being a main point of contact for the management of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) for Accelerating Crop Genetic Gain (ACGG)

• Overseeing the management of ACGG expenditure, providing regular updates to the management committee

• Managing recruitment, training activities, scientific exchanges and quality criteria for the ACGG scholarship recipients

• Maintaining close day to day communication with participating students and monitoring statistics in regard to ACGG hiring and training goals.

• Planning and managing ACGG travel for the IRTG staff and students, coordinating schedules and providing regular updates to participating international organisations.

• Preparing and ensuring timely submission of project reports in accordance with funding body requirements.

• Developing a communication plan that enables productive and coherent inter-institutional communication between students and PIs on different continents, including regular newsletter updates

• Complying with University policy regarding research and finance management including providing guidance for the project leader with research budget preparation, consistent with the University’s Research Funding policy

• Developing and maintaining the IRTG ACGG brand and vision, in conjunction with the German Collaborators at JLU/JKI including updates for the IRTG website and social media platforms

• Coordinating IRTG ACGG presence and provide event management support at scientific conferences

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Finance

With the support of UQ financial officers:

• Monitoring monthly project expenditure against budget and providing financial policy advice where required.

• Supporting the preparation of budget plans to meet project activities timely and efficiently.

• Assisting finance staff to prepare annual budget reports for review.

• Ensuring compliance with funding body and University financial policies and procedures regarding cost control, cost recovery, advice and reporting

• Assisting in processing accounts payable (raising orders, paying invoices, processing claims for reimbursement, and preparing overseas payments and internal service charges) in accordance with relevant University policy and procedures.

Leadership and Management

• Exercise 'Manager' level leadership and management responsibilities in accordance with the UQ Leadership Framework

• Provide high-level support for research administration matters including the provision of advice and guidance to researchers with meeting their obligations regarding the conduct of research, including human ethics, conflicts of interest

This role is subject to The University’s Code of Conduct .  

This is part-time (50%), fixed-term position through to December 2027.

At HEW level 8, the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $108,975.08 - $122,176.31, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $127,500.84 - $142,946.29 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

About You  

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated Research Program/Project Manager to manage the successful delivery of the International Research Training Group in Advancing Crop Genetic Gain. You will have significant experience and expertise in research project management with international partners, in addition to:

• Postgraduate qualifications or progress towards postgraduate qualifications and extensive relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education and training.

• Demonstrated advanced skills and experience in project management, administration and/or financial management at a high level.

• Extensive experience working in large organisations across multi-disciplinary teams

• The ability to accurately monitor budgets, financial reports, comply with policy and procedures and provide advice

• Previous experience working in international research project management.

• Highly developed interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a range of international and national colleagues and stakeholders by telephone, email and in person.

• Ability to prioritise own workload, work independently and meet deadlines.

• Familiarity with UQ policies and procedures

Desirable

• Experience working on an International Training Group and/or dealing with clients from different cultural backgrounds and a good understanding of cross-cultural issues would be an advantage

• Previous experience working on or knowledge of the UQ-led IRTG ACGG project

• An understanding of and commitment to the principles of equity and equal opportunity

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

• Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment. 

• Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits. 

Questions? 

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Ian Godwin - [email protected]  

For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line. 

Want to Apply? 

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Cover letter addressing the ‘About You’ section  

• Resume 

Other Information 

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion .  We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in the broader community, whether that be gender identity , LGBTQIA+ , cultural and/or linguistic , Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples , or people with a disability . Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected] .

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close Wednesday 27 March 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number – R-36347). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for late March.