Research Development Manager (Arts. Humanities and Social Science)

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Research Development Manager (Team Leader, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences)

Each year Cardiff University’s researchers secure over £100 million in new externally funded research grants and contracts. The Research Development team provides critical, underpinning operational support to ensure that researchers are appropriately supported in developing bids for funding and that income to the University is maximised through such activity.

Reporting directly to the Head of Research Development of RIS you will be part of a well-established Research Development team with joint responsibility for managing the portfolio of work across relevant academic schools within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS).  You will facilitate and develop research undertaken across the College working closely with the Dean of Research and Innovation, providing advice, guidance and specialist support, and leading projects within this area.

You will also support joint working with the University’s Colleges of Biomedical and Life Sciences and Physical Sciences and Engineering, including interdisciplinary grant applications, and fulfil a cross-cutting role in supporting the work of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation & Engagement.

You will be pro-active in supporting research funding applications and related activities in academic schools and university-funded research entities which already have international reputations for research excellence and are major generators of external research income to the University.

The focus of your activities will be strongly influenced by the future research and innovation trajectory of the University under our new Vice Chancellor and the aspirations for Cardiff University. Your role will support the AHSS Research and Innovatione, fixed term Strategy and Action Plan and contribute to the achievement of the University’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for research and innovation, including the newly launched University Research Excellence programme.

This is a full time open ended post and is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus you can also choose to spend some time working from another location, e.g. your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance.

This post is full time and open-ended. 

Salary: £49,794 - £54,395 per annum (Grade 7)

Date advert posted: Thursday, 11 January 2024

Closing date: Thursday, 8 February 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

Key Duties

• Manage and lead the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Development Team ensuring objectives are communicated and engaged with, planning, organising, and delegating work, monitoring progress, and intervening as required.
• Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the University’s strategic plans for research and innovation, including the underpinning strategies and how they should be operationalised. 
• Ensure that the provision of research development and support is delivered to the institution and College, proactively changing the delivery according to customer requirements, contributing to the development of institution wide standards within research development.  
• Provide professional advice and guidance on the preparation of significant, high value, multi-partner project proposals to the funders of research, guiding processes and procedures to internal and external customers that will have institution wide impact and advising on the impact of proposals on strategic developments and plans.
• Provide professional advice and guidance on the preparation of writing proposals for research funding (content of both scientific/specialist and non-specialist sections), including where appropriate the identification of external partners and liaising with colleagues in other sections of RIS in order to ensure that the costing and pricing of projects is appropriate.
• Take responsibility for resolving issues independently within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences where they fall within set role objectives, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action and ensuring complex and conceptual issues and solutions are understood by the audience.
• Plan and deliver projects that have a School, College or Institution wide impact, managing the operation of project teams as needed, planning, organising, and delegating work, monitoring progress and intervening as required.
• Investigate and analysis of specific issues within the remit of research development, creating recommendation reports, supported by advances within the research funding landscape.
• Establish working relationships with senior staff and research managers and administrators at a college level as well as with staff in relevant Professional Services departments, academic schools, key research institutes and centres, such as SPARK/SBARC, developing appropriate communication links with these as required.
• Establish working relationships with the main research sponsors and funding schemes that support research in the relevant Schools, including UKRI and the major charitable funders of research in the UK Higher Education sector, developing appropriate communication links with these as required.
• Create specific working groups from colleagues across the University to achieve School, College or Institution objectives including peer-peer learning on research grant capture, the review of academic research and commercial proposals where prioritisation of bids may be desirable and/or a matter of compliance.
• Develop and deliver training within the areas of developing and supporting best practice for the management of research and knowledge exchange activities.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support AHSS researchers and professional services colleagues.
• Instruct and guide other employees across the University within the research development landscape.   

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Important note: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.  Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for XXXXBR.

Essential Criteria

A first degree in arts, humanities, or social sciences or in a subject which is highly relevant to research in those areas.

Substantial post-graduate research and development experience of working within an academic or business environment, or evidence of experience in a research administration role.

Able to demonstrate expert professional knowledge for the preparation of competitive bids for external funding, ideally for research and development activities and able to give advice and guidance to internal and external customers.  

Proven experience in developing new processes and procedures.

Proactivity and self-motivation, and a track record in working closely in support of senior staff in delivering major projects that have a strategic impact. 

Ability to communicate both orally and written, conceptually detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people all levels within the organisation and externally.

Proven ability to develop networks to contribute to long term developments.

Evidence of ability to research and solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose both practical and innovative solutions.

Evidence of demonstrable knowledge of key advances within i) SHAPE research, science and technology and relevant policy as it relates to higher education; and ii) of the major sponsors of AHSS-facing research in UK academia.           

Evidence of ability to undertake and deliver specific projects and supervise short term project teams in a professional context.

Desirable Criteria

Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.

Experience in personnel management.

Postgraduate/Professional qualification in a relevant academic discipline or in applied aspects of innovation / commerce / commercialisation.

Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

Research and Innovation Services

Cardiff is an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. Our world-leading research was ranked 5th for quality amongst UK universities in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework and we provide an educationally outstanding experience for our 30,000 students. With an annual budget in excess of £500 million and around 6,000 staff, Cardiff is a member of the Russell Group of the 24 leading UK research-intensive universities. The University has 24 academic schools grouped into three colleges: Biomedical & Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering and Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.

The University’s ambition is to rank consistently among the top 100 universities in the world. Cardiff is also developing its Innovation System through a focused programme of investment in people and infrastructure.  Research funding secured from competitive, external sources exceeds £100 million annually and the University aims to grow this further through winning grants from a wide range of national and global sources.

Research and Innovation Services, RIS supports the University’s research community in initiating and delivering research and innovation activities. Led by the Director, Dr David Bembo, RIS provides services via over 100 expert staff organised in five specialist teams: Research Grants Office; Research Integrity, Governance and Ethics; Research Development; Research Commercialisation and Impact; and Business Engagement and Partnerships. The Department works closely with academic and professional services staff from all areas of the institution.

Job Category

Business / Strategic Management