Research Support Officer (Grants and Contracts)

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,396 to £33,966 with potential progression once in post to £38,205. 

Closes: 13th February 2024

Role Summary

It is an exciting time to join the University of Birmingham – we have set ourselves an ambition to be one of the world’s top 50 institutions by 2030. The Research Support Officer 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 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. 

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

Informal enquiries to James Green for College of Arts & Law and College of Social Sciences, email: [email protected] and Craig Maskell for College of Medical & Dental Sciences, email: [email protected] .

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the above ‘Apply’ button.

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