Senior Bid Developer

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Senior Bid Developer

The main focus of your role will be to work with academic researchers and other colleagues to develop funding proposals and business cases for external funding of research and innovation projects. You will help develop larger scale funding proposals outside of the normal funder call approach, seeking funding from mainstream UK sources and also other public sector sources including regional growth deals and government (as a non-exclusive list), Your activities will be fully aligned with Cardiff University’s The Way Forward 2018-23: Recast COVID-19 strategy, especially the Research and Innovation sub-strategy.

The role will be based within the Research Development team in Research and Innovation Services RIS and will be expected to work seamlessly in an integrated manner with all teams across the Department.  You will work collaboratively with senior leaders at the University, such as the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise, as well as directly with academics at Cardiff University looking to finance their research ideas and ambitions.  Many of these applications will require external partners, and you should be confident and able to work effectively with businesses, public sector and regional partners to contribute to writing, editing, improving and delivering high quality, competitive proposals.

This role requires a strategic, proactive and ambitious individual with the ability to work effectively with others, to synthesise complex information, interpret external funder priorities and requirements and to create compelling written cases for financial support.

This is a full-time post supported using HEFCW’s RWIF funding and as such the post is fixed term until July 2028.

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

Date advert posted: Thursday, 8 February 2024

Closing date: Thursday, 7 March 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

• Provide professional advice and guidance on the preparation of significant, high value, multi-partner proposals for financial support, 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. This includes the ability to work effectively with businesses, government and other external partners on bids, supporting joint development of the financial and reporting approaches to bids.
• Provide professional advice and guidance on the preparation of writing and developing funding proposals supporting the content of both specialist and non-specialist sections, including where appropriate the identification of external partners, and liaising with colleagues in other sections of RIS and the University more generally in order to ensure that the costing and pricing of projects is appropriate and delivers the best value for the University.
• Take responsibility for resolving issues independently within 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 an 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 specific issues associated with writing and developing bids of this size and nature, creating recommendation reports and economic assessments supported by advances within the research funding landscape.
• Ensure that the provision of appropriate metrics for management reporting, an up to date pipeline of candidate proposals and a proposal development system of funding submissions is delivered to the institution, proactively changing the delivery according to customer requirements, contributing to the development of institution wide standards and supporting the development of best practice to inform future activities.
• Establish working relationships with Senior Staff and Professional Services departments, academic schools, key research institutes and centres, 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 and Colleges, 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 Departmental, College or Institution objectives including the review of academic research and commercial proposals where prioritisation of bids may be desirable and/or a matter of compliance.
• To demonstrate a high level of understanding of the University’s Strategic Plan The Way Forward 2018-2023 Recast COVID-19 strategy, and underpinning strategies (including, in particular, the Research Strategic Theme) and how they should be operationalised.
• To play an active role in developing and supporting best practice for the management of applying for research funding from different sources, activities including the preparation and delivery of appropriate training to staff. To be informed by attendance at relevant briefing sessions offered by funders and ensuring that Cardiff staff and our external partners have comprehensive knowledge of funding rules and constraints.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the department
• Instruct and guide other employees across the University by writing within documents outlining bid ideas, supporting the engagement of academics with funders, as required, where presentation of ideas and plans are needed.

Person Specification

Job Description continued :
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 and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

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 15576BR.

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria 

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 and Contracts; 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