<!--anchor--> <!--anchor--> UKRI Doctoral Studentships Manager <!--anchor-->

The Centre for Doctoral Studies at King’s College London is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic UKRI Doctoral Studentships Manager who will play a key role in UKRI Doctoral Training Grants management activity within the department. This is an established role and an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated, and proactive professional to join our team.

The post holder will manage the UKRI -funded PhD studentships Portfolio, which includes: (1) PhD studentships, awarded by Partner-Led UKRI Doctoral Training Entities (Partnerships and Centres, e.g. LAHP DTP, LIDo DTP, NERC DTP, other); (2) stand-alone UKRI PhD awards such as UKRI iCASE awards at KCL; (3) UKRI funded non-cohort based initiatives (e.g. EPSRC DTP) at KCL.

The portfolio management includes:

• responsibility for setting up and managing clear processes and procedures to monitor UKRI studentships, from their set up on all relevant systems and throughout the PhD cycle at King’s;
• working closely with the Senior Finance Manager (Postgraduate Research) and PGR Finance Coordinator, to manage budgets of UKRI studentships within the portfolio; to produce final expenditure reports; to complete annual reconciliation of budgets for Partner-led DTEs.
• to be the CDS first point of contact for UKRI studentships queries at King’s for all Partner-led DTE studentships in the portfolio.

The role holder will be supporting the Head of Doctoral Partnerships to respond to UKRI requests, for example, but not limited, to developing and submitting UKRI Annual Reports for specific UKRI Doctoral Training Grants, e.g. EPSRC DTP. This will require a commitment to work to tight deadlines, set by UKRI.

It will also be the responsibility of the post holder to keep abreast of UKRI regulations and guidance and to translate this into processes and protocols across the College.

The successful candidate would possess experience in working in a similar environment and will be able to work autonomously, using their initiative to manage multiple tasks and prioritise their workload to meet the needs of the team, be self-motivated, proactive and organised, with the ability to manage a mix of operational and project work.

With strong communications and data management skills, you will be confident and concise in advising and supporting key colleagues on a diverse range of operational issues.

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract

This is a full-time post

• To manage the funder compliance for the King’s College London UKRI funded Doctoral Training Grants and scholarship schemes within the portfolio, as directed by the Head of Doctoral Partnerships
• To liaise with the Research Councils as appropriate to ensure King’s adheres to the UKRI guidelines and protocols. 
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of all relevant UKRI policies and procedures and communicate the relevant details effectively to students and staff as appropriate, including updating information on different communication channels (website, MS SharePoint, other as relevant). 
• To provide advice to King’s Registry professional services (PS) staff when approving changes to UKRI funded studentships due to changes in students’ registration statuses and to be the first point of contact for queries from PhD students, supervisors, and PS staff in faculties. 
• To contribute to different UKRI requested reporting, for example, UKRI Annual Monitoring Reports for EPSRC DTP award,  working closely with the Head of Doctoral partnerships and PGR staff in faculties; 
• To lead the submission of other UKRI surveys as required (e.g. UKRI submission survey) 
• To set up effective processes and monitor the UKRI studentships within the portfolio;  
• To be the first point of contact for all queries from students, academic and PS staff, related to UKRI studentships within the portfolio, i.e. Partner-led DTEs, non-cohort based UKRI grants; 
• To be responsible for student data gathering processes, and accurate records of King’s UKRI-studentships on the UKRI database  (currently Je-S) and  KCL  systems (e.g. SITS, DTE Database). 
• To be responsible for collating and submitting the Disability Allowance information annually to Je-S. 
• To manage budget reconciliation processes for Partner-led UKRI DTEs, liaising and coordinating this process with Partner DTE colleagues; 
• Supporting Senior PGR Finance Manager and PGR Finance Coordinator, to manage the financial reporting to UKRI, using UKRI systems (currently FES on Je-S),  
• To manage and administer various UKRI student data processes within the portfolio, for example, setting up new student records, coordinating transfer requests both to and from King’s;   
• To represent the Centre for Doctoral Studies at Partner-led DTE management meetings where appropriate, deputising for the Head of Doctoral Partnerships; 
• To forge relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, to ensure effective communication within the King’s DTE’s, relevant Faculties, Departments/Divisions, central university offices, and external funding bodies; 
• To produce high-quality documentation, including process descriptions, reports, presentations, correspondence and minutes as and when requested by the Head of Doctoral Partnerships and other senior staff in CDS. 
• To undertake continuous personal and professional development through effective use of the College’s Performance Development Review scheme and staff development opportunities. 
• To undertake any other duties that might be reasonably requested by Senior Management in the Centre for Doctoral Studies 

Essential criteria

•         A self-leadership and proactive approach to continuous improvement of processes and procedures;  

•         Excellent communication skills at all levels of seniority 

•         Excellent task management skills both for self and others, meeting tight, and sometimes multiple, deadlines 

•         Excellent project management skills and experience of working effectively on multiple projects at the same time 

•         Advanced IT skills, experience in working with large databases especially MS Excel, with high accuracy and attention to detail;  

•         Experience of working and knowledge of Research Council reporting systems (JeS) 

•         Experience of working effectively in a high-pressure environment 

•         PhD studentships management experience and in-depth understanding of PhD life cycle 

•         Experience of building an effective network across a complex organisation and with external stakeholders 

Desirable criteria 

•         Experience of Research Management tools and systems (WorkTribe and Business World) 

•         Experience of working in Higher Education sector . 

•         Good understanding of the UK funding environment