MRC Head Office Resource and Events Team Manager

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MRC Head Office Resource and Events Team Manager

The Medical Research Council (MRC)
Salary: £34,905 per annum
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Open Ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Closing Date: 11/07/24
Interview Date: 22/07/24

Overall purpose:

Leadership and development of the MRC Scientific Events and Committees Team. This includes ensuring a large portfolio of high-profile events and meetings are delivered to a high standard, as well as managing staff and setting and implementing policy. The role is also responsible for governance in a number of areas (including Delegated Authority) through ensuring a consistent approach to policies and governance across Head Office and advising on and monitoring the deployment of key resources.

Main duties/key responsibilities:

Lead the Scientific Events and Committees Team:

• Team management and development of two Scientific Events and Committees Team Officers and one Administrator including allocation of work and maintain team responsibilities.
• Proactively manage the provision of support for events and committees across MRC
• Oversight of all events being supported by the team, identifying ways in which the portfolio can be streamlined and delivered as effectively as possible
• Standard Operating Procedures, desk notes, templates and file structures related to the team
• Manage events team staff, including performance management, development, training, annual appraisals etc.
• Management and planning of team resources, ensuring work is delegated effectively
• Oversight of the annual Board and Panel member and Board Chair recruitment processes
• Embedding EDI best practices across MRC Head Office

Head Office Operations:

• Provide guidance and advice to Head Office staff on recruitment
• Monitoring Head Office recruitment requests and headcount, in collaboration with the Senior Operations Manager, MRC Head Office, HR and Finance
• Support and promote the induction process for MRC Head Office, ensuring a comprehensive induction process is in place and delivered effectively
• Secretariat for the Head Office Workforce Group Meetings, monitoring workforce deployment and working closely with senior staff to ensure resource is in place to deliver MRC core business
• Coordination activities across Head Office as requested by the Senior Operations Manager, MRC Head Office
• Manage and maintain guidance on budget limits, including the MRC Head Office Handy Guide to Budgets. Ensuring guidance meets both business needs and the requirement for cost effectiveness and is in line with related UKRI policies and guidance documents
• Supporting risk management activities as appropriate

Delegated Authority (DA):

• Coordinate the implementation and operation of Delegated Authority (DA) policy within Head Office (including the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship team), liaising with Finance and Governance Operations Teams where required.
• Provision of guidance to colleagues, including senior management, on DA policy
• Design and monitoring of DA local schemes, ensuring that these include all relevant budgets
• Oversight of the work of MRC's DA Champions, providing guidance and support as required
• Liaison with Finance colleagues on all matters pertaining to DA

Other Responsibilities

On a case-by case basis, and when capacity permits, deliver projects or provide essential support for larger-scale initiatives as appropriate.

Additional information

This post will involve travel to the MRC Offices in London, and to other UK locations for meetings/workshops as required.

You may, on occasion, be required to work outside core hours as needed to facilitate events or to meet targets and deadlines.

Position and Person Requirements

Shortlisting Criteria:

Please ensure that your cover letter and CV demonstrate clearly how you meet the requirements below.

Essential:

• Experience of planning and managing projects and multiple work activities, and delivering to deadlines
• Experience of building effective working relationships with multiple collaborators at all levels and delivering results
• Experience of organising and/or coordinating events or meetings
• Fully competent on the full suite of Microsoft applications.
• Line and team management experience and developing and supporting staff

Desirable:

• Experience of working in a research policy, research management, or research environment
• Experience of supporting senior colleagues, including upward management skills

Interview Criteria:

Interviews will focus on the competencies below and candidates will be asked to give examples of how they demonstrated these skills.

Essential:

• Demonstrable problem solving and trouble shooting skills, with the ability to stay calm under pressure and maintain attention to detail
• Communicating to a range of audiences - verbally and in writing, adapting style as necessary
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills
• Excellent negotiation, persuasion, and 'people' skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Uses own initiative to improve work processes/policy and exercising judgment
• Experience of managing and planning resources.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team

Desirable:

• Demonstrable ability to collate information into a concise and clear format and produce recommendations for the way forward
• Ability to represent your team and your organisation in different contexts

Working relationships

Reports to: Senior Operations Manager, MRC Head Office

Staff Management: Line management of two Scientific Events and Committees Team Officers (Band C) and one Team Administrator (Band B).

Interactions: The role involves developing and maintaining a broad range of working relationships within MRC and externally, including:

• MRC Directors and other senior leaders
• MRC Chief of Staff
• MRC Head of Funding Operations
• MRC Board and Panel Teams
• MRC Research Funding Policy and Delivery Team
• MRC EDI Engagement and Change Manager
• Executive Support Team
• MRC Research Board/Panel members and chairs
• MRC Senior HR Operations Advisor and HR Operations Assistant
• UKRI Finance Director and other Finance colleagues

About the Medical Research Council (MRC)

Within UKRI, the MRC seeks to improve human health through world-class research. With an annual budget of over £800 m, MRC provides support both to individuals, through fellowships and grants, and to institutions, such as the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology and the Francis Crick Institute. The outcomes of our research span discovery science, improvements in public health and the development of new treatments for common diseases.

For more information about MRC, please visit https://mrc.ukri.org

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce' .

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.