Senior Research Operations Officer

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About us

Welcome to the School of Politics and Economics, where our vision aligns with King's College London's ambitious goal of changing the world for the better.

The School of Politics and Economics includes the departments of Political Economy, European & International Studies, and King's Russia Institute. The School has a large cohort of PGR students and a grant portfolio held across all of the major funders including the UKRI, the Leverhulme Trust and the European Commission.

About the role

The School is looking to appoint a Senior Research Operations Officer (SROO) who will lead on postgraduate research programme administration and will provide high-quality and comprehensive administrative, budgetary, and research grant support to the School, working alongside the School Research Manager and academics to support the grant lifecycle from bid development to the day-to-day administration of awards.

Postgraduate research programme administration will include day-to-day administrative support for our postgraduate research programmes and collaborating closely with academic and student support teams to guarantee a seamless student experience from admission to graduation. They will support students with registration, progression and day to day enquiries, keeping track of personal research funds, while also maintaining student records and supporting the relevant school and departmental committees.

The research and grant administration aspect of the role will include both post-award administration and pre-award support. Post award administration will include managing grant finances, booking travel, accommodation and meeting rooms, processing expense claims, and supporting the recruitment of research assistants to research projects. Pre-award administration will include helping staff members to prepare costs for research grant applications and supporting staff members with navigating the application process.

The SROO will be required to work closely with all relevant stakeholders and maintain up to date knowledge of programme and College regulations, providing accurate guidance to colleagues and students as required, and ensuring all assurance processes are followed. The role would be suited to someone who can manage multiple competing priorities, has good attention to detail, and can build and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including colleagues in Finance, Human Resources, Student Registry Services, and the Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID).

You will also be expected to develop your expertise in quality assurance and regulations, contribute to process improvements, and participate in professional networks dedicated to promoting best practices.

If you are someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is committed to delivering high-quality services, and is interested in supporting research and advancing postgraduate research education we encourage you to apply.

The post holder will be able to work as part of King's hybrid working model, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Excellent knowledge of university policies and procedures including student and financial regulations, procurement and travel regulations.
2. Thorough understanding of course administration within a university setting, and preferably relating to the PGR life cycle.
3. Experience managing budgets and preferably an understanding of the PGR funding landscape.
4. Clear task management and organisation skills; ability to work under pressure with competing and shifting priorities, deadlines, and workload while maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
5. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with evidence of building good working relationships with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
6. High standard of numeracy with proven financial management and analytical skills and proficient in IT skills (including databases, Excel, Word and PowerPoint).

Desirable criteria

1. Understanding of the Worktribe grant application and approval process.
2. Experience in managing grants or large-scale projects within HEI and a strong understanding of the research funding landscape, including experience in managing EU grants.
3. Experience in working with and supporting committees.
4. Experience of using student management software, eg SITS.
5. Familiarity with the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click "Apply Now". This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ' How we Recruit ' pages.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.