1. Providing professional support for research proposal development

Transcription

1 Job description Post title and post number Research Facilitator Organisation advertising Description Research Support Services / College of Arts and Law Job summary Sitting within the College Research Support (CRS) Team and as part of the wider research support infrastructure of Research Support Services (RSS) at the University of Birmingham, this Research Facilitator post is an integral part of delivering research and knowledge transfer support to academics within the College of Arts and Law. RSS is a unit of the wider Finance Office and supports research across the University through local teams based in the Colleges (CRS Teams), specialist teams based at the Research Park (focussing on aspects such as EU, International, Regional and Innovation funding sources) and Aston Webb (research finance, contracts, governance and ethics). RSS alongside functions based in Strategic Planning and Library Services, form part of the wider research support ecosystem of the University. The post holder will be responsible for identifying and developing significant UK research funding opportunities for the academics within their portfolio area and more widely through interdisciplinary opportunities across the College and the University. The post holder will encourage application activity in their specific discipline portfolio, offering a strategic level of input to individual, Department and School research and knowledge transfer initiatives. The post holder will be responsible for monitoring and ensuring the smooth passage of individual applications for grants and contracts for their portfolio. They will seek to maximise the revenue and contribution of research activity in the College. To achieve these objectives the post holder will need to proactively engage with academic colleagues in a highly enterprising manner to facilitate an increase in the contribution from research funding in line with the College targets. Main duties 1. Providing professional support for research proposal development Champion and contribute to all aspects of the grant application and submission process, supporting academic research leads in preparing highquality applications for funding by managing the process of completing of all tender/ funding application documentation, including drafting high quality generic content and informing the preparation of costings, critical reviewing and editing of draft applications, and ensuring adherence to submission requirements. Provide creative advice for applicants for UK funding based on expert knowledge of funder expectations in terms of eligibility, shape, content, presentation, and deadlines Design and deliver training and development workshops around grant proposal writing or funding opportunities to academic staff.

2 Coach and develop researchers and academic colleagues in the completion of grant application forms and applying for funding. Especially support the process of developing less experienced investigators in the post holder s designated areas of responsibility, specifically providing expert guidance in the internal and external administrative processes around research funding. To identify and foster the exploitation of synergies across the College and the wider University to proactively facilitate, or respond to, opportunities for research and knowledge transfer funding. To be a source of expertise on relevant issues such as bid development, including core funder/consortia intelligence, tendering strategies, negotiations including contracting and related procurement issues, Full Economic Costing (fec), electronic submission systems including Je-S and e-gap, and research governance and ethics. To be responsible for advising on risk management of grant and contract activity and, in liaison with senior College management/other appropriate colleagues in the wider Finance Office, provide guidance on appropriate mitigation. To establish good working relations, workflows, and coordination between the CRS Office and other activities in the College and University, including, for example, the Marketing Team, Events Team, Research Support Group, and other parts of RSS and the wider Finance Office. Develop and manage quality assurance and demand management processes for all proposals developed in designated areas of responsibility. Network with fellow professionals in the wider community to ensure currency of professional knowledge and awareness of the UK HE agenda. Retain oversight of the completion of all necessary pre-tender and tender related documentation in a timely manner, including processing (and negotiating where necessary) of approvals. In collaboration with the Research Planning Officer or other Professional Services staff, where appropriate, develop outstanding impact documentation. To liaise closely with the Finance Office on financial and contractual matters, including supporting the contract process (e.g. to advise on critical contractual requirements and potential delivery risks). 2. Contributing to and facilitating the delivery of Research Strategies To contribute to strategic discussions and development of long term plans within the designated portfolio area, and, more broadly, the College, and, at times, alongside the Research Support Partner, within the wider University. To develop, with the Research Support Partner, and the School Director(s) of Research, an action plan to implement aspects of the College Research Strategy pertinent to their designated areas of responsibility, e.g. a structured approach to increasing both the number of applications for external funding and the success rate. Working with the Research Support Partner, provide support to College decision making on the direction and priority of its research support activities through effective market intelligence gathering, analyses, and internal reporting, including the evaluation of broader political, economic, and social trends as they relate to relevant areas of the jobholder s designated areas of responsibility. To work as a key member of appropriate School Committees, and in close collaboration with key academic research leads and School Directors of Research in the post holders designated areas of responsibility, to implement

3 agreed action plans and tailored support to the School and individual researchers, and share learning from internal and external sources. Working with the Research Support Partner, produce management information that is fit for purpose to support the implementation of the College Research Strategy, produce management reports on progress against targets that contribute to the overall College Strategic Plan and College Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and support reporting at the institutional level. To acquire and maintain a good knowledge of the capabilities, aspirations, and strengths of the researchers and academic staff in the designated area, and to proactively develop effective working relationships with these individuals in order to provide professional support for grant applications. To work as a key member of the CRS Team and wider University RSS team, to maintain a culture of customer service when delivering research support to the academic community, and to ensure adherence to agreed procedures for submitting applications for funding. 3. Identifying, promoting and developing opportunities for research funding Review University/College research strengths in the light of anticipated funding opportunities, and highlight priorities for strengthening and bringing together research capability in key areas. Organise, promote, and manage activities, such as thematic workshops and networking events, to build capacity in the areas identified, and, where there is potential, follow this through to the preparation of research bids. To support the academic research leads in identifying and exploiting research funding opportunities through the proactive exploration of the external research environment, identifying both established and nascent research funding sources. Network and engage with relevant funding and stakeholder organisations nationally and, where appropriate, internationally in support of gaining intelligence on and identifying funding opportunities, or in developing opportunities for funding with academic staff. Working with the Research Support Administrator, disseminate qualified and value-added information on such opportunities to appropriate academic staff through a range of appropriate channels in a timely manner. Proactively facilitate the exploration of funding opportunities with academic colleagues, identifying partnerships both within and outside the portfolio area where appropriate, and bringing these together to enable opportunities to be developed. Proactively match funding opportunities to academics. Remain abreast of research application and governance protocols that pertain to the jobholder s areas of responsibility, and to provide expert high-level advice and direction to academics on all aspects of the research funding and governance process. To seek feedback on submitted applications from funders and channel this intelligence appropriately, including sharing to other interested parties to inform the development of future applications. Develop and maintain relationships with members of funder s peer review panels/committees and strategic advisory boards in order to identify best practice relating to winning research funding, and gather intelligence and awareness of forthcoming opportunities.

4 4. Contributing to continuous improvement of research support infrastructure To work with the Research Support Partner and other colleagues across the wider research support ecosystem to continually seek process and systems improvement, develop or capture the sharing of best practice in research support, and help the implementation of both local and institutional-wide systems and processes. To identify and raise issues regarding the functioning of systems, and to suggest solutions when possible. To ensure all funding application activity within their agreed portfolio is accurately recorded on the appropriate monitoring systems/databases in a prompt manner. To advise Research Support Partner of relevant developments within the jobholder s designated areas of responsibility to assist management decisionmaking and coordination. To ensure adherence to College/University and external research application protocols, governance standards, and legislative requirements. Working collaboratively with School Directors of Research and Research Support colleagues in other parts of RSS and across the wider research support ecosystem in Birmingham, support the development and delivery of high quality research programmes. To produce high quality written papers/reports and presentations for a range of audiences (e.g. College Senior Management Team, RSS colleagues, and academics) on a wide range of topic areas associated with the wider responsibilities of the role. 5. Other To undertake any other relevant duties as required by the Head of the CRS Team.

5 Skills and Experience Knowledge and Skills Essential Honours degree or equivalent within a discipline clearly related to the College of Arts and Law core areas of academic activity. Significant knowledge of the UK research funding environment, key funders, and their processes relevant to the College s core research areas. Proven knowledge and understanding of research management and contract issues, such as research governance, ethical review, data protection, intellectual property, and budget preparation. Proven track record on providing significant support to successful funding applications. Experienced in the facilitation and formulation of research proposals sufficient to provide the College academy with detailed direction on scoping and developing bids/final grant applications, drawing together complementary inputs and data to enhance the quality of the final applications. Proven ability to enhance the quality of applications through critical review. Strong networking and relationship building skills. Strong communicator both verbally and in writing. Able to present to groups, negotiate a position, structure and present complex ideas and data in writing, and translate such complexity to make it accessible to others. Excellent analytical skills (financial, situational, and organisational). Confident and capable user of IT inclusive of all main Office products (e.g. Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word). Proven commitment to the delivery of exceptional customer service. Able to apply a significant amount of professional and independent judgement. Desirable Postgraduate qualification in a discipline relevant to the College of Arts and Law core areas of academic research activity. Experience of working in an academic, public-sector, or commercial research environment, and of higher education (HE) interaction with external agencies. Experience of supporting research in a discipline relevant to the College. Key Capabilities Strategic Thinking and Perspective Ability to think and inform strategically on matters relevant to the role, including integrating complex information from internal and external sources to inform, for example, research and knowledge transfer priorities. Excellent analytical skills (financial, situational, and organisational) with a proven ability to analyse complex information and present conclusions at both strategic and operational levels, clearly and concisely. Ability to contribute to strategy development and the formulation of operational plans for designated areas, and around Research and Knowledge Transfer in the College. Demonstrate an understanding of the strategic priorities and challenges for HE, and how activities sit within this context.

6 Organisational Understanding: Understands the context and options for development of their area and/or specialism within the complexity and diversity of the University. Performance and Resource Management Ability to work and manage others effectively, efficiently, and supportively when under pressure, prioritising a diverse workload and always responding professionally and in a customer focussed way. Creative attitude and excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to generate innovative responses when faced with a range of challenging scenarios. Communication Excellent oral and written communication skills with a wide range of audiences. Ability to confidently communicate one-on-one and in front of a group in a persuasive manner, gaining cooperation from people with disparate goals. Communicates with a wide range of styles appropriate to different individuals, groups, and situations. Working Collaboratively Ability to build trusted relationships and work as part of a diverse team in delivering challenging outcomes. Fosters co-operation and collaborative internal and external partnership working in order to achieve common goals to ultimately deliver the University Plan and develop the University.