Head of Research Operations - Research Strategy and Services - 100823 - Grade 9

This is a permanent, full-time Head of Research Operations role for the College of Medicine & Health at the University of Birmingham. The position involves leading a team to manage pre-award research support, including proposal development, budget preparation, compliance, and contract negotiation. Key requirements include a degree or equivalent experience, significant managerial experience, and expertise in drafting complex research agreements with a pragmatic, risk-based approach.

• Working with your Research Support Managers, lead a Research Support Team of c25 research support professionals to effectively manage and agree prioritisation of workload across all aspects of pre-award research support including: research development
• research facilitation and support for proposal drafting
• budget preparation and costing
• compliance with funder terms and conditions
• regulatory compliance and trusted research, including due diligence on partners and funders and referrals for export control
• negotiation and agreement of research contracts and research-related agreements.
• Ensure timely monitoring and reporting to senior colleagues in RSSD and the College of key performance indicators including grant applications, awards, contribution, success rates and contracts clearance levels.
• Develop and lead innovations in research support that seek to enhance these measures and ensure that the impact of service innovations is clearly understood, that systemic issues are recognised and addressed, teams are supported to effectively deliver, and services are continually improved.
• As a contracts signatory for the University, ensure that there is a clear negotiating framework for all research and research related contracts, that is regularly reviewed and updated, which supports the negotiation of all agreements relating to research, ensuring that this includes appropriate provision for the protection of Intellectual Property, the effective transfer and protection of data including highly sensitive data, the right to publish academic work, and the recovery of appropriate funds to support research to support the overall financial position of the Colleges and university.
• Developing staff within the team to do the same, ensuring a strong, proportionate and risk-based approach to research contracting at the University.
• These agreements will include: industry-funded contract research, collaboration agreements, material transfer agreements, confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements and will also include trials specific agreements such as sponsorship agreements, and site agreements.
• To support teams with the more complex research applications and contracts as and when required, leading on such projects whilst providing team members the opportunity to develop their own skills in this regard via close working and ongoing mentorship in a culture of continuous professional development.
• Develop strong external networks across the Russell Group, professional bodies and wider sector to ensure the delivery of best practice at Birmingham.
• Empower the team to do the same, ensuring that the University is well connected and influential with major funders, partners, and collaborators from public sector, industry and policy organisations.
• Develop and embed a strong culture of collaboration, information and data sharing, and symbiotic working across the team to provide an agile, responsive and customer-focused service to researchers, external partners, and funders, to support the research ambitions of the College and the wider University in line with the Strategic Framework.
• Be responsible for HR matters within the team, leading and developing staff and ensuring that the recruitment, development and retention of highly capable staff is supported by clear development/career plans and performance processes and providing active support for, and leadership of, EDI matters.
• Bring innovative and creative solutions to the work of the Research Strategy & Services Division and working across the other RSSD Hubs to embed best practice, consistent and effective ways of working and to lead programmes of change.
• Act as an ambassador for the University, upholding and promoting the University’s values and interests and deputising for the Deputy Director as required in high level delegations to campus from senior, board level representatives of major funders and partners ensuring that the University builds strong and effective partnerships in the pursuit of research income, impact, and influence.
• Develops and implements a culture (including policies and procedures) that promotes equality and values diversity and inclusion.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade, as required from time-to-time by the Deputy Director.

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent level qualifications), or extensive experience of working in a complex organisation plus substantial relevant managerial experience.
• Experience of drafting and reviewing complex research agreements using a pragmatic and risk-based approach.
• Ability to exercise a substantial degree of independent professional responsibility and discretion.
• Ability to lead and manage diverse groups of staff through intermediate managers.
• A strong knowledge of, and interest in, national and international research policy and operations.
• Strong empathy for the academic endeavour at a research-intensive university and the ability to develop strong partnerships with senior leadership across the institution.
• Significant experience of providing senior practitioner support to complex issues relating to research contracts, compliance with funders terms, trusted research, research governance, research culture, and being recognised as a trusted expert and developing individuals and teams to do the same.
• Knowledge and experience of research funding and facilitation.
• Significant experience of leading and/or co-ordinating large, strategic partnerships that involve universities, public sector bodies, policy organisations, and industry.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write for different audiences and for different purposes, and to produce and analyse complex source material, information and data.
• Actively promotes equality and diversity to internal and external stakeholders.
• Able to use data to identify, and develop interventions to address, equality and diversity issues

• People are at the heart of what we are and do.
• The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
• With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
• We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.
• We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
• Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements.
• We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.
• In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme.
• We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
• The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
• Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
• We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge.
• Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience.
• They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally.
• They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence.
• Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.
• benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
• Birmingham Professional programme
• operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.