Research Culture Administrator

Job Purpose

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Research Culture & Researcher Development portfolio within the University's central Research Services Directorate. The Research Culture Administrator will support the Research Culture Team in delivering a comprehensive framework of events, programmes, and initiatives that align with the University's Research Strategy and support its commitment to the University of Glasgow's five Research Culture Priorities.

The post-holder will assist the Research Culture Team in the delivery and evaluation of established programmes of development activity across the research ecosystem, inclusive of PGRs, research staff, research professional staff, and research leaders. The role is essential to the operations of the team, including leading on all aspects of administrative support, finance administration, communications, and events organisation.

The Research Culture Administrator will work collaboratively with the Research Culture Team and the wider Research Culture and Researcher Development Team to achieve the team's objectives. The post-holder will also liaise with internal and external providers, networks, and colleagues to support the work, visibility, and growth of the Research Culture Team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Be the Research Culture Team's key point of contact for providing appropriate, accurate, and sensitive advice and responses to Research Culture queries arising.
2. Coordinate support across the Research Culture projects, events, networks, communities, and programmes, providing an efficient and positive attendee experience.
3. Be the Research Culture Team's key point of contact for financial processes, including maintaining accurate and up-to-date spending records, budget management, and procurement processes.
4. Support the Research Culture Team to accurately track projects, maintain comprehensive and accurate programme data, and documentation.
5. Assist in the accurate and timely completion of the Research Culture Team's annual reporting cycle and ad hoc reporting requests.
6. Liaise with the appropriate departments to ensure compliance with university procedures and policies.
7. Liaise with internal and external providers, networks, and colleagues to support the work, visibility, and growth of the Research Culture Team.
8. Support the Research Culture Specialists to review initiatives and programmes, identifying provision gaps, and liaising with colleagues both internally and externally.
9. Coordinate access to and support for use of UofG and third-party platforms, tools, software, applications, subscriptions, and licences required by the Research Culture Team.
10. Engage in professional development activities as appropriate and in line with the UofG Values.
11. Work collaboratively with the different Operations and Administrative colleagues across the Research Services Directorate to share best practice in maintaining an effective administrative service.
12. Be an effective team player who is cooperative, communicative, and gains the trust and support of colleagues and partners through respectful collaboration and building consensus.
13. Perform other duties as requested, consistent with the grade level of the position and agreeing appropriate prioritisation of work with line management or other relevant stakeholders as needed.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Essential:

• A1 SCQF Level 7 (HNC, VQ3, Highers, City & Guilds or equivalent), or ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with the level of post, having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar role.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the administrative delivery processes and procedures underpinning programme delivery, event management & delivery, and evaluation.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the administrative requirements for budget management, procurement, and financial processes.
• Operational knowledge of University of Glasgow systems or equivalent experience with similar systems.
• Familiarity with digital platforms for communicating with researchers and research professional staff, such as website development, survey data collection, communication design platforms, or event management systems.
• Familiarity with equality, diversity, and inclusion policies, GDPR, health and safety, and broader safeguarding approaches and policies.

Desirable:

• Understanding of the Higher Education landscape of research culture and researcher development.
• Understanding of the University structure, policies, practices, and procedures, and working knowledge of the activities of other areas of the University that relate to supporting researchers and research professional staff.

Skills:

• Excellent organisational skills, with a proven ability to plan and prioritise your own workload efficiently and to produce work of a high standard and to regular deadlines.
• High degree accuracy with excellent attention to detail when handling large volumes of information from multiple sources.
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 and relevant software skills, the ability to manipulate spreadsheet data using formulae, and confidence in picking up new systems and using them effectively in support of work activities.
• Ability to work independently, proactively using own initiative and judgement to resolve problems in a calm, creative, pragmatic, and timely way, consulting with senior colleagues as appropriate.
• Ability to work as part of a team to deliver first-class support to researchers and colleagues across the university, demonstrating the interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy that builds positive relationships.
• A high standard of written communication for corresponding with researchers and colleagues across the institution about development opportunities.
• Ability to respond and adapt to changing priorities and systems, reviewing and improving processes and procedures in response to those priorities.
• Ability to deal professionally and sensitively with data, working in an ethical and legal manner in accordance with all relevant legislation (including GDPR).

Desirable:

• Willingness to develop new skills and knowledge and the flexibility to take on new challenges when required.
• Website maintenance and social media curation.

Experience:

• Experience of supporting a framework of provision, including events, training, and other innovative deliveries, maintaining awareness of how that content meets strategic drivers.
• Experience of delivering events management, through the full process from procurement to bookings to catering to on-the-day support to follow up, working systematically to deadlines, with attention to detail.
• Experience of administrating a budget, including procurement and payments, through IT systems.
• Experience using a range of software systems and proven experience of having upskilled in new systems and developed effective new processes.
• Experience of building working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and key contacts, both internal and external to the immediate team or organisation.
• Experience of communications in a customer-focused environment, for example, by maintaining a team inbox, creating newsletters, maintaining static digital information, responding appropriately to queries, and working with a wide variety of colleagues and key contacts, both internal and external to the immediate team or organisation.
• Experience of careful and timely file-management, record-keeping, analysing data from records, extracting reports, diary/space management, and resolving related problems.
• Proven experience of independent problem-solving, decision-making, planning, organising, and setting priorities.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 5, £25,138 - £29,605 per annum. This post is full-time (35 hours p/w) and open-ended. As part of Team UofG, you will be a member of a world-changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity, and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
• A flexible approach to working.