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Director of Research Services

Ref REG0345
Location Canterbury
Job Type Management & Professional
Contract Type Open Ended
Salary Type Per Annum
Salary (£) 58420
REG0345 Research Services, Closing Date: 23 October 2011

The Role

This is a key strategic and managerial post, reporting to and working closely with the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise in the delivery of the University's Research and Impact Strategy. The Director of Research Services will also support and advise other members of the Executive Group when appropriate and is a member of the Managers' Forum of directors of professional services and heads of academic schools. The post holder is expected to be proactive in developing the range and quality of research support and administration, and in maintaining and improving the policies and procedures that deliver them. The director provides the authoritative source of guidance and advice on research management in the University and liaises with senior academic and professional staff in this and related areas. The director will maintain links with key institutions and people in the research funding environment, including the research councils, HEFCE, ARMA UK, UKRO and European research programmes and private and charitable sector funders.
The Person

The successful candidate will hold a good degree or equivalent qualification with strong experience of a senior management position. They will have a record of successful management and motivation of a diverse team of staff and experience of leadership in higher education or a related sphere.
Experience of managing a departmental budget will be essential, as are the ability to articulate a strategy for Research Services in the context of the University's objectives and excellent communication skills with the ability to convey ideas to, and negotiate effectively with a wide range of people and seniorities.
For full details of the person specification please see the further particulars link at the bottom of the page.

The Department

The Research Services office consists of 22 staff whose work covers the development of grant winning capacity, advice and support for staff preparing and submitting applications, the management of research contracts and accounts, development and maintenance of data bases and information systems to support and report on research income, oversight of research governance and ethics procedures, and management of preparations for submissions to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Five posts report to the Director for these functions (Research Funding Manager, Contracts Manager, Research Accounts Manager, Research Data Systems Officer and Research Ethics and Governance Officer).
The Research Services office and the Director are situated in the main Registry Building with one member of staff based on the Medway campus. They provide support and advice to the Pro Vice-Chancellor and maintain frequent contact with academic and professional staff in the faculties, schools and other administrative sections. The University is committed to maximizing the quality and impact of the research it conducts and to developing and increasing sources of grant income to support research activity. Research grants and contracts currently generate some £14m a year. As a consequence of its performance in RAE 2008 the University increased its quality related research funding (QR) from HEFCE by nearly 50% to over £12m a year. A central objective of the research strategy is to increase funding from all these sources. The University is continuing to invest in new staff and developing the skills of existing staff in order to build on the successes in RAE 2008.

Further Information

Closing date for applications: 23 Oct 2011
Interviews will be held: Nov 2011
To apply please complete the on line application process.
For posts of this nature you will be required to fill in the main details section as well as upload your CV which should include a one page summary (this should include details of experience and other information in support of your application with direct reference to the advertisement and further particulars) and any supporting documents.

Full Job Description

further_particulars)reg0345.docx
further_particulars)reg0345.pdf


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