Assistant Director (Grand Challenges) - Internal Secondment
Ref Number B09-01188
Professional Expertise: Professional Services Leadership
Department: Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) (B09)
Location: London
Working Pattern: Full time
Salary: £66,711–£72,370
Contract Type: Fixed-term
Working Type: Hybrid
Available for Secondment: Yes
Closing Date: 28-Jan-2025
About us
UCL is a radically different university. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, we were the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. Today UCL has over 50,000 students and 16,000 staff and is one of the world’s top 10 universities. We are a world-leading research university, and we are proud to be London’s leading multidisciplinary university, with over 9,000 academic and research staff. We are committed to engaging with the wider world, using our collective expertise to address global problems and making a positive impact locally, nationally and globally.
About the role
We are recruiting for a colleague to join the Grand Challenges team as Assistant Director (Grand Challenges) on a 9-month secondment. This secondment is open for applications to internal staff only.
This is a pivotal role which provides professional services leadership of the GC Themes of Climate crisis and Data Empowered Societies in a flagship institution-wide programme that aims to apply the collective expertise of our community and its partners to areas of pressing societal concern, as well as to influence the university's educational offering and institutional operations.
For each GC Theme, the Assistant Director will work closely with the GC Director and relevant Pro-Vice-Provosts (PVPs) to develop, deliver and evaluate an ambitious strategy and five-year plan for the generation of outputs and impacts by the Theme. This will include priorities and intended deliverables; steps to ensure diversity and inclusion are at the heart of each Theme; and processes to review each Theme’s activities and evaluate its achievements. The plan will need to reflect both the external stakeholders’ needs and UCL’s capacity and priorities relevant to each GC Theme, to be sufficiently adaptable to changes in the external or internal landscape, and to be complementary to UCL’s overarching objectives for the GC programme. The Assistant Director will manage implementation of each GC Theme’s plan and contribute to cross-GC planning, activities and evaluation.
About you
We are seeking a highly accomplished professional with demonstrable experience in planning and delivering major programmes within complex academic or knowledge-focused environments. The successful candidate will possess a deep understanding of the challenges associated with cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, alongside an extensive track record of effective collaboration both within organisations and with external partners, such as corporate, academic, governmental, or charitable entities.
You will have a proven ability to lead effective project teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously, delivering evidence-based solutions in partnership with diverse stakeholders. A key requirement is experience in challenge-based research or knowledge exchange activities, alongside a strong commitment to fostering innovation and continuous improvement.
Familiarity with issues relevant to UK higher education, particularly research and innovation, and a strong knowledge of impact agendas are essential. You should also demonstrate experience in writing or managing impactful outputs for varied audiences and a proven ability to manage funding streams effectively. Political and cultural awareness, resilience, and a collegial approach will be vital to thriving in this role. Additionally, you will need to be a confident communicator, comfortable negotiating, interacting with and influencing senior stakeholders.
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
* 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, and 6 closure days)
* Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
* Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
* On-site gym
* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
* Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
* Discounted medical insurance
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here.
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