19559BR
The Research Service
Administrative Support
Research System Team Administrator
The Research Service is recruiting for the exciting role of Research System Team Administrator. Working within the Research system team, the main purpose of the role is to provide comprehensive administrative support to the research systems that support the lifecycle of a research project (Converis, Worktribe, Oracle, and Business Objects).
The Research System Team Administrator will support the Head of Research Systems in ensuring the seamless operation of research systems. This involves collaborating with technical teams, addressing daily queries related to Worktribe, Converis, and other specialized research tools, and providing basic troubleshooting for research systems used across Cardiff University. The role will act as a point of contact for the academic and research community for research system queries, monitoring and responding to service requests calls, and escalating to functional and technical leads as required. The role requires the creation of clear, concise, and user-friendly user guides and system documentation to meet the needs of end-users. Additionally, the post-holder may be required to provide training and support to university staff on various research system applications.
The ideal candidate will possess strong organizational skills, a proactive problem-solving approach, and the ability to collaborate effectively with research and technical colleagues to meet the operational needs of the Research Systems Team.
This role is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus, you can also choose to spend some time working from another location, e.g., your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance.
As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organization, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.
The post is full-time, available immediately, and is fixed-term for 18 months.
Starting salary: £27,644 per annum, with annual increments up to £30,805 per annum (final salary at top of grade).
If you have any questions about the job, require further details, or would like to arrange an informal visit, please feel free to contact Paul Williams, Acting Head of Research Systems, via email at WilliamsP25@cardiff.ac.uk. He will be happy to provide additional information and assist with any inquiries you may have.
Date advert posted: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Closing date: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Job Description
Key Duties
* Provide detailed advice and guidance on the Research System teams processes and procedures to internal and external customers (staff, students, or members of the public), using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action, and contributing to the solving of more complex issues.
* Work with others to make recommendations to improve our research systems.
* Establish productive relationships with key individuals (University colleagues and external contacts) to help improve the level of service the team provides to its customers.
* Maintain and review research systems to ensure data quality and prepare strategic and management reports.
* Instruct and guide colleagues across the University through the development of training material, user documentation, and training workshops.
* Perform a variety of administrative duties to support the team and department achieve its objectives.
General Duties
* Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
* Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
* Uphold the Professional Services Values & Behaviours or local equivalent.
Person Specification
We want to employ people with a wide variety of experiences. We welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We are particularly seeking applications from candidates who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented at the University, including people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
We are looking for a team player who will work with colleagues to provide a great service to staff and students. You don’t need to have worked for a university before; this is an opportunity to show your potential and start or continue your career at Cardiff University.
This role may be an opportunity for you to build on your experience from working in a previous administrative role or environment with particular interest in research systems showing your transferable skills and aptitude to be successful in the role. You should be enthusiastic about developing your knowledge and skills to become a valued member of the team.
Your application will be assessed against the following essential and desirable criteria for the role. Please copy and paste this section into a new document and give clear examples of how you can evidence meeting each criterion by writing under each one. You can draw on elements from any aspect of your life (e.g., work, home, education/qualifications, or community life) if you focus on their relevance to the role.
Please save your supporting statement in a separate document with the title [YOURNAME-BR NUMBER-JOB TITLE] and attach it to your application in the recruitment system.
Please note that these are also the criteria shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g., a skills test).
Essential Criteria
* Able to communicate complex ideas clearly and professionally to different people. Strong presentation skills and the ability to explain information in a simple way for those who are not specialists.
* Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 (SharePoint, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint). Willing and able to learn new skills when needed.
* Experience in an administrative role and the ability to create and improve office systems and procedures.
* Ability to advise and influence key stakeholders in your area of work to make informed decisions.
* Able to understand customers' needs and adjust service to provide high-quality support while following and adhering to university guidelines and procedures.
* Ability to use your initiative and creativity to advise and solve problems, respond to queries and make recommendations, identifying and proposing practical solutions.
* Able to work independently and meet deadlines by planning, setting, and tracking your own and your team’s priorities.
Additional Information
Person Specification Continued
* Experience of working in a similar role or environment, e.g., Higher Education.
* Specialist knowledge of research grant application processes, including the various stages of bid development, and expertise in utilizing costing and pricing tools to develop competitive grant applications.
* Experience in the use of WorkTribe or another comparable system.
* Ability to speak/understand Welsh or a willingness to learn.
How We Will Support You In Performing This Role
We want to support and develop you in the role, using a combination of the following to help you reach your full potential.
* Regular one-to-one meetings with your team leader.
* An experienced and supportive team around you.
* Support to undertake job-relevant training and development, as identified by your Line Manager. This could be informal or could be an apprenticeship leading to a formal qualification, such as Business administration NVQ.
* A staff mentoring scheme.
* Support to learn Welsh or to update language skills.
The Research Service
Cardiff is an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. Our world-leading research was ranked 5th for quality amongst UK universities in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework and we provide an educationally outstanding experience for our 30,000 students. With an annual budget in excess of £500 million and around 6,000 staff, Cardiff is a member of the Russell Group of the 24 leading UK research-intensive universities. The University has 24 academic schools grouped into three colleges: Biomedical & Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.
The University’s ambition is to rank consistently among the top 100 universities in the world. Cardiff is also developing its Innovation System through a focused programme of investment in people and infrastructure. Research funding secured from competitive, external sources exceeds £100 million annually and the University aims to grow this further through winning grants from a wide range of national and global sources.
The Research Service supports the University’s research community in initiating and delivering research and innovation activities. Led by the Director, Vanessa Cuthill, we provide services via over 100 expert staff organized in five specialist teams: Research Grants Office; Research Integrity, Governance and Ethics; Research Development; Research Commercialisation and Impact; Research Strategy and Operations and Business Engagement and Partnerships. The Department works closely with academic and professional services staff from all areas of the institution.
Salary Range Min.
27,644
Salary Range Max.
30,805
Job Category
Admin / Clerical
Grade
Grade 4 #J-18808-Ljbffr