The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Operations Manager ( Assessment & College Operations)
Salary: £36,650 per annum
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract type: Open Ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire
Grade: UKRI Band D
Positions available: 1
Closing date: 09 March 2025
Proposed interview date: w/c 31/03/25 (virtual)
About the role and team
This post within AHRC’s Operations Team will manage and deliver activity in the Peer Review College (PRC) area of Operations, act as a trusted subject matter expert on assessment and operational matters related to the College and drive forward continuous improvement activities in the area.
The AHRC Operations Team is responsible for all operational aspects of AHRC’s work: Grants delivery, Policy and Process, PRC, and our Responsive Mode portfolio. The team will be central to ensuring that AHRC makes a success of change brought by the Simpler Better Funding programme.
At full complement, the PRC is made up of around 1300 experts from across academia and sectors/organisations that are relevant to arts and humanities research, who assess applications received to AHRC’s funding opportunities.
The post-holder will work closely with the Senior Operations Manager (Assessment & College Operations) and Head of Funding Operations, managing: PRC membership (full lifecycle; recruitment to end of tenure), process improvement projects, performance reporting and membership recognition activities, reviewer and panellist engagement and training activities, and evidence-based reviews to develop new and innovative strategies. This will involve regular collaboration across the Operations Team, wider AHRC and UKRI, as well as working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
Key areas of responsibilities
1. Manage day-to-day Peer Review College operations to ensure that the membership body is appropriately supported and their expertise is deployed effectively.
2. Manage PRC cyclical membership performance reporting and recognition activities, ensuring that excellent performance is rewarded. Take proactive ownership of improvement projects in this area.
3. Develop and maintain relationships with PRC members to ensure the College continues to work smoothly.
4. Lead, manage and coordinate recruitment, engagement, and training activities. Support meaningful two-way engagement between AHRC and our PRC members, ensuring that they are equipped with appropriate knowledge of process and policy to be able to complete high-quality assessment.
5. Lead, manage and participate in a range of projects and interventions that improve the performance of the PRC, assessment of funding applications and utilisation of the college as a strategic asset, focusing on streamlining processes whilst maintaining robustness and delivering a consistent, high-quality service.
6. Maintain appropriate internal and external documentation so that information flows in the most meaningful and productive way.
7. Task-manage staff to ensure high levels of performance are achieved, and potentially line manage staff and support their career development.
Shortlisting criteria
(S) – Assessed at shortlisting
(I) – Assessed at interview
(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview
Essential:
* You are a self-starter and take ownership of your work; motivated to achieve outcomes, take initiative to manage projects, improve policy or process, and delegate effectively where appropriate. (S+I)
* You are an excellent communicator, both verbal and written, able to convey complex information to a variety of audiences. (S+I)
* You are a strong and positive team worker with great interpersonal and influencing skills, able to negotiate effectively with colleagues at different levels inside and outside the organisation. (S+I)
* You can think creatively, solve problems, and make effective decisions, sometimes in a challenging environment. (S+I)
* You can use and interpret data to reach a conclusion, with an analytical mind-set and strong attention to detail. (S+I)
* You can proactively plan and prioritise your work and that of others to meet competing deadlines whilst avoiding duplication of effort. (S+I)
* You can demonstrate an ability to manage and supervise the work of others, including those you do not directly line manage, including supporting their wellbeing and their professional development. (S+I)
* You possess a good working knowledge of IT (preferably MS packages) and databases, with the ability to quickly learn new software and systems. (S)
Desirable:
* You have a good understanding of research funding, higher education or research, gained through a professional, voluntary or educational context. (S+I)
About The Arts and Humanities Research Council
The AHRC supports world-class research that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity. It supports research and postgraduate training in a wide range of subject areas, from ancient history and heritage science to modern dance and digital content. Research into these areas helps us to interpret our experiences, probe our identities, interrogate our cultural assumptions and understand our historical, social, economic and political context. It adds to the economic success of the UK, through its contributions to the knowledge economy and innovation agenda. The research we fund can lead to improvements in social and intellectual capital, community identity, learning skills, technological evolution and the quality of life of the nation.
Further details can be found via the following links: https://ahrc.ukri.org/
About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.
Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.
More information can be found at www.ukri.org.
Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
How we support EDI in the workforce
At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.
Disability Confident Employer
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
How to apply
Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.
UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
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