The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) - Head Office
Salary: £45,272
Band: UKRI E
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 30 hours per week)
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - hybrid working available
Closing date: 02/02/25
Purpose:
This new role provides expertise in running an efficient and effective grant funding operations across the breadth of the NERC remit, which is crucial to enable the delivery of NERC’s strategic ambitions set out in our Delivery Plan.
Providing subject matter expertise and working alongside the NERC Funding Lead, you will be the first port-of-call for challenging and complex grant operations and delivery questions. The role engages widely across NERC and UKRI to support the delivery of grant operations across the range of NERC funding streams.
This role is key to facilitating the transition and continuous improvement of NERC grant operations from the Siebel-supported grants system to the Funding Service (TFS) as part of UKRI’s Simpler, Better Funding programme, which is now in its final stages of delivery.
The role reports to the NERC Funding Lead and will have a significant level of interaction across NERC as well as senior and operational stakeholders and colleagues across other UKRI Councils and the UKRI Corporate hub. The role is part of a high impact team of senior business managers. Working alongside the Funding Policy Lead and Peer Review and Best Practice Lead, together you will ensure that funding systems, policy and practice are coordinated across NERC.
Responsibilities:
* Manage funding and grant operations across the entirety of the NERC grant portfolio acting as the first escalation point for complex issues regarding calls, eligibility, review scheduling/timetabling, rejection of grants, research grant policy advice (both pre and post award), peer review process advice, reprofiling of awards, review content etc.
* Line management of Grants Managers and Business Managers.
* Authorise research grants & additional funding streams, as required, for large awards and to manage peaks of activity.
* Policy lead for Demand Management (DM), including data preparation and final allocation to HEIs of DM cap an annual basis.
* Manage and facilitate change and transition into the Funding Service (TFS) to enable NERC’s core delivery to be effectively transitioned to the new service and continuous improvement.
* Provide OBIEE (and Data Bank) subject matter expertise for a wide range of grant portfolio queries e.g. NERC facilities usage, Project Partner contributions, ODA.
* Support and input into activities where your subject matter expertise is needed, including representing NERC on relevant UKRI groups and networks.
* Deputise for the Funding Lead as required.
* Working closely with Policy and Peer Review lead colleagues to ensure the coordination of funding operations, policy and processes across NERC funding streams.
Person Specification
The below criteria will be assessed at Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I)
* Expertise and experience of managing research grant operations and delivery with excellent understanding of relevant policies. (S/I)
* Ability to build and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with programme managers and colleagues at all levels of the organisation.(S/I)
* Experience of managing system change as a user and ideally of TFS, Seibel and DataBank.(S)
* Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to establish credibility and rapport with external stakeholders. (I)
* Demonstrable initiative and problem-solving skills, and experience of managing operational issues to resolution in a collaborative and positive way, including appropriately identifying and escalating issues and risks.(I)
* The ability to communicate, influence, and negotiate effectively to deliver tangible outcomes for the organisation. (I)
* Understanding of the research and innovation landscape in the UK, including the role of NERC and UKRI and the current context in which we operate. (S/I)
* Excellent team working skills, and experience of leading and working as a member of a team on activities within and across teams and organisations. (I)
* Ability to manage and motivate direct reports, including building resilience to ambiguity and change, and experience of line managing individuals to meet their full potential, recognising the importance of work-life balance. (I)
Location
The Funding Operations team is based at the Natural Environment Research Council in Swindon. Some national travel may be required.
Please submit an application including your CV and a Cover Letter that showcases how your skills and experience align to the requirements of the role.
A well thought through application providing evidence and examples of how you meet the advertised essential and desirable criteria for the post will be considered far more favourably than a generic covering letter and CV.
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