Project Officer (Geostatistics) College of Medicine and Health 106898 Grade 6

Position Details

College of Medicine and Health

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 33002 to 35608 with potential progression once in post to 39906

Grade: 6

Part Time (18.75 hours per week)

Fixed Term contract up to November 2029

Closing date: 28th January 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond support them to succeed and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full almost 5000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we areand how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and depending on the role we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible addition you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year one paid day a year for volunteering occupational sick pay and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus including main bus routes and a train station on campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool shopsplaces to eat and drinkour own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

We areseekinga highly organised proactive and motivatedProject Officerto join the Research Delivery team part of the College of Medical & Dental Sciences Research Office to support the effective coordination and delivery of a large Gates Foundationfunded global health research. The successful candidate will playa central rolein managing communication across international partnersmaintainingproject documentation supporting reporting requirements and ensuring smooth operational delivery across all project components.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of global health international research collaboration and project management within the newly establishedGeostatisticsfor Population Healthresearch group at the University of Birmingham. The post holder will support a multi-country research programme by coordinating activities tracking progress preparing reports organising events and meetings and supporting dissemination and visibility of the groups work.

The Project Officer will work closely with Prof. Emanuele Giorgi and Dr ClaudioFronterre ensuring that project milestones are met partner interactions run smoothly and programme activitiesremainwell coordinated with the internationalcollaborators. The role will involve regular liaison with the NTD Modelling Consortium (University of Oxford) the Task Force for Global Health WHO/ESPEN and partner institutions worldwide. The post holder will also supportthe production ofcommunicationand disseminationmaterialson onlineplatforms andassistwith the preparation of reports and stakeholder updates.

This role is particularly suited to candidates with strong organisational communication and coordination skills and an enthusiasm for supporting international research programmes in global health. Applicants from backgrounds in project administration public health international development or research support are welcome.

About the project

TheGeostatisticsfor Global Health (GGH) initiative is a four-year Gates Foundationfunded programme led by Dr ClaudioFronterreand Prof Emanuele Giorgi at the University of Birmingham in partnership with the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Modelling Consortium (University of Oxford) the Task Force for Global Health WHO/ESPEN and regional research institutions across Africa Asia and the Americas.

The project aims to developvalidate and operationalizeadvanced spatial andspatio-temporal statistical methodsfor mapping and analysing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These methods will enhance the precision of disease surveillance improve targeting of control interventions and strengthen programme evaluation across endemic regions.

GGH will deliver open-source geostatistical tools reproducible R-based analytical pipelines and accessible training resources to ensure sustained use of these methods by partner institutions and national disease programmes. A key focus is on embedding geostatistical modelling capacity within African research centres to enable independent analysis and local ownership of spatial data systems.

The projects research portfolio includes methodological innovation in geostatistical model development integration of serological and entomological data modelling of infection intensity and the design of surveillance and post-elimination sampling strategies. Close collaboration with operational partners ensures that scientific advances translate directly into programme-relevant decision tools thereby contributing to global NTD elimination goals.

Role Summary

The Research Delivery team part of the College of Medical & Dental Sciences Research Office is a vibrant hub for Professional Service staff (120 individuals) supporting high-value strategically important projects and programmes. We work closely with both Professional Services colleagues and Academics across the University and partner organisations to maximise the impact of funded research and lead on the development of renewals for large infrastructure awards. The portfolio of research supported is wide ranging ( and includes the recently renewedNIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre - -and theNIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery - will support the effective coordination and delivery of theGeostatisticsfor Global Health (GGH)programme a four-year Gates Foundationfunded international research initiative led from the University of Birmingham. You willassistin managing designated workstreams contribute to project planning and monitoring and ensure smooth communication and reporting across a wide network of partners in Africa Asia the Americas and the UK.

Working closely with Prof. Emanuele Giorgi and Dr ClaudioFronterre you will helpmaintainproject documentation track milestones support progress reporting requirements and organise project meetings and research activities. You will also contribute to dissemination activities including preparing communication materials and supporting the online visibility of the project.

To support flexible resource use you may be asked to contribute to other activities within the School or College asrequired.

Main Duties

TheProjectOfficer will manage project components or support the management of multiple workstreams within the GGH programme by providing well-developed andtimelyproject management support. You will be expected to work proactivelyand use your initiative and planning skills to set your own priorities to ensure progress is maintained as expected identify any issue and propose solutions.

• To support Research Project delivery Project Boards workstreams and working groups led by the University of Birmingham and international partners.
• Support may include some or all of the following:
  • carrying out project planning activities;
  • identifying milestones which will need to be adhered to;
  • data collection and analysis;
  • milestone tracking/key performance indicator tracking across partners;
  • developing and proposing solutions for any issues;
  • recommending improvements to project management;
  • preparing progress reports for project boards or other meetings;
  • assisting in budgetary monitoring and management including reporting to funder;
  • assisting with stakeholder management maintaining regular contact with collaborators (e.g. NTD Modelling Consortium Task Force for Global Health WHO/ESPEN and regional partners) to understand needs and ensure coordinated progress.;
  • organise and support regular consortium calls workshops training sessions and coordination meetings including preparing agendas taking minutes and monitoring follow-up actions.;
  • assessing and escalating issues and risks as appropriate.
• Contribute to developing communications plans including preparing presentations project summaries newsletters and maintaining online content to promote the project.
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of project management methodologies.
• Determine short term priorities for own work ensuring you maximise quality efficiency and continuity.
• Assist in the evaluation and review of projects.
• You may be asked to manage other colleagues working on the project/s and this will include allocating work.
• Supports the Universitys sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge Skills Qualifications Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications).Where no equivalent qualification is held significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
• Significant practical experience in a similar role experience of using project management tools ideally within a research academic public health or international development environment.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy with the ability to write clearly and to analyse information and data.
• Highly proficient IT skills including the wider MS Office suite of programmes including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to understand policy processes and procedures but also to recommend improvements and implement changes.
• Excellent analytical skills used to produce reports identify issues and resolve them decisively.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. The post holder must inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and provide excellent customer service at all times.
• A high degree of professionalism tact and diplomacy and the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues.
• A high degree of initiative personal judgement resourcefulness flexibility and a self-motivating approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a large complex organisation and to develop a good understanding of howthe University and higher education institutions work.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting multi-country or multi-partner research programmes.
• Experience working in global health international NGOs universities or research consortia.

Further particulars can be foundhere

Informal enquiries to Jo Sartori email:

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.