CENTRE-UB Project Officer College of Life and Environmental Sciences 103002 Grade 6

Position Details

College of Life and Environmental Sciences

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

As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is 33002

Grade: 6

Full Time Fixed Term contract up to September 2027

Closing date: 19th February 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

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City offering an inspiring education to our students and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open critical thinking and the creation sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally nationally and globally. They ensure the Universitys resources are used wisely manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. OurBirmingham Professional programme operates across the University supporting colleagues to network and collaborate offering opportunities to learn and develop contributing to the delivery of the Universitys objectives and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

CDT Overview

Centre-UB is an ESRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training Plus located at the University of Birmingham. It provides national training and research opportunities for postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate researchers and for employees of external private and public sector organisations. Its focus is on understanding behaviour and how behaviour can be the cause and solution to many pressing challenges facing our Centre is multidisciplinary and outward looking we believe that to understand behaviour you need to view it through the lens of different disciplines and appreciate that human behaviour is embedded within multiple systems.

Job Summary

To provide day-to-day coordination and management of Centre-UB activities and operations and in doing so work closely with Centre-UB Directors and Researcher Development Officer. This will involve liaising with external partners in government and other organisations as well as professional services and academic colleagues within the University of Birmingham. The role will also include organising and supporting events throughout the year including training research and public engagement events. The post-holder will also work closely with the Centre Director (Professor Woodhams) to create and maintain a non-academic impact log for the Centre which will involve collating information from various sources and people. Centre-UB is an outwardly facing centre serving a UK audience therefore the postholder will support the development of marketing and dissemination order to flexibly use resource you may be offered the opportunity to work elsewhere in the wider University.

Main Duties

Project Officers will manage smaller projects in their entirety or manage elements of larger projects or assist in the management of one or more larger projects through the provision of well-developed and timely project management support. You will be expected to work proactively and use your initiative and planning skills to set your own priorities to ensure progress is maintained as expected identify any issues and propose solutions.

• Support Research Project delivery Project Boards workstreams and working groups within an overall project or manage elements of larger projects or smaller projects on your own.
• 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;
  • 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;
  • assisting with stakeholder management developing and maintaining regular contact with internal and external stakeholders to understand requirements;
  • assessing and escalating issues and risks as appropriate.
• Contribute to developing communications plans presentations and promoting the projects and outcomes of projects/workstreams.
• 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.
• Support the Universitys sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Promote 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 with experience of project management and using project management tools.
• 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 postholder 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 how the 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.

Role context

Roles at this level will require expertise and a detailed understanding of methods systems and procedures in an administrative or professional area. You will either use specialist knowledge or have more of a planning/co-ordination/project role or a role which is supervisory in nature where you may manage a team doing similar kinds of work. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve queries; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances all with limited guidance/supervision.

Core competencies/transferable skills

Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully use the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below. As appropriate for the level our Birmingham Professionals will take ownership for getting things done. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.

Planning and organising

• project management;
• prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery;
• set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
• manage a team of staff who are carrying out similar kinds of work;
• contribute to written documents for example handbook or guidelines internal to the area taking account of audience;
• operate with limited supervision as they will have considerable scope for initiative within established work procedures.

Problem solving and decision making

• anticipate and identify issues in own area based on experience;
• make appropriate suggestions for improvements and implement these when agreed in own area;
• facilitate change and articulate the implications and benefits of change to others;
• focus on determining short-term priorities of work area and how to maximise quality efficiency and continuity.

Organisational understanding

• quickly develop an understanding of their working area and how it contributes to the success of the University;
• display an interest in how the University operates beyond own working area; develop and share this knowledge with others.

Relationships and communication

• develop and maintain excellent working relationships in own area and more widely as required for collaborative working opportunities;
• communicate clearly and openly with others both within and external to the University and use a range of communication skills and strategies to gain commitment to a course of action;
• demonstrate collaborative working at all times including with others outside the immediate work area.

Informal enquiries to Tamara Jordan email:

View our staff values and behaviourshere.

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.