Research Support and Development Manager Research Strategy & Services Division 107013 Grade 8

Position Details

Research Strategy & Services Division

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 47389 to 56535 with potential progression once in post to 63606

Grade: 8

Full Time Permanent

Closing date: 1st March 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 Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD) provides an integrated end-to-end approach to research strategy development and delivery. RSSD brings together research strategy development grants and contracts partnerships business engagement impact governance systems and data policy and environment and regulatory compliance into a single connected ecosystem enabling a consistently high-quality and proactive research support service across the University.

The College of Arts & Law (CAL) is home to a diverse and vibrant research portfolio spanning arts humanities law and creative practice. Research in CAL is characterised by intellectual depth methodological diversity strong connections to policy culture and society and growing ambition around interdisciplinary collaboration external partnerships and impact. The College has a clear trajectory for growth in competitive funding and strategic partnerships supported by a strong collaborative approach across the RSSD and the College-based teams under the senior leadership of the College Director of Research Professor de Londras the Director of Operations Rachel Allmark and Assistant Director RSSD David Evans.

Role Summary

The Research Support & Development Manager (CAL) is a senior leadership role within the RSSD College Hub responsible for leading the CAL Research Support Team and delivering a high-quality proactive pre-award research support service across the College working in close partnership with the College Director of Research.

The role holder will lead and develop a team of research support professionals covering proposal development costing and pricing funder compliance due diligence and research addition the role holds a defined portfolio of hands-on research development activity working closely with academic leaders and Research Strategy & Development Partners to support priority funding opportunities and strategically important bids.

Reporting to the Assistant Director (Research Partnerships & Impact) the post holder will act as a key bridge between research strategy and delivery ensuring that CALs research ambitions are translated into well-supported competitive applications and that researchers experience a coherent responsive and trusted support service. The post holder will be expected to work in close partnership with the College based research support team maintaining clear lines of communication to ensure a high-quality service for academic colleagues.

Main Duties

• Lead and manage the CAL Research Support Team creating a positive inclusive and high-performing environment that supports staff development wellbeing and progression.
• Agree and manage the prioritisation of workload across the team balancing strategic demand service standards and capacity.
• Provide coaching mentoring and professional guidance to team members supporting the development of expertise across grants contracts and research development activity.
• Ensure the effective delivery of a comprehensive pre-award research support service across CAL including:
  • Research proposal development and submission
  • Costing and pricing of research projects
  • Compliance with funder terms and conditions
  • Due diligence of external partners and trusted research requirements
  • Negotiation and agreement of research and research-related contracts
  • Accurate recording and reporting of activity through institutional systems (e.g. Worktribe).
• Hold responsibility for a defined portfolio of grants and contracts work acting as a senior practitioner on more complex or higher-risk proposals.
• Provide authoritative advice to researchers on eligibility funder expectations collaboration models contractual considerations and institutional requirements.
• Ensure effective pre-to-post award handover in partnership with post-award College and finance colleagues.
• Deliver a targeted portfolio of research development activity aligned to CAL priorities working with the College Director of Research academic leads and colleagues from across the College and RSSD.
• Contribute to the shaping and delivery of College research plans by identifying funding opportunities risks and capacity-building needs.
• Support the development of major or complex bids including interdisciplinary and externally partnered proposals providing hands-on input as required.
• Build strong trusted relationships with academic leaders and researchers across CAL acting as a key point of contact for research support and development activity.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across RSSD (including impact business engagement governance systems and finance) to deliver joined-up support.
• Establish effective working relationships with other Professional Services teams to ensure smooth progression of research activity through institutional processes.
• Personally model the Values of the University and in particular those in the Strategic Framework and Birmingham Professional.
• Undertake any other duties as required from time-to-time by the Assistant Directors (Research Strategy & Services Division).

Required Knowledge Skills Qualifications Experience

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent) with significant relevant experience in research support research development or research management.
• Substantial experience of providing senior practitioner support across research grants and/or contracts including complex or high-value activity.
• Demonstrable experience of leading motivating and developing teams in a complex organisational environment.
• Strong understanding of the UK and international research funding landscape including funder expectations and compliance requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build credibility and trust with academic and professional colleagues.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to exercise sound judgement and manage risk proportionately.
• Excellent communication skills with experience of producing high-quality briefings reports or guidance.
• Confidence in using research management systems and data to inform decision-making and service improvement.

Informal enquiries to David Evans 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.