Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS
Advert
This post is currently open to employees of Cardiff University only. Please do not apply if you do not have a current contract of employment with the University.
Internal Applicants Only - Head of Service Delivery
The department of Research and Innovation Services (soon to be the Research Service) are seeking to appoint 3 x Head of Service Delivery roles to lead the school-based research and innovation support service colleagues in each College.
The Head of Service Delivery will lead the Research and Innovation Team located in the relevant College (College teams) to work as part of the wider Research Service department with consistent processes which support academics and researchers to achieve excellent research outcomes, whilst minimising bureaucracy, adopting appropriate risk-based approaches, and placing researchers at the centre of service delivery. The roles will work collaboratively with the Research Service senior management team and their supporting teams to configure Research Delivery Groups, ensuring the service provided across the full range of Research Service support areas is of the highest quality, is transparent to academics and researchers on the ground, and is proactive in its delivery of support.
A positive, collegiate, and compassionate approach will be vital to the success of the service, and the postholder will lead by example in exhibiting positive behaviours and promoting a values-led approach to effective service delivery and collaboration.
Successful candidates will work in a highly collaborative manner with the Head of Strategy and Operations, the relevant Dean of Research and Innovation for the College, VCO Business Managers, and Heads of wider Research Service teams to ensure the service is both facilitating and responding to research and innovation strategy whilst maintaining operational effectiveness for the academic schools within remit.
The roles are open-ended, with a likely start date c. 1st September 2024.
Salary : Grade 8 - £59,241 - £64,914
Interviews are likely to take place on Monday 29th July.
Interested candidates can contact James Vilares [email protected] for an informal chat about the role.
Closing date: 15 July 2024
External applications are currently not being considered for this post. If the decision is made to open the post to external candidates, the strapline at the top will be removed and you will be given ample time to apply – please check back periodically for details.
Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.
Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Job Description
Key Duties
Take overall leadership responsibility for the development, oversight and delivery of research and innovation support to your College, ensuring high quality service is provided by colleagues you line manage and working with other Research Service Senior Management Team members to ensure effective service to your College from staff in other teams in the Research Service through Research Delivery Groups.
Oversee and manage your College team across the following key areas of research and innovation support:
Developing applications and grant proposals, including peer review
Costing and pricing and submission of proposals
Supporting ethical review and practice of research activity
Managing finance / running of approved research grants
Publication and management of research outputs
Applying research findings outside of academia
Supporting students on research-intensive degrees
Supporting work for the Research Excellence Framework including output peer review and gathering of data for environment statements.
Support priorities identified by the schools in the College you support which align to research and innovation by negotiation with the schools’ leadership.
Lead the long-term strategic planning and management of your College team, interpreting University and Research Service strategy into work priorities and setting the standards for the team.
Lead and line manage staff within your College team to provide efficient and excellent research and innovation professional service support to the schools in the College in your remit, managing workloads of staff to deliver a high-quality service with service improvement and resilience at the heart of service provision, including managing performance, induction and the development of the section.
Work with the senior management team of the Research Service to configure Research Delivery Groups for the schools of the College in your remit, ensuring high quality service is available to the College from across the range of support services in research and innovation and with other professional services - IT, Finance, etc - and other School-based professional services - to ensure a whole-University approach to facilitating research is enabled.
Oversee the delivery of effective communication with the academics and researchers within the schools in your College, ensuring academics have access to policies and procedures governing research and innovation processes, and helping them to navigate the activity they need to undertake.
Provide academics and researchers with advice and guidance on the use of institutional research systems and processes, ensuring your knowledge of relevant systems and processes is up-to-date.
Work collaboratively with the Pro-Vice Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise, their Business Managers, and relevant Dean of Research and Innovation to ensure the support in the College is both strategically aligned and operationally effective.
Work with the senior management team of the Research Service to engage in Research Service-wide process improvement to address known issues, ensuring up to date and transparent resources are available for colleagues you line manage to provide help and guidance to academic colleagues.
Support members of your College team in their professional development within your remit, enabling them to grow in their roles and develop the knowledge, skills and competencies to succeed in their roles.
Grow the data professionalism of your College team, encouraging the use of standard and bespoke reports and query functions in key systems to support the schools in your College with insight and foresight relating to performance across a range of research and innovation performance indicators.
Person Specification
Job Description Continued
Take responsibility for the planning, management and oversight of delegated professional services budgets for your College team.
Lead the service in the development of a positive research culture for research and innovation professional services, modelling positive behaviours through all interactions with colleagues and through a highly professional, organised and proactive approach to work.
Lead the development of a problem-solving culture in your College team, coaching colleagues to take responsibility for resolving issues independently within all aspects of the remit of the role.
Ensure there is a highly collaborative and collegiate ethos in your College team, working to promote consistent ways of working across all schools and to provide resilience across the service by supporting service delivery in areas outside of schools in your College (e.g. to cover colleagues' absence).
Act as an advocate for the disciplines of research within your College, ensuring the service is responsive to the needs of the relevant schools in the College through the provision of specialist advice and guidance to the school and College leadership, ensuring you are active in leading change within the University in terms of developments in research and innovation policy and practice.
Lead the planning, oversight and delivery of specific projects in the field of professional support for research, co-ordinating and supervising project teams created as needed, and ensuring project outcomes are successful for all projects within your remit.
Contribute as an active citizen of the College community you support.
Deputise for the Head of Strategy and Operations as required.
Undertake other duties as required by the Director of Research Service or Head of Strategy and Operations.
General Duties
Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
Uphold the Professional Services Values & Behaviours or local equivalent.
Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in respect of equality and diversity, data protection, copyright and licensing, security, financial and other University policies, procedures and codes as appropriate.
Take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and of other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, EC directives and the University’s Safety, Health and Environment Policies and procedures and to cooperate with the University on any legal duties placed on it as the employer.
Additional Information
Person Specification
Important note: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.
When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for XXXXBR.
Essential Criteria
Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience
Experience of leading services in an area of research and innovation administration, in particular the development and support of direct support for academics.
Substantial knowledge in a field of research administration including areas of grant management, research excellence, innovation and impact.
Demonstrable experience of developing high quality service provision for academic researchers, including experience of policy and operations deployment for service improvement.
A sound understanding of the key external stakeholders of the University, the ways in which Cardiff research may have benefitted them, and of the key strategies, policies and drivers of external bodies.
Excellent leadership, team management and networking skills, with a proven ability to improve service delivery, getting the best out of staff.
Excellent communication, writing and editing skills, including the ability to develop a position of authority and expertise and demonstrable evidence of trust from senior stakeholders.
Proven ability to build effective networks, lead and develop people compassionately, and institute a positive culture to motivate staff within and beyond your direct influence to deliver excellent service
Proven ability to work independently managing a caseload of work, with a high level of accuracy, solving problems, using judgement, initiative and creativity to identify and propose both practical and innovative solutions that serve as best practice, consulting others and escalating issues as appropriate, independently managing a caseload of work.
Experience of supporting the deployment of financial resources in support of research, including managing staffing budgets and detailed understanding of how research finances work, and how finance moves through the University.
Desirable Criteria
Evidence of demonstrable knowledge of key advances within the area of research administration
Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
Fluency in Welsh, written and oral
Salary Range Min.
59,241
Salary Range Max.
64,914
Job Category
Business / Strategic Management
Grade
Grade 8
Seniority level
Director
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Management and Manufacturing
Industries
Higher Education
Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd by 2x