Research Manager - Contracts and Funding

As Research Manager – Contracts and Funding, you will play a vital role in the delivery of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s growing research portfolio. You will lead on the financial and contractual aspects of our research funding processes. You will help ensure our funding is administered responsibly, efficiently, and in a way that maximises impact for people affected by dementia. This role sits within the Research Directorate, an ambitious, supportive and friendly team, and working closely with colleagues across Finance and Fundraising.

Main duties and responsibilities of the role:

• Research award financial oversight
  • Maintain systems to track financial data associated with funded grants, providing information to internal teams and act as the primary contact for all questions related to financial award data.
  • Monitor active grants for financial compliance, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting from researchers and host institutions.
  • Collaborate with the Finance team and Research Leadership team to maintain robust grant forecasting and budget control across research programmes.
  • Provide advice and training on financial best practices to internal teams.
  • Implement, oversee and refine a grants audit approach and lead on the annual AMRC data collection.
  • Work with teams across the organisation to identify efficiencies and improvements to existing procedures.
• Research contracts and agreements
  • Lead the drafting, negotiation, and finalisation of all research-related contracts, including non-disclosure agreements, funding agreements, collaboration agreements, and data agreements, working with the Partnerships manager as appropriate.
  • Liaise with host institutions, collaborating organisations, and legal advisors to resolve contractual queries and ensure efficient processing.
  • Working with internal and external legal counsel, ensure contracts are consistent with ARUK’s policies, funder requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Research policy and process development
  • Contribute to the refinement of ARUK’s research finance and contracts policies and standard operating procedures, ensuring they remain aligned with best practice and compliant with legal and regulatory frameworks.
  • Support the development and roll-out of new funding schemes by advising on financial models and contract terms.
  • Represent ARUK at relevant sector forums, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of trends and developments in research funding and compliance.
• Management Responsibilities
  • Line management of a Research Executive, effectively delegating work to support delivery of their objectives.
  • Help to promote an inspiring team culture across the Research Funding team where personal development is prioritised.

What we are looking for:

• Significant experience in research finance and/or research contract management, ideally within a medical research funder, university, NHS, or research setting.
• Sound knowledge of research funding frameworks, budgeting principles, and financial governance.
• Sound financial literacy, including relevant experience of managing budgets, financial reporting and analysing data.
• Experience drafting and negotiating research-related agreements, with a good understanding of IP, data sharing, and collaboration issues.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly and diplomatically.
• Proactive and detail-oriented, with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong project management skills, with experience managing multiple priorities and identifying risks.
• A team player who can collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders internally and externally to deliver.
• Commitment to ARUK’s vision, mission and values.
• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent eye for detail with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Willingness to embrace and drive change to maximise impact.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise competing demands.
• Ability to work independently.
• Willingness to travel, including occasional overnight travel.

Additional Information:

Ways of working: As part of our Agile ways of working you will be required to work approximately 2 days a week from the office, which is subject to the requirements of the role and the business needs. Flexibility on where you work can be split between working from home and our office.

Our Office: Our office is at 3 Riverside, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AD.

Salary: Circa £43,000 per annum, plus benefits.

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.