Research Project Administrator

Help research that could change millions of lives. Are you an exceptionally organised administrator who enjoys keeping projects running smoothly? Would you like your work to contribute to research that could transform how mental health conditions are understood, diagnosed, treated and ultimately prevented? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

Contract: 12-month Contract

Salary: £28k to £30k

Location: Hybrid – London EC1Y/Home

We're looking for a proactive, highly organised Research Project Administrator to join our growing Research Team. You'll play a vital role behind the scenes, providing first-class administrative and project support that enables our researchers, project managers and lived experience contributors to deliver research with real-world impact. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an award-winning charity where your organisational skills will genuinely make a difference.

About MQ

At MQ, we champion and fund world-class research to transform the lives of everyone affected by mental health conditions. We believe research is the key to creating a future where mental illnesses are better understood, more effectively treated and, one day, prevented altogether. We're proud to have been recognised as one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work, reflecting our commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and high-performing workplace where people can do their best work. We know that diverse perspectives lead to better ideas, stronger research and greater impact. That's why we're committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued and able to thrive.

The Role

As our Research Administrator, you'll be the person who helps keep our research programmes organised, efficient and moving forward. Working closely with Project Managers and Programme Leads, you'll coordinate meetings, maintain project records, support budgets and payments, organise events and workshops, and ensure our systems and documentation remain accurate and up to date. You'll also play an important role in supporting the involvement of people with lived experience of mental illness, helping to coordinate communications, contracts and payments while ensuring every interaction is professional, organised and welcoming. No two days are the same. One day you might be organising a research workshop with leading academics, the next preparing project documentation, coordinating contributor payments or helping the team track progress across multiple programmes. If you enjoy variety, love bringing order to complexity and take pride in getting the details right, you'll thrive in this role.

What you'll be doing

• Coordinate internal and external meetings, including scheduling, agendas, papers and follow-up actions.
• Take clear, accurate meeting minutes and track actions.
• Support Project Managers with budgets, invoices and financial administration.
• Maintain project plans, trackers and systems including Microsoft Teams.
• Keep research documentation accurate, organised and up to date.
• Support surveys, data collection and reporting activities.
• Help organise workshops, roundtables and stakeholder events.
• Coordinate the recruitment and onboarding of lived experience contributors.
• Prepare contributor contracts and maintain accurate records.
• Coordinate payments and communications with external contributors.
• Work closely with colleagues across Finance, Marketing and Research to ensure projects run smoothly.
• Build positive relationships with researchers, academics, people with lived experience and other external partners.
• Ensure information is handled confidentially and in line with GDPR.

About you

We're looking for someone who is naturally organised, enjoys supporting others and takes pride in delivering high-quality work. You'll probably have around three to four years' experience in an administrative, research or project support role and be confident juggling multiple priorities while maintaining excellent attention to detail. You'll also bring:

• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Experience supporting meetings and coordinating projects.
• Confidence managing budgets, invoices and payments.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Experience using collaboration platforms such as Teams, Zoom and Google Workspace.
• The ability to manage confidential information with care and professionalism.
• A collaborative, flexible and positive approach.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience working within research, higher education or the charity sector.
• Experience supporting surveys or research projects.
• Experience organising conferences, workshops or stakeholder events.
• Experience using project management software.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• A degree in health, social sciences, economics or another relevant subject (or equivalent experience).

Why join MQ?

As well as meaningful work that has the potential to improve millions of lives, you'll receive:

• £1,200 annual wellbeing allowance per annum.
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid and flexible working.
• 5% employer pension contribution.
• Employee Assistance Programme and counselling service.
• Life Assurance.
• Cycle to Work and season ticket loan schemes.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Regular team socials and wellbeing events.
• A genuinely supportive, collaborative culture where your ideas matter.

If you're an organised administrator who enjoys helping teams succeed and wants to contribute to research that changes lives, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing date: Sunday 12th July 2026

Please note: we typically start interviewing within one week of the job advert going live. We reserve the right to close the job before the deadline based on the volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interested? If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We believe in equality and inclusion and we welcome job applications from everyone, provided you meet the criteria for the job. Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration and undertake a DBS check. No agencies please.