Research Project Administrator

Join to apply for the Research Project Administrator role at The University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is seeking to appoint a talented and highly motivated administrator to support a number of research projects and activities hosted by the Urban Institute.

You will provide administrative support to a number of research projects and activities hosted by the Urban Institute, working closely with the Research Programme Manager, academic and University-wide administrative colleagues as part of a team. You will be responsible for providing a high-quality administrative support service to all aspects of research. Tasks include writing up meeting notes, website updates, supporting knowledge exchange and dissemination activities, organising and supporting meetings and events, booking hospitality, travel and accommodation.

You will possess excellent organisational, communication, prioritisation and minute taking skills, have proven administrative experience in a busy and demanding office environment, have a flexible approach to work, and be able to take responsibility for your own workload. You will need to be a proficient user of Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and be able to effectively use Google Mail and Google Calendar. The ability to produce accurate work with attention to detail and to maintain a confidential approach to information, documents and data is also a prerequisite for this post. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, as you will be required to liaise with senior colleagues across a number of research projects.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide high quality administration support to a wide range of research projects and Urban Institute activities.
• Attend and service meetings, taking minutes where appropriate. Prepare and distribute agendas and minutes ensuring appropriate action points are highlighted and undertaken as appropriate.
• Liaise effectively with colleagues across research projects who represent a diverse mix of academic, policy and practice partner organisations, as well as external stakeholders.
• Book travel and accommodation and deal with expense claims in line with funder and University financial regulations.
• Responsible for administration of PI’s University Barclaycard, ensuring that all expenditure is appropriate, coded correctly and in a timely manner.
• Create and maintain the individual research project web presence and social media accounts, in collaboration with the Research Programme Manager and PIs.
• Manage your own workload, whilst working closely with the Research Programme Manager to understand requirements.
• Occasional complex formatting of large reports (including linked tables/figures, interactive indexes and bibliographies).
• Maintain a record of publications and project outputs for Research Fish.
• Assist with the organisation and support a range of research related events and activities, including conferences, workshops and stakeholder activities.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn\’t match perfectly with this role\’s criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria:

• Five GCSEs at Grade C or above including Mathematics and English (or equivalent experience)
• Prior experience of an administrative role supporting large, complex projects
• Excellent meeting support skills, including organising rooms, producing meeting materials and minute taking
• Excellent IT skills, including proficiency in MS Office (particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint), e-mail and electronic calendar systems
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to respond efficiently and effectively to phone and email enquiries. Liaise with senior colleagues to organise meetings and events
• Ability to arrange a wide range of events, e.g. organising room bookings, materials, catering and participants, as required
• Experience of processing financial transactions and maintaining accurate records of expenditure, including processing invoices, expenses, fees, monitoring budgets and raising requisitions
• Demonstrated ability to manage own workload to respond to changing priorities
• A flexible approach to work with the ability to adapt to rapidly changing demands
• Experience of working effectively as part of a team and on your own initiative
• Experience of working in an academic/research environment

What We Offer

A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.

• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Professional Services Shared Skills Framework
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
• Paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
• Support for those going through the menopause
• Paid time off and support for fertility treatment