Project Officer in London

The UCL Institute for Global Health (IGH) is at the heart of UCL’s Grand Challenge of Global Health. The Institute’s vision is for a world where international policy on global health is informed by world-class research. IGH aims to support the development of robust solutions to aspects of the world’s major global health challenges through scholarly outputs, education, public engagement, translational research, and ultimately by influencing public policy and professional practice.

The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change, is an independent, international research collaboration, that works to track the evolving links between health and climate change globally, regionally and nationally, in partnership with The Lancet and the World Health Organization. Its aim is to inform a robust response to climate change that protects and promotes human health.

The “Dynamic causal modelling for complex systems” project aims to develop and test a dynamic causal model (DCM) as a “digital twin” to understand how environmental and socioeconomic stressors interact to drive food insecurity and childhood malnutrition, using Bangladesh as a proof of principle setting.

We are looking for an experienced Project Officer to join our team.

About the role

The postholder will join the Lancet Countdown Global Secretariat in central London where they will be responsible for driving the DCM project forward. This role will be instrumental in the efficient delivery of a high-profile grant and smooth management of competing priorities. It will suit someone who enjoys enabling others to be effective while owning work end-to-end themselves. The postholder will need to coordinate and monitor the progress of the DCM project, acting as first point of contact for collaborators about activities and timelines. They will need to develop and manage an annual work plan with clear timelines and actions, and prepare concise project updates, briefing notes, and materials for decision-making.

This is a part-time role (i.e. 0.6 FTE, 21.9 hours per week) and it is available until 30 April 2029 in the first instance. Due to the collaborative and time-sensitive nature of the project, our preference is for the contracted hours to be worked in a pattern that ensures regular availability throughout the week. We would normally expect the successful candidate not to be out of office for more than one working day at a time, although specific working arrangements can be discussed with the successful candidate.

About you

It is essential that the successful candidate is A-level qualified or has equivalent relevant experience. They will also have:

• Experience of project management, preferably in cross sector, cross disciplinary and international collaborative research or innovation projects with a high-profile.
• Experience of servicing high-level committees (with diverse membership) - organising meetings, managing agendas and minute taking.
• Experience in grant administration, particularly in regards non-financial progress reporting.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, managing and responding to shifting priorities, progressing several projects at any one time.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits, some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days).
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme.
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE).
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan.
• Relocation scheme for certain posts.
• On-site gym.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.