Translational Project Manager - College of Medicine and Health - 106885 - Grade 7

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised and proactive individual to support the delivery of the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BBRC). BBRC translates new scientific discoveries into treatments and diagnostics to improve people’s health, with a focus on inflammation and the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of its associated long-term diseases. The BRC is seeking a dedicated Translational Project Manager to support the implementation of its Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation Strategy, ensuring the Centre meets milestones and strengthens its translational impact.

This pivotal role will provide focused leadership and operational support to safeguard the BRC’s competitive position and secure future funding. We are looking for a confident self-starter with excellent interpersonal skills and experience in translational research project management. The individual will need to work with relevant stakeholders across the Birmingham campus and with partner institutions to explore the best approach to deliver high quality and consistent translational project support for our researchers. They will build significant links to internal and external collaborators and provide an efficient and effective central point of contact. This will involve initiating and maintaining communications with stakeholders, contribution to portfolio, reporting, and budgetary spreadsheets, organisation and coordination of project meetings and dissemination events, plus planning for future activities in support of translational research.

The post-holder will be based within the Translational Research Team in the College of Medicine and Health Research Delivery Team and will work alongside the University’s Research Support, Business Engagement and Enterprise teams. This post will be based in the Institute of Translational Medicine Birmingham.

• Manage one or more projects through the provision of significant and high level project management support/make a contribution to larger University-wide projects as part of a project team.
• Draw up project plans, including key performance indicators, identifying milestones as appropriate.
• Review and audit progress on projects to improve effectiveness, efficiency and delivery on key performance indicators and milestones.
• Report on project progress, including preparation of reports, financial or other regular progress reports to internal and external stakeholders and presenting to Project Boards and other key stakeholders.
• Provide executive support to Project Boards, work streams and working groups as required; setting agendas, collating and distributing papers and minutes and ensuring follow up action is taken.
• Appropriately assess and escalate issues and risks, including monitoring risk registers.
• Stakeholder management, ensuring effective liaison with project partners, funders, Project Boards as appropriate.
• Manage project resources efficiently and effectively, and ensure project documentation is maintained.
• Develop and deliver communication strategy for the project(s).
• Milestone tracking – deliver agreed deliverables against timelines.
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of project management methodologies.
• Analyse and develop insights from the data to inform evaluation and review of projects.
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

• Qualified to Degree level (or equivalent).
• Substantial experience of project management, preferably in an academic setting.
• Experience in translational project planning and delivery.
• Experience in developing external funding proposals.
• Understanding of intellectual property and how this can impact the translational potential of some research projects.
• Understanding of scientific/medical terminology including ethical and governance oversight and the clinical research environment.
• Experience of managing staff to deliver high-quality support.
• Excellent IT skills, with working knowledge of standard Microsoft Office software and using custom systems and databases.
• Substantial project management experience, preferably using project tools such as Prince 2.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

The role will manage one or more projects across a School, College, or professional service area. The role may manage the budget for the project.

The role manages projects which may vary in length from short term (under a year) to longer term (typically 1-3 years). They need to forward plan, create project delivery plans, evaluate and review progress, reporting to internal and possibly external stakeholders, and manage self and as appropriate others to deliver project outcomes.

This role will be expected to devise and deliver project plans, and consider and recommend improvements and enhancements to project plans by reviewing progress, assessing and escalating risks. The focus of the role is on delivery of the project(s). The role will be likely to operate within constraints set by project leads/project boards. The role will take the day-to-day operational decisions relating to the project delivery, and will support Project Boards in reaching informed decisions about the project delivery.

The role is a key liaison and co-ordination role on specific project(s), so will have a range of internal and potentially external stakeholders.

• Internal members of the Project Board
• External stakeholders such as funders
• Team members (on larger projects)
• Other Professional Services colleagues, such as Finance, HR etc.