Research Services Administrators

Reporting to Senior Operations Manager, please note that these roles operate in a matrix management structure and will report to colleagues in Research Culture and Researcher Development, Glasgow Changing Futures or other portfolios within Research Services for specific areas of work.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the University’s central Research Services Directorate, working in a varied role across the diverse portfolios in the Directorate. We are looking for two roles who will collaborate on streamlining and professionalising our operational processes across our substantial and varied remit, enabling us to support activity across the research ecosystem.

The two Administrator posts will sit in the Research Services Operations Team. These are varied and responsive posts, working with colleagues across the full remit of Research Services to deliver professional services support essential to the operations of the Directorate. This includes all aspects of administrative support, finance administration, communications, and events organisation as well as tasks specific to individual portfolios, such as the delivery and evaluation of a comprehensive framework of events, programmes and initiatives for PGRs, research staff, research professional staff and research leaders (working with the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team) or providing expertise and operational support to the Glasgow Changing Futures leadership team. These roles underscore the ambitions of the University’s Research Strategy and support our commitment to the University of Glasgow’s five Research Culture Priorities that support the University of Glasgow to achieve its

ambition of being the best place to develop a career for all members of the research ecosystem.

Within the Research Services Directorate we take a collaborative approach, working together across the areas of research culture and researcher development, in research impact, knowledge exchange, communications and engagement, in research governance, policy and integrity and in strategic research development. These areas of focus are enhanced through the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) which provides a unique creative and collaborative space to bring people together. Beyond the Research Services Directorate we work in partnership with the Vice Principal (Research & Knowledge Exchange) and Vice Principal (Economic Development & Innovation), with colleagues in other central services, researchers and professional staff in each of Glasgow’s four academic Colleges, and with peers across the sector. Our activity is informed by the University research and innovation strategies., 1. Be a key point of contact and provide appropriate, accurate and sensitive advice and responses to queries arising. Use judgment to proactively provide effective guidance and information and ensure excellent service delivery by drawing on expert knowledge and experience to problem solve and take accountability for issues that arise.

1. Coordinate support across a range of projects, including events, networks, communities and programmes within the Research Culture and Researcher Development and Glasgow Changing Futures portfolios. Provide an efficient and positive attendee experience, handling the event management lifecycle (booking and preparing rooms, scheduling, managing attendance, communication of pre and post event information) and problem-solving issues for attendees.

2. Be a key point of contact for financial processes including maintaining accurate and up-to-date spending records, budget management and procurement process such as raising and processing purchase orders, processing of invoices for payment, sundry payee, purchase card holder and new supplier requests. Coordinate the day-to-day administration of internal funding schemes, providing administrative oversight on financial matters and monitoring and reporting on budgets. Act as a Purchasing Officer using the University’s financial systems.

3. Create and circulate communications as required such as: maintaining up to date mailing lists, maintaining accurate communication channels, collating and writing newsletters, and pro-active and regular updating of webpages and other stable digital information repositories. Communicating with appropriate teams and services to achieve this.

4. Support RSD Services to accurately track projects, maintain comprehensive and accurate programme data and documentation for example by compiling, analysing, and writing up delivery, attendance, evaluation, and impact data. Maintain relevant data in University systems, ensuring data quality and accuracy, and use skills in data analysis and visualisation to extract, analyse and interpret data from internal and external systems to support decision making.

5. Support annual reporting cycles (particularly for the RC&RD and GCF portfolios) ensuring timely and accurate completion. Manage ad hoc reporting requests.

6. Liaise with the appropriate departments to ensure that the Directorate remains compliant with university procedures and policies are followed accurately, for example, Procurement and Finance, HR, Timetabling, Data Protection.

7. Liaise with internal and external providers, networks and colleagues, building and maintaining relationships to support the work, visibility and growth of portfolios within RSD. To develop and maintain strong personal internal and external networks, working as an effective team player in a cross-functional team.

8. Provide support for specific portfolios and programmes as required. This might include supporting RC&RD Specialists to review initiatives and programmes and identify provision gaps, working with colleagues in GCF to develop and coordinate new activities and initiatives, or other areas of work that arise.

9. Coordinate access to and support for use of UofG and third-party platforms, tools, software, applications, subscriptions and licences required by RSD portfolios. Update website information through T4 or other web content management systems.

10. Provide meeting and diary management and general meeting support, including supporting portfolio leadership teams, organising core meetings, preparation of papers and clerking meetings.

11. To work independently, prioritising and balancing own workload to ensure all tasks are delivered in a timely manner, bearing in mind the needs of students, staff and partners. To communicate effectively with colleagues to ensure knowledge is shared appropriately and to avoid single points of failure.

12. Be an effective team player who is cooperative, communicative and gains the trust and support of colleagues and partners through respectful collaboration and building consensus.

13. Engage in professional development activities as appropriate and in line with the UofG Values.

14. Perform other duties as requested, consistent with the grade level of the position and agreeing appropriate prioritisation of work with line management or other relevant stakeholders as needed.

A1 SCQF Level 7 (HNC, VQ3, Highers, City & Guilds or equivalent), or ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with the level of post, having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar role.

A2 Practice-based knowledge of establishing and delivering a comprehensive range of administrative services within a project or team environment

A3 Demonstrable knowledge of the administrative requirements for budget management, procurement and financial processes.

A4 Operational knowledge of University of Glasgow systems OR equivalent experience with similar systems.

A5 Familiarity with digital platforms such as website development (such as T4), survey data collection (such as Qualtrics or Mentimeter), communication design platforms (such as Canva or Staffbase), or event management systems (such as Inkpath or Eventbrite).

A6 Familiarity with equality, diversity, and inclusion policies, GDPR, health and safety and broader safeguarding approaches and policies.

Desirable:

B1 Understanding of the Higher Education landscape

B2 Understanding of the University structure, policies, practices and procedures

Skills

Essential:

C1 Excellent organisational skills, with a proven ability to plan and prioritise your own workload efficiently and to produce work of a high standard and to regular deadlines.

C2 High degree accuracy with excellent attention to detail when handling large volumes of information from multiple sources.

C3 Excellent IT and relevant software skills (including Microsoft Office 365), the ability to manipulate spreadsheet data using formulae, and confidence in picking up new systems and using them effectively in support of work activities.

C4 Ability to work independently, proactively using own initiative and judgement to resolve problems in a calm, creative, pragmatic, and timely way, consulting with senior colleagues as appropriate.

C5 Ability to work as part of a team to deliver first-class support to researchers and colleagues across the university, demonstrating the interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy that builds positive relationships.

C6 Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and highly developed and proven interpersonal skills with the ability to handle sensitive situations with discretion and diplomacy

C7 Ability to respond and adapt to changing priorities and systems, reviewing and improving processes and procedures in response to those priorities.

C8 Ability to deal professionally and sensitively with data, working in an ethical and legal manner in accordance with all relevant legislation (including GDPR).

C9 Ability to prepare/provide written reports, collate information/data and summarise.

Desirable:

D1 Willingness to develop new skills and knowledge and the flexibility to take on new challenges when required.

D2 Website maintenance and social media curation.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Experience of supporting a framework of provision, including events, training and other innovative deliveries, maintaining awareness of how that content meets strategic drivers.

E2 Experience of delivering events management, through the full process from procurement to bookings to catering to on-the-day support to follow up, working systematically to deadlines, with attention to detail.

E3 Experience of working with financial information sufficient to analyse financial data and transactions, monitor budgets and report financial details.

E4 Experience using a range of software systems and proven experience of having upskilled in new systems and developed effective new processes.

E5 Experience of building working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and key contacts, both internal and external to the immediate team or organisation.

E6 Experience of communications in a customer focused environment for example by maintaining a team inbox, creating newsletters, maintaining static digital information such as webpages, responding appropriately to queries, and working with a wide variety of colleagues and key contacts, both internal and external to the immediate team or organisation.

E7 Experience of careful and timely file-management, record-keeping, analysing data from records, extracting reports, diary/space management, and resolving related problems.

E8 Proven experience of independent problem solving, decision making, planning, organising and setting priorities.

Desirable:

F1 Significant administrative experience demonstrating the ability to drive change to improve both systems and processes in place.

F2 Experience of analysing data and producing pivot tables, graphs and charts in Excel.

F3 Experience of financial administration within a University environment.

F4 Experience of using Agresso or similar financial management tool.

F5 Experience of university accounting processes.

F6 Previous experience of supporting/advising academic and research professional staff.

Salary will be Grade 5, £26,038 – £30,505 per annum.

This post is full time (35 hours p/w) and open-ended.

New entrants to the University will be required to serve a probationary period of 6 months.

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension – pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

At the University of Glasgow, we believe that research thrives when researchers and research professional staff feel that they are part of a stimulating, fair, and inclusive environment in which colleagues help each other to succeed. The post holder will work collaboratively with people across the university and externally in line with the Glasgow Professional Behavioural Framework, and the University of Glasgow Values.

Please contact Senior Operations Manager, Rachel Smillie (rachel.smillie@glasgow.ac.uk) for more information about these posts.

Applicants may find it useful to review the following webpages:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/ris/researchservices/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/ris/researchculture/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/ris/researcherdevelopment/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/glasgowchangingfutures, We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.

Vacancy Ref : 162411 Close Date : 03-Jan-2025 23:45