School/Department Research & Innovation
Based at Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Hours of work 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.
Contract type Fixed term contract
Fixed Term Period Fixed Term Contract until April 2022
Salary £33,309 to £37,127 per annum with additional performance related pay up to £46,409 per annum
Apply by 06/12/2020

Role Description

Cranfield University’s Research and Innovation Office welcomes applications from individuals experienced in research grant facilitation and grant support.

As the UK’s only exclusively postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships is creating leaders in technology and management globally.  Our distinctive expertise is in our deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world.

Our people are our most valuable resource and everyone has a role to play in shaping the future of our university, developing our learners, and transforming the businesses we work with. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here. Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

The Research and Innovation Office (RIO) supports researchers in working together to achieve excellence and impact in delivering the University’s vision for research and innovation, and reports to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation.

RIO facilitates high-quality academic research through leading the development of research strategy and policy, ensuring compliance with research governance requirements, supporting researchers to access funding and form new collaborations, engaging with the development of research information systems and advising on the contracting process. It also oversees key strategic research partnerships with both public and private sector corporate clients to maximise their effectiveness and works with a range of stakeholders to identify and bring to fruition new research opportunities.

The Research Excellence team comprises the University’s professional research support function, supports relationships with public sector funding agencies and regional research relationships, manages the University’s knowledge exchange support function and ensures the co-ordination of Cranfield’s REF 2020 submission. The Research Grants Facilitator will work within the research support team and report to the Research Delivery Manager. They will be an expert port of call for public funding opportunities for the organisation and academic community, with a focus on delivering pre-award support for external grant funding applications across the whole development pathway for all forms of research funding. The Research Grants Facilitator will also represent the University when dealing with external funding bodies and professional organisations.

We are looking for an experienced bid developer who understands the current research funding environment within the Higher Education sector and has previously worked within a research environment. You will be a talented communicator with excellent interpersonal and writing skills, able to convey complex ideas in simple messaging, providing advice in a sensitive and influential manner, and developing and delivering training material suitable for the academic community. A self-starter and confident project manager, you will be able to manage a busy and diverse workload and organise your time for maximum effect whilst supporting a strong team ethos. You will be comfortable with sourcing information yourself as well as working with information presented to you, rapidly digesting it, systematically analysing it, interpreting it and then applying it to a range of situations appropriately.

With a proven ability to develop and maintain effective links and working relationships across a range of stakeholders in a complex organisation and with a customer-focused, “can-do” approach, you will have previous experience of giving advice on complex issues and on procedures and policies. You will have a first degree or equivalent experience. 

At Cranfield we value Diversity and Inclusion, and aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together harmoniously with dignity and respect and realise their full potential. We actively consider flexible working options such as part-time, compressed or flexible hours and/or an element of homeworking, and commit to exploring the possibilities for each role. Find out more here.

For an informal discussion, please contact Cecilia Fenech Brincat, Research Development Manager on (E); c.fenechbrincat@cranfield.ac.uk