Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to work as an Administrator on a new international youth health research project within the Centre for Global Mental Health at King’s.  

We are seeking a candidate with the drive and passion to deliver high quality administrative support. This is an ideal opportunity to further your career in administration and project management. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, have great attention to detail, highly organised and will be able to work on their own initiative. You will be working in a friendly team and there will be plenty of opportunities for training and development.

The role will be based in London with a split between working in the office and working from home.

The project is a Global Health Research Group on Interventions for Youth with Depression and Anxiety Disorders in African Countries and has been funded for four years by the NIHR.  The group of African and UK researchers will adapt and evaluate a stepped care intervention for youth aged 15 to 24 with depression or anxiety, living in Zimbabwe and Ghana. This will include a single-arm implementation study in Zimbabwe and a fully powered clinical trial in senior high schools in Ghana.

The post holder will work directly with the Principal Investigator Prof. Melanie Abas and the Research Project Manager (both based in London) to provide comprehensive administrative support for the project. The post-holder will manage the budget and the quarterly financial reporting required by the funder and liaise with the overseas sites on budgeting matters. They will assist with the organisation of research meetings, make all travel arrangements for overseas meetings, support on communications, and other tasks related to the project.

Training will be provided for the systems the post holder will be required to use.  

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until 30 Sept 2025. This is a full-time  post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

Financial and budget management

A key aspect of this role will be responsibility for managing the budget and completing quarterly financial reports that are required by the funder. This will include:  

-        Monitoring the budget, reviewing expenses, processing invoices and flagging anomalies and errors to the research team as appropriate 

-        Managing the completion and submission of the quarterly reports to the funder including working closely with the three collaborating organisations to ensure they submit their reports on time and then checking and collating those reports  

-        Working closely with the KCL post award team to ensure reports are correct and accurate  

-        Ensuring you keep up to date with the funder’s rules regarding the budget and allowable and ineligible costs, and advising the three collaborating organisations on the funders rules   

-        Keeping detailed records and copies of all expenses and spending on the grant 

Administration

•        To facilitate the setup of subcontracts between KCL and the three collaborating organisations   

•        To facilitate the due diligence process between KCL and the three collaborating organisations   

•        To organise group meetings, record minutes, circulate them and follow up on actions points  

•        To act as the primary point of contact for all administrative-related matters 

•        For yearly meetings abroad to make the travel arrangements for all UK staff, co-ordinating with the other collaborating organisations 

•        To receive enquiries from a range of organisations and individuals, including students, academic and administrative staff, and externally - and to respond appropriately. 

To support the research team in developing / editing study related documents 

•        To set up an electronic filing system to save all NIHR Group related documents and to manage and maintain it so that all project related documents are accessible and up to date 

Communication and dissemination

•        Foster open communication channels and a sound working relationship with colleagues and stakeholders in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana. This will include international travel to facilitate face-to-face meetings  

•        Assist in the organisation of events and conferences 

•        Liaise and communicate effectively within King’s College London, including with the post-award teams 

•        Assist the NIHR Group Research Associate in drafting regular NIHR group newsletters or updates, and promote their dissemination to all targeted stakeholders 

•        To attend Department professional services meetings where appropriate and to keep up to date with relevant professional services training  

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

The Successful candidate should be educated to at least degree level, with experience in the administration of projects. The postholder will have excellent interpersonal skills, be proactive and be able to prioritise effectively to meet competing demands. This is an ideal role for someone looking to build a career in project administration or project management on an international and varied project. 

There will be lots of opportunities for training on the specific King’s systems you will need to use, and also to learn the specific rules of the funder. It is necessary that the candidate is proactive in seeking out relevant training within King’s that they may need to be successful in the role, and in keeping up to date with this training.  

Essential criteria  

1.      Educated to at least degree level, or equivalent experience in office and  project management    

2.      Experience of administration (ideally in a University /academic/ research environment) 

3.      Experience of budget management 

4.      Excellent organisation and time management skills 

5.      Methodical, detail oriented and flexible in approach to work, maintaining a high level of accuracy 

6.      Ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders in a professional and assured manner 

7.      Experience with planning and prioritising workload to meet objectives and with adjusting priorities as necessary to meet competing demands 

8.      Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and the ability to work on new systems 

Desirable criteria

9.      Experience of working in culturally diverse environments 

10.  An interest in global health and mental health research 

11.  Experience of preparing for meetings and taking notes/minutes in meetings with the ability to produce an accurate and concise record of the meeting, often of complex issues, into minutes to record key points of discussion