Project Support Officer

Job description

The National Institute for Health and Care Research(NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a partnership project of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, funded by the NIHR from 01 December 2022 - 30 November 2027.

The Maudsley BRC Professional Services Team is responsible for supporting the Maudsley BRC Director and senior academic research leadership team deliver on the strategic objectives of a recently funded NIHR Maudsley BRC award of £43m over 5 years. Organised into 9 research themes, covering mental health disorders across the lifespan and innovative methodological research, the BRC’s scientific strategy is underpinned by a core academic career development programme, which funds PhD studentships, research fellowships and NHS research bursaries, with the aim of growing a new generation of researchers in mental health and neuroscience.

We are seeking a Project Support Officer to join our small team and assist us with servicing the BRC Board and associated committees; collating and managing research information on the BRC faculty, their outputs and the impact of their research, to facilitate NIHR BRC annual reporting; and supporting the Academic Career Development Manager with recruitment of PhD students and clinical fellows. The role holder will also support day-to-day administrative operations including timetabling and arranging hospitality for events and meetings, supporting BRC financial reporting, managing procurement, supporting BRC communications and providing ad hoc support for the delivery of strategic projects. A priority for this role will be to assist in the compilation of a detailed annual progress report which the BRC is contractually obliged to submit to the NIHR / DHSC.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop your career in a world leading institution, supporting the delivery of innovative mental health research, and facilitating the development of a new generation of researchers and clinicians in mental health and neuroscience.

This post will be offered on a fixed term contract terminating on 30 November 2026.

This is a full-time post.

We are happy to try and accommodate flexible/hybrid working arrangements. The postholder will be required to work on campus a minimum of two days a week, and may have to attend additional days from time as needed

We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Key responsibilities

• Provide high quality administrative and project support to the BRC Director under the direction of the Centre Manager and BRC Training Manager.  
• Serve as primary point of contact for BRC staff and students, via email and central collaboration portals including MS Teams/SharePoint. 
• Develop excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Set up efficient processes to collate, integrate, and report BRC research metrics including bibliometrics, grant funding, participant recruitment and collaborative activities, to support annual reporting to the NIHR.  
• Assist with student and staff recruitment, including PhD studentships and other academic career development opportunities; responding to queries, completion of recruitment paperwork; providing administrative support for shortlisting and interviews, including welcoming candidates and the administration of tests. 
• Maintain local electronic records pertaining to students, staff and projects, including recruitment data, student finance records, project status and progression data. 
• Undertake monthly audits of BRC publication outputs. 
• Monitor and provide project updates and reports via Excel and any other tracking systems as required. 
• Process orders and expense claims, set up student stipend payment requests, arrange journal transfers and maintain accurate financial records. 
• Service meetings and committees, including scheduling; managing meeting invitations; preparation of meeting documentation; taking accurate meeting notes and writing minutes. 
• Resolve issues with departmental resources by liaising with colleagues throughout the College such as IT or AV services, Facilities and Estates, HR, Finance and academic departments. 
• Undertake stock control, purchasing, and replenishing of routine consumables and office supplies within a defined limit, liaising with third party suppliers as needed. 
• Provide logistical support for events, including booking rooms and catering, liaison with third parties, sourcing student ambassadors, managing event attendance, and triaging event snagging. 
• Support the refresh and maintenance of content on websites associated with the NIHR Maudsley BRC programme of work as required. 
• Contribute to planning and delivering professional support to students and staff. 
• Participate in projects in support of the general management of the BRC as requested e.g., collating management information and statistical data, taking part in business processes review or planning groups. 
• Participate in departmental, campus, and college-wide fora as appropriate, and to cover for colleagues as required, both within their own areas and across the Centre. 
• Support other strands of the programme of work as and when required. 

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 

This post will suit a highly organised individual with excellent attention to detail.  A flexible and proactive work ethic to support a culture of continuous improvement is essential.

The ideal candidate will have a calm and flexible approach to work; the ability to troubleshoot problems, navigate obstacles, offer appropriate solutions; the ability to effectively prioritise and co-ordinate a varied workload under pressure and to deadlines; the ability to maintain confidentiality; and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Previous experience of providing high quality project administrative support or recruitment administration in an academic/health service environment is desirable, as too is evidence of prior experience of basic online research and experience organising and collating a range of information from different sources in a logical, structured manner.

Essential criteria  

1. Educated to A-Level or equivalent. 
2. Excellent communication skills with high proficiency in written and spoken English in both formal and informal circumstances. 
3. Excellent IT skills with intermediate to advanced knowledge of MS applications including, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Teams. 
4. Advanced MS Excel skills with excellent numerical and data management experience and ability to manipulate large volumes of data efficiently and accurately.
5. Experience of procurement and processing expenses claims. 
6. Experience of servicing meetings and committees at senior board level, including taking accurate minutes of scientific discussions. 
7. Ability to work independently, pro-actively and flexibly, with an understanding of when to escalate decision making to higher authority.   
8. Knowledge of project management workflows, combined with excellent organisational skills and the ability to balance competing priorities under pressure of deadlines whilst maintaining outstanding quality in outputs. 
9. High level of situational awareness with the ability to think strategically, act proactively, problem solve and provide effective solutions. 
10. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to network and develop professional working relationships. 

Desirable criteria

1. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. 
2. Graduate or postgraduate qualification in a scientific discipline or equivalent experience. 
3. Experience of administration in a Higher Education or research setting. 
4. Experience of using bibliometric tools and software. 
5. Advanced ICDL certification or equivalent experience. 

Further information

Please visit our recruitment pages for guidance in submitting your application. 

Interviews are likely to be held in w/c  9th October 2023

The selection process will include a panel interview and an assessment of Excel skills and written communication skills.

Equality of opportunity is College policy.