Engagement Manager

ROYAL SOCIETY; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading scientific institution in Greater London is seeking a dedicated professional to manage the career development and engagement programme for research award holders. This role involves supporting the delivery of existing engagement activities, managing mentoring programmes, and collaborating across teams to foster strong relationships with award holders. The ideal candidate will have a degree, excellent communication skills, and proven experience in mentoring and project management. The position is full-time with hybrid working options.

Benefits

Hybrid working options

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Educated to degree standard or equivalent with good understanding of academic activities.
• Proven experience in managing mentoring programmes.
• Experience of working across teams and departments.

Responsibilities

• Manage the career development programme for UK award holders.
• Lead delivery of the mentoring programme for Research Fellows.
• Develop relationships with award holders to understand their needs.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Project management

Team leadership

Strong analytical skills

Education

Degree in a relevant field

Science degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Presentation software

Job description

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Job Scope

To manage the Royal Society's career development and engagement programme for award holders based in the UK.

To contribute to the expansion and continuous development of the Society's mentoring programme for award holders based in the UK.

Working within specific timescales, budget and the required quality whilst maximising their success and supporting the needs of award holders.

Reports to: Senior Engagement Manager

Line manages: N/A

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG plus hybrid remote working

Pay Band: D

Salary: £47, 428

Contract type: 10 month Fixed-term, Maternity Cover

Application closing date: 31 January 2026 at 23:59.

Interview date: 11 February 2026.

Responsibilities

• To work closely with the Senior Engagement Manager and other relevant colleagues, and with support from the Engagement Officers, to support the delivery of existing engagement activities for current award holders and manage the delivery of the wraparound support package for Career Development Fellows which includes training courses, staff visits to Research Fellows, networking events and a bespoke mentoring programme.
• Leading on the delivery of the mentoring programme for all first-year Research Fellows including the matching process, annual workshops, check-ins and expanding the pool of mentors.
• To participate in setting of plans, objectives and time scales and identifying to the Senior Engagement Manager when these need to be updated/changed, including maintenance of the annual engagement plan/calendar.
• To identify effective strategies of engagement with researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM academia and manage relationships with internal and external service providers (incl. training providers, event venues, design services, digital marketing) and a variety of Society contacts, including Fellows of the Society and active award holders, involved in the delivery of career development and engagement activities.
• To develop and maintain strong relationships with award holders to understand their needs, feeding back information to Senior Engagement Manager and other relevant colleagues to ensure appropriate support and development is offered to the researchers.
• To collaborate with Programme Managers, Grants Managers, and other colleagues in the Section and Society to enable their input and involvement in engagement activities (such as curating content, convening break-outs, speakers, etc).
• To liaise with other colleagues in the Society to facilitate the inclusion of award holders in wider Society work, such as policy consultations and public engagement, and enable oversight and join-up of training, secondment and supplementary funding activities managed by other sections of the Society which are exclusively or partially aimed at RS funded Research Fellows
• To utilise appropriate evaluation methods for events and activities, ensuring accurate data is available and producing clear reports for key stakeholders to inform future developments and iterative changes, working closely with colleagues in the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team.
• To administer some selection processes, including commissioning and procurement activities and call for proposals for specific events or activities.
• To represent the programme and organisation at meetings, interest groups, and events, including giving presentations and providing briefings.
• To support activities within the Grants team aimed at increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion including encouraging participation from underrepresented groups and supporting the development and maintenance of policies and practices to foster greater inclusivity and to ensure that those who have followed a non-standard career path are encouraged to apply.
• To share experience and ideas with others in the Section and the Society and contribute broadly to the Royal Society's mission and priorities.
• To develop and maintain content for the research fellows portal, coordinating material with individuals across the Section and Society, and active award holders, with the assistance of the Engagement Officers.
• To role model desired behaviours in line with the Grants Team Charter.

As the programme expands, the role may include line managing responsibilities :

• Providing management and leadership to Engagement Officer(s) and creating an inclusive and supportive environment to help them in realising their potential and achieving the highest standards of efficiency, quality and customer care.

Key Knowledge and Skills Required

EDUCATION/QUALIFICATIONS/KNOWLEDGE

Educated to degree standard or equivalent.

A good understanding of academic and/or research activities in science and research funding.

Science degree

SKILLS

Skilled team leader

Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills across a range of audiences

Excellent planning and organisational skills

Good IT and presentation skills

Strong influencing and negotiation skills

Strong attention to detail

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

EXPERIENCE

Proven experience in a similar role

Experience of managing staff activity across teams

Demonstrable experience in developing and managing mentoring programmes and career development activities to engage with the scientific community

Experience of working across teams and departments

Experience of managing meetings with internal and external participants

Experience of establishing and maintaining a network of contacts

Demonstrable experience of delivering accessible digital events and content for the public

CIRCUMSTANCES

Able to be flexible about working hours and travel across the UK

Competencies

Self-management

Works unsupervised and can motivate self

Produces results under pressure

Can manage in stressful situations

Pushes for the best results for self and team

Pursues and encourages feedback that may reveal an error in judgment or process and then makes appropriate adjustments

Recognises own personal biases or limitations, and uses this understanding to improve decisions and plans for action

Seeks out mentors and other development resources to gain additional self-awareness and personal development

Reflects on negative situations with maturity and seeks to understand own contribution to the situation

Holds things together and acts as a settling influence

Willing to continue learning within chosen field, training and developing towards the next level in both formal and informal ways

Works within the Royal Society Values at all times

Working with others

Contributes ideas and identifies opportunities to work with others both within the team and across the organisation

Willing to provide and receive feedback to and from sectional colleagues when requested

Produces succinct presentations and papers for senior colleagues

Understands when to seek senior advice on potentially delicate negotiations

Reaches a variety of audiences using an appropriate mix of communication methods and tailored messages to appeal to their unique needs

Creates an environment of transparency while respecting confidentiality requirements

Builds consensus for delivering team goals. Frequently interacts with peers, on cross-functional matters.

Resource management

Makes the best of internal/external resources and coordinates well with external partners to best meet the needs of the Society

Builds contingency into projects taking into account possible outside factors

Sets and monitors performance against quality and results orientated targets.

Focuses on both short and long-term goals

Creates novel solutions to problems

Creates a detailed design or plan to implement a new solution or approach

Evaluates new technology as potential solutions to existing issues. Adjusts course as new information comes to light

Executes quickly and decisively in a time-sensitive situation

Takes accountability to persist until opportunity is realised or problem solved

Critical thinking

Determines and clarifies the requirements of any situation

Checks information for accuracy and raises concerns if information is inaccurate

Extracts the key points succinctly, clearly and accurately

Puts forward suggestions for improvement concerning current processes or systems

Tries different ways of doing things to get the best results

Compares and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of options

Formulates an opinion by considering opposing views and suggestions

Runs trials and models or applies statistical analysis and stress testing to confirm or disconfirm proposal

Adaptability

Overcomes obstacles and is not deterred by setbacks; checks assumptions and first principles and works out alternative approaches

Reacts proactively to new challenges and works in a flexible manner to produce solutions

Provides feedback and participates in discussions surrounding new ideas approaches or projects

Maintains focus and continues to deliver when things are not straightforward

Adjusts to act differently depending on the situation

Takes steps to understand basic risk management and importance of identifying and maintaining controls

Leads team and helps them to understand and cope with ambiguous situations

Managing people and relationships

Delegates effectively, setting clear expectations and authority

Monitors results and feedback to team on a regular basis

Recognises others' contributions and acknowledges their limits

Helps others to identify ways to improve their performance

Prioritises supervisory responsibilities and carries them out in a timely fashion

Understands and can identify client/stakeholder/staff needs and looks for opportunities to improve their experiences

Demonstrates trust in others' ability to accomplish tasks at acceptable levels of performance

Provides current, direct, complete and actionable positive and constructive feedback

Has a mind‑set of sharing own and others' expertise

Creates an environment of transparency while respecting confidentiality requirements

Focuses on surfacing underlying customer issues/concerns and identifying root causes

Increases exposure to and personal relationships with others