Engagement Project Officer

The Royal Society; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

An esteemed research organization in the UK is seeking an Engagement Project Officer to support the development and delivery of key activities for their engagement programme. The successful candidate will need a science degree and excellent communication skills. Responsibilities include managing training activities for award holders and enhancing engagement with the research community. This role provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the Society's mission and engage with early and mid-career researchers across STEM academia.

Qualifications

• A good understanding of academic and/or research activities in science and research funding.
• Proven experience in a similar role.
• Experience of managing meetings with internal and external participants.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and delivery of key activities for the SUSTAIN programme.
• Manage the delivery of training activities for current award holders.
• Assist in strengthening engagement with the Society's research community.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Strong attention to detail

Good stakeholder management

Good analytical and problem-solving skills

Excellent planning and organisational skills

Education

Science degree

Job description

The Engagement Team sits within the Grants Section and is responsible for the training, mentoring and networking events for our funded Research Fellows. The team work with internal and external stakeholders and suppliers to provide a wide range of career development opportunities. The extensive Engagement Programme has been highlighted by Research Fellows as a key benefit of being funded by the Royal Society. We are now looking for an Engagement Project Officer to join the team. The postholder will be expected to:

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Senior Engagement Manager and other relevant colleagues to support the development and delivery of key activities for the delivery of the SUSTAIN programme. These include managing the selection process, supporting the mentoring activities and implementing a new “leadership shadowing scheme” and assisting with the organisation of workshops and networking events.
• Manage the delivery of training activities for current award holders with support from the Engagement Officers, including liaising with Procurement, Conferencing and other internal teams as well as external suppliers.
• Assist the Senior Engagement Manager in strengthening engagement with the Society's research community and supporting the development of an alumni engagement programme.
• Assist with the setting of plans, objectives and time scales and provide recommendations to the Senior Engagement Manager when these need to be updated/changed, including maintenance of the annual engagement plan/calendar.
• Contribute to identifying and developing effective strategies of engagement with early and mid-career researchers 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.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with award holders to understand their needs, feeding back information to the Senior Engagement Manager and other relevant colleagues to ensure appropriate support and development is offered to the researchers.
• 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.
• Support the administration of selection processes, including commissioning and procurement activities and call for proposals for specific training, events or activities.
• Represent the programme and organisation at meetings, interest groups, and events, including giving presentations and providing briefings.
• Support activities within the Grants team aimed at increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, including encouraging participation from under‑represented 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.
• Share experience and ideas with others in the Section and the Society and contribute broadly to the Royal Society's mission and priorities.
• Role‑model desired behaviours in line with the Grants Team Charter.
• Produce succinct presentations and papers for senior colleagues, be a capable presenter and be able to explain topics and projects to a range of audiences.
• Understand when to seek senior advice on a wide range of matters and act upon it.

Resource Management

• Make the best of internal/external resources and coordinate well with external partners to best meet the needs of the Society.
• Build contingency into projects taking into account possible outside factors.
• Set and monitor performance against quality and results‑oriented targets.
• Focus on both short‑ and long‑term goals.

Critical Thinking

• Determine and clarify the exact requirements of any situation, check information for accuracy and raise concerns if information is inaccurate.
• Extract key points succinctly, clearly and accurately.
• Put forward suggestions for improvement concerning current processes or systems.
• Try different ways of doing things to get the best results.

Adaptability

• Overcome obstacles and is not deterred by setbacks; check assumptions and first principles and work out alternative approaches.
• React proactively to new challenges and work in a flexible manner to produce solutions.
• Provide feedback and participate in discussions surrounding new ideas, approaches or projects.

Managing people and relationships

• Delegate effectively if needed, setting clear expectations and authority; may line‑manage or supervise others.
• Monitor results and feedback to own team on a regular basis constructively, recognise others' contributions and acknowledge their strengths and limitations.
• Help others identify ways to improve their performance and encourage learning from others in the team.
• Prioritise supervisory responsibilities and carry them out in line with organisational policies.

Qualifications

• Essential: A good understanding of academic and/or research activities in science and research funding.
• Essential: Science degree.
• Essential: Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills across a range of audiences.
• Essential: Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Essential: Good IT and presentation skills.
• Essential: Good stakeholder management.
• Essential: Strong attention to detail.
• Essential: Good analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Essential: Proven experience in a similar role.
• Desirable: Demonstrable experience in developing and managing mentoring or training programmes and career development activities.
• Desirable: Experience of working across teams and departments.
• Essential: Experience of managing meetings with internal and external participants.
• Essential: Experience of establishing and maintaining a network of contacts.

Education

• Educated to degree standard or equivalent.

Circumstances

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

Self‑management

• Works unsupervised and can motivate self.
• Produces results under pressure.
• Can manage in stressful situations.
• Pushes for the best results.
• Can be innovative and offer solutions and suggestions when not initially obvious.
• Keen to be involved in organisational and corporate working groups informally or formally.
• Can represent section on some duties.
• 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.