Post Award Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 101368Z25 - Grade 7

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Birmingham is seeking a Post Award Manager to oversee the finance team and manage research projects. This role entails financial reporting, supervising a dedicated team, and ensuring adherence to funding conditions. With generous benefits and a collaborative environment, it's an opportunity to contribute to the university's prestigious research endeavors.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Paid volunteering day

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Subsidised day nursery

Qualifications

• Extensive work experience in a relevant role.
• Proven experience in financial management of research projects.
• Ability to manage staff and deliver high-quality support.

Responsibilities

• Supervise a team of finance professionals across research projects.
• Ensure compliance with funder terms and conditions throughout project lifecycle.
• Manage external audits and financial reporting for research projects.

Skills

Financial management

Customer service

Team management

Education

Degree level or equivalent qualification

Job description

Post Award Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 101368Z25 - Grade 7

Join to apply for the Post Award Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 101368Z25 - Grade 7 role at University of Birmingham

Post Award Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 101368Z25 - Grade 7

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Join to apply for the Post Award Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 101368Z25 - Grade 7 role at University of Birmingham

Job Description

Position Details

Research Strategy and Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to September 2026

Closing date: 9th July 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University has an exciting vision to build on the success of REF2021, by continuing to transform its research performance across outputs, income, impact, and policy influence. Central to this ambition is the Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD), a new Professional Services department that is being established to provide a transformative and sector-leading approach to research strategy and support.

Role Summary

The Post Award Manager, Research Strategy & Services will provide day-to-day supervision and guidance to a team of research post award finance professionals, and will be responsible for the delivery of a portfolio of research projects directly, including responsibility for financial reporting and forecasting, associated with the academic area(s) that they support. The post holder will build successful relationships with their peers and colleagues across the wider RSSD, other Professional Services including College administration to develop, share and own best practice for post-award financial support, key funders and the portfolio of activity associated with their academic area(s).

The role holder will work with the Head of Post Award, RSSD to embed a culture of collaborative and devolved leadership throughout the team, that empowers all staff within the team to thrive, and will work collaboratively and in close partnership with the wider Professional Services, ensuring that academics and external partners receive a consistent and high-quality service to build strong credibility across all functions.

Main Duties

• As a senior member of their College-facing Post Award team, reporting to the Head of Post Award, provide line management and guidance to a team of Post Award Professionals ensuring that they provide high-quality financial management throughout the full post award lifecycle and adherence to funder terms & conditions across the portfolio of their academic area(s). Specific post award functions include funder claims/audits, project monitoring, project closure and financial approval of staff costs.
• Act as the deputy to the Head of Post Award, as required, to ensure that a consistent support is provided to all Post Award staff. Lead on discrete change projects as required, working collaboratively within and across RSSD to ensure a first class, innovative service is delivered.
• As a member of Post Award ensure that the Post Award function operates efficiently, proactively seeking opportunities to streamline handovers, steps and tasks, monitoring systems and processes. Identifying and spreading best practice across the wider RSSD Post Award teams to facilitate the delivery of robust quality assurance and high levels of service to internal and external customers.
• Engage and contribute to change initiatives outside of Post Award and ensure that recommendations arising incorporate and/or integrate with existing and evolving best practice in research post award finance administration.
• Be responsible for completion of a range of monthly KPIs for their academic area, ensuring that the Post Award college team are delivering to high standards and that both financial risk to the institution and reputational risk with external funders is mitigated. This will include but not be limited to project closure, debtor/creditor positions, project monitoring, and claims completion, being accountable to the Head of Post Award of RSSD for their respective academic area.
• Directly manage a portfolio of externally funded research projects undertaking claims, reporting, monitoring, and project closure. Deliver to a high standard and high level of accuracy minimising financial risk to the institution. Ensure an understanding of customer needs across the academic community for their area of responsibility, the wider RSSD and other University Professional Services areas.
• Management of funder and University external audits of our research accounting processes related to their academic area, ensuring that information required by auditors is provided accurately and in a timely manner in order to facilitate verification of both internal processes and the reported financial position.
• Engage externally with funders where required in order to offer financial assurance and liaison regarding operating procedures. Take responsibility as a subject matter expert for major external funders associated with your respective area of responsibility.
• Working under the direction of the Head of Post Award with regards to setting the team culture on HR matters within the Post Award College team, leading and developing staff and ensure that the recruitment, development and retention of highly capable staff is supported by clear development/career plans and performance processes and provide active support for, and leadership of, EDI matters.
• Personally model the Values of the University, and in particular those in the Strategic Framework and Birmingham Professional.
• Undertake any other duties as required from time-to-time by the Assistant Director/Head of Post Award, Research Strategy & Services Division, including where necessary attendance at meetings in the absence of the Head of Post Award.
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification plus substantial work experience in a relevant technical/scientific and/or management/supervisory role in a specialist area. A higher degree may also be held. Where no equivalent qualification is held a proven track record of extensive and substantial work experience in a series of progressively more demanding and relevant roles will be required.
• Proven experience of financial management of a complex portfolio of research projects, including expert use of key finance management systems.
• Evidence of delivering a high quality customer service and ability to develop services/systems to anticipate and meet customer needs.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
• Experience of managing staff to deliver high-quality support
  
  

Role context

Roles at this level will be technical specialists with an in-depth up-to-date specialist understanding of their technical area, having the ability to develop services/systems to anticipate and meet customer needs. They must have the ability to apply their knowledge, to identify complex problems and recommend solutions. They should have a well developed understanding of procedures and practices for their specialist area.

Dimensions

The role will manage a portfolio of externally funded research projects for an academic area.

The role will manage the claims, reporting and closure of their project portfolio in line with funder and RSSD requirements.

The role will manage a small team of Post Award Professionals.

Planning and Organising

This role will be expected to plan a portfolio of externally funded research projects for their academic area ensuring that all external funder deadlines are met. This role must also be able to plan to ensure that internal tasks such as project closures and high level exception queries are met. In the event of an audit this role must be able to reprioritise work in order to be able to meet audit deadlines.

Problem Solving and decision making

This role will be expected to resolve queries from academics, external funders and other external bodies such as auditors. They will be expected to support, advise and help resolve queries for other professional services teams and the wider RSSD. This role will also be expected to help and support individuals under their line management with training and to resolve queries and questions.

Internal and External relationships

The role is a key liaison and co-ordination role on specific project(s), so will have a range of internal and potentially external stakeholders.

• Internal members of RSSD
• External stakeholders such as funders/auditors
• Team members (on larger projects)
• Other Professional Services colleagues, such as Finance, HR etc.
  
  

Informal enquiries to Ams Bolla, Head of Post Award (College of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Law, EU and International), email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Research, Analyst, and Information Technology

• Industries

  Higher Education

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