Pre-Award Development Officer

Northumbria University; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension scheme

Flexible working

Generous holiday entitlement

Job summary

Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne seeks a Pre-Award Development Officer to provide expert support to researchers, preparing costings for grant applications and advising on funding streams. The role involves ensuring proper authorisation, supporting researchers to secure external grants, and contributing to research development communications.

The post-holder will manage multiple priorities with strong organisational and analytical skills, working in a hybrid setting on campus and

Qualifications

• Experienced in costing and preparing externally funded research proposals.
• Strong understanding of the UK research funding landscape and funder requirements.
• Skilled at managing multiple priorities and tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare project costings for research grant applications.
• Provide expert advice on funding streams and funder requirements to academic staff.
• Ensure accurate authorisation of applications in line with university procedures.
• Support researchers to develop and secure external grants throughout the pre-award process.
• Contribute to planning and implementing Research Development communications and opportunities.

Skills

Costing & budgeting

Funding landscape knowledge

Stakeholder management

Prioritisation & planning

Independent decision-making

Job description

Based in the Grants and Contracts Team (Pre-Award) within Research and Innovation Services, the Pre-Award Development Officer will provide high-quality professional and expert support to researchers across a wide range of disciplines; preparing project costings for research grant applications; providing expert advice and guidance to academic staff on funding streams, and particular requirements of funders; and ensuring that all applications receive authorisation in accordance with the University's procedures. Reporting to the Pre-Award Team Manager, and working as part of a team, the successful candidate will support researchers to develop and secure external research grants via the provision of specialist support at every stage of the pre-award process. The post-holder will also contribute to the planning, support and implementation of Research Development related communications activity including publicising key opportunities and initiatives. The successful candidate will have strong organisational, planning, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills, along with the ability to prioritise competing demands and make independent decisions in a fast-paced environment. They will build and maintain effective working relationships, demonstrate sound judgement in guiding others, and bring a strong understanding of the UK funding landscape and knowledge of research funding bodies. Further information is available in the ., Northumbria University is a vibrant, campus-based institution and the successful candidate will be expected to spend the majority of their time on campus at our Newcastle City location. This is a people-facing managerial role where presence matters, both for the effective management of teams and for building the strong internal relationships that are central to success in this post. We recognise the importance of work-life balance and have flexible and hybrid working arrangements in place, which will be agreed in line with the needs of the role and the service.

• Experienced in costing and preparing externally funded research proposals, with sound knowledge of fEC principles and costing methodology
• A strong understanding of the UK research funding landscape and national funder requirements
• Skilled at managing multiple, competing priorities and tight deadlines without compromising accuracy
• Confident building relationships and influencing stakeholders at all levels, from researchers to funders
• Able to interpret complex written documentation and constructively review academic text
• A proactive problem-solver, comfortable working independently under broad direction
• Experience of Higher Education (or a similarly complex research environment) and, ideally, line management
• Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's in 2022 and in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more .
• With over 37,000 students from 140+ countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and .
• Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviours shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding a Silver Athena Swan in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality, a bronze Race Equality Charter Award and we are a Disability Confident Leader. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.