Research & Knowledge Exchange Administrator

Royal College of Art; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal College of Art in London is seeking a proactive Research & Knowledge Exchange Administrator to join the RKE Office. You will provide comprehensive administrative support across research and knowledge exchange activities, coordinating meetings, managing ethics processes, and supporting fund schemes.

You will work with academic and professional services colleagues, handling data, reports, and communications while maintaining high standards of confidentiality in a busy environment.

Qualifications

• You will have relevant administrative experience in a busy environment.
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience with budgeting, data handling and committee support.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate committee meetings, prepare agendas and minutes.
• Administer research ethics approvals and internal funding schemes.
• Support REF submission logistics, data collation and internal communications.
• Maintain research management information, reporting and budget monitoring.
• Support website, newsletters, events and the RKE Academy activities.

Skills

Organisational skills

Microsoft Office

Data protection & confidentiality

Financial administration

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Research & Knowledge Exchange Administrator

Date advertised

30 October 2026

15 November 2026

Programme/Department

Research & Knowledge Exchange Office

Required hours

Full Time

Site

Battersea, London, United Kingdom/Hybrid

Full time and permanent role

About the role

The Royal College of Art (RCA) is the world’s leading university for art and design, renowned for its postgraduate-only community of artists, designers, architects and creative thinkers. We are a place where curiosity, creativity and collaboration drive innovation and make a positive impact on the world.

We are looking for an organised, proactive and highly capable Research and Knowledge Exchange Administrator to join our Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) Office within the Research & Innovation Directorate.

The RKE Office provides central expertise and support for the College’s research, knowledge exchange and executive education activities, as well as its postgraduate research degrees. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting the delivery and development of the College’s research activities, working with academic and professional services colleagues across the RCA.

Key responsibilities

You will provide comprehensive administrative support across a varied portfolio of research and knowledge exchange activities. This will include coordinating committee meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, managing research ethics approval processes and administering the College’s internal research funding schemes.

You will also play an important role in supporting preparations for the College’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission, working with senior academic and professional services colleagues on meeting administration, data collation and internal communications. Other responsibilities will include maintaining research management information, supporting reporting requirements, financial administration and budget monitoring.

The role also has a communications and events dimension. You will help maintain the Research & Innovation website and intranet content, coordinate newsletters and departmental updates, and organise meetings, events and the RKE Academy, which provides training and information for academic staff.

About you

You will have relevant administrative experience, ideally within Higher Education or a comparable environment, and be confident providing high-quality support in a busy and changing environment. You will have excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

You will bring strong written and numerical skills, with proven experience of preparing committee papers, taking minutes and undertaking financial administration. You will be digitally confident, with good knowledge of Microsoft Office or equivalent productivity tools, and an understanding of information management, data protection and confidentiality.

A collaborative approach is essential, together with the confidence to use your initiative, solve problems and build effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels. Experience of research funding processes, budget monitoring, maintaining web content or working with university systems would be advantageous.

Why join the RCA?

Joining the Royal College of Art means becoming part of an ambitious, diverse and internationally connected community at the forefront of art, design and research. You will work alongside talented academic and professional services colleagues, contributing to research and knowledge exchange activities that have an impact across disciplines and beyond the College.

If you are an enthusiastic and resourceful administrator who enjoys working collaboratively and would like to contribute to a dynamic research environment, we would love to hear from you.

Join the RCA and help support the research, ideas and innovation shaping the future of art and design.

The Royal College of Art (RCA) aims to foster an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students and stakeholders are respected.

We recognise the broad range of experiences that a diverse staff and student body brings and how this strengthens our research and enhances our teaching. In order for RCA to remain a world-leading institution we are committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles throughout all of our processes, from application through to appointment.

Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU