Research Officer

Prostate Cancer UK; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent health charity in the UK seeks a Senior Research Officer to manage active research grants and support applicants throughout the funding process. The role requires a biomedical degree or equivalent experience, with skills in grant funding and research administration. The ideal candidate will demonstrate communication, attention to detail, and time management skills. Join a team dedicated to impacting men's health through crucial research efforts. Competitive salary and development opportunities offered.

Benefits

Generous leave entitlements

Development day for training

Enhanced pension scheme

Life insurance and protection

Health Cash Plan

Wellbeing advice and support

Discounted gym membership

Loans for season tickets or cycles

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in biomedical or related field.
• Experience in research funding/administration.
• Knowledge of grant funding processes and peer review.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of active research grants.
• Be the main point of contact for grant applicants.
• Facilitate peer review for grant applications.

Skills

Understanding of grant funding and research administration

Peer review experience

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Time management skills

Education

Biomedical degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Symplectic’s Grant Tracker or other grant management systems

Job description

We're looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Senior Research Officer to help us deliver our funding schemes and patient and public involvement work. This role sits in the Research Funding Team and will provide us with support across our grant funding schemes, ensuring we are following best practise in research funding.

You’ll take responsibility for a small portfolio of active research grants, providing support and guidance to the researchers leading them. You’ll be a main point of contact for grant applicants, supporting them as they apply to us and will be responsible for running peer review. Using your understanding of research funding and administration, you’ll help make sure our funding schemes run smoothly and to time. You’ll work with colleagues to support patient and public involvement in research both in our review process and through our Patient Representative Network who help researchers make sure their work is focussed on the needs of men with prostate cancer.

We’re looking for a Senior Research Officer who is passionate about research and has a desire to develop knowledge of prostate cancer. You’ll hold a biomedical degree (or a degree in a related science subject), or with equivalent experience gained in research funding, administration or the wider research sector. You’ll already have a good grasp of how grant funding works with demonstrable experience of research administration and peer review. Confidence in interpreting complex scientific information is important, as you’ll be using this knowledge to find the right people to peer review the grant applications that are submitted to our schemes. You’ll have experience of supporting scientific meetings, preferably research funding committees, and understand the importance of capturing accurate minutes to provide constructive feedback to applicants.

You’re also an accurate record keeper with a keen eye for detail and excellent time management skills. You’re assured and clear in your communication, both written and verbal, and you’re able to respond to a wide range of inquiries from researchers while always adhering to data protection and confidentiality best practices. Experience of using Symplectic’s Grant Tracker or other grant management systems would be an advantage but is not essential.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in a bio‑medical (or similar relevant subject), and/or with experience of working in research funding / administration or within the research sector.
• Understand the fundamentals of grant funding and research administration, with demonstrable experience of undertaking peer review.
• Experience in the preparation and delivery of scientific meetings, preferably research funding committees, and including the writing of minutes and feedback.
• Able to understand complex scientific information presented in funding applications and use this to find appropriate people to peer review biomedical research grant applications.
• Understand the support that researchers might need when applying for funding or when managing an active research grant.

Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it's harming too many lives. At Prostate Cancer UK, one of our top priorities is funding research that leads to real change. It's vital we do our best to make sure this research makes a meaningful difference to men's lives, and that’s where you come in. Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK. We have a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging lives. We invest millions in research to revolutionise testing, treatment and care. We are blazing a trail to a screening programme that could save thousands of lives with regular, accurate tests for all men at risk. And we work tirelessly to spread the word about risk and offer specialist support to people living with the disease.

What we offer

Join our team and be part of an award‑winning charity. We’ll support you to develop your skills and expertise.

Benefits

• Generous leave entitlements that increase with service
• One ‘development day’ a month to use for training or personal development
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme
• Life insurance and group income protection
• Health Cash Plan
• Life and wellbeing advice and support via our Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted gym membership and high street shopping discounts
• Loans for season tickets or cycles

This role is in salary Band 3. We’ll appoint at a salary between £34,300 - £37,300 per year. We aim to pay the median salary for the sector and after 12 months' successful service all colleagues are moved to the midpoint of the pay band. Those appointed below the midpoint will have their salary increased at that time. The midpoint salary for this role is £40,300.

We operate national salaries that account for our contractual base being our London office. We also pay a working from home allowance at the HMRC tax free rate of £312 per year.

We’re committed to paying at least the London Living Wage for all roles and implement the new rate from April each year.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

At Prostate Cancer UK we’re committed to righting health inequalities across the UK, starting with those faced by Black men. This includes ground‑breaking research into Black men’s risk and working with communities directly to overcome barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. To make this happen, we’re dedicated to being an inclusive, proactive organisation, as we strive to be Allies to Black communities. We’ll achieve this by advocating and working alongside those communities to promote change. We’re also working to be Allies to each other, not only protected groups. In 2024, we launched our New Allyship Training Programme. All colleagues at Prostate Cancer UK will be trained to act and identify as an Ally.

We’ve also signed the Business in the Communities Race at Work Charter, as a dedication to our Black health equity work and wider EDI priorities. As a signatory, we’re responsible and accountable for driving positive change.

People Networks

• Pride – A safe space where LGBTQ+ colleagues – and our allies – can share their diverse lived experiences, celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and history, and create new ideas about how our organisation can be more inclusive and representative of LGBTQ+ people.
• Mind & Body – Here to increase awareness, promote wellbeing and support colleagues affected by neurodiversity, mental health problems, disability and long‑term illness.
• Culture Club – Here to increase awareness and celebrate the different cultures and beliefs that we have in the organisation, so that we all have our cultures felt and feel welcomed.