Research Support Officer - Research Strategy and Services - 105546 - Grade 6

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global university is seeking a Research Support Officer to join its College Research Support Team. The role involves providing academic support for research applications, including budget preparation, managing submissions, and reviewing grant agreements. The ideal candidate will hold a degree or have relevant experience, knowledge of UK research funding, and strong interpersonal skills. This position offers the opportunity to work in a diverse environment that values inclusion and professional development.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Generous pension scheme

Occupational sick pay

Qualifications

• Experience of improving administrative processes or systems in research support services.
• Excellent communication skills to influence and negotiate effectively.
• High level of self-motivation and ability to plan and deliver work to deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide support for research applications, including budget preparation and submission process.
• Draft and review contractual agreements for research awards.
• Identify funding opportunities and disseminate them to academic colleagues.

Skills

Knowledge of the UK research funding landscape

Strong literacy and numeracy skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Strong IT skills

Experience in stakeholder engagement

Education

Educated to degree level or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office suite

Research management systems (e.g. Worktribe)

Job description

Position Details

Research Strategy and Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Grade: 6

Full Time, Permanent

2 positions available

Closing date: 19th January 2026

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 Professional Services department that works in partnership with academics across research strategy, operations, and partnerships. The RSSD integrates professional staff from the following teams into one cohesive ecosystem: Research Strategy & Development; Research Support (Grants & Contracts); Research Partnerships, Research Impact & Innovation; Research Policy & Environment; Research Systems & Data; Research Governance; Research Communications; Legal & Regulatory Compliance; and Research Finance Accounting.

As part of its support for academic excellence and international collaboration, the RSSD also plays a pivotal role in helping researchers access major funding opportunities, including those from Horizon Europe following the UK’s reassociation. This enhances the University’s ability to secure high‑impact research funding and drive forward global partnerships. An overview of the RSSD structure is provided in the organogram below.

Role Summary

The Research Support Officer sits within the College Research Support Team and provides academic facing support to researchers in a defined portfolio across all elements of pre‑award research support. This includes proactive support across the life cycle of research proposals from costing and pricing, approvals, support with due diligence, the set‑up of successful bids and transferred awards.

Reporting to a Research Support Manager, and working as part of a team, the Research Support Officer will work closely with academic teams, including in the identification of funding opportunities; supporting the submission of research applications and supporting contractual arrangements; and ensuring internal approval processes and procedures are followed throughout.

Main Duties

• Provide support to a portfolio of research applications which will include the preparation of budget information, administrative information within application forms, checking of funder requirements and managing the submission process. Work collaboratively within the wider Research Support Team to ensure researchers receive professional support at every stage of the process.
• Review, provide recommendations, and draft clauses to support the negotiation of contractual and grant funding agreements related to research awards (including funding agreements, collaboration agreements, Data Sharing Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, etc.). Work closely with the Research Support Manager, Head of Research Support, and Business Engagement Partners as appropriate.
• Contribute to the identification of funding opportunities and their timely and targeted dissemination to academic colleagues.
• Support the acceptance and set up of new awards from funders, which will include reviewing budgets and making changes to budget lines stipulated by funders; updating Worktribe records and completing the funder portals, as well as awards being transferred into the University by new researchers.
• Following agreed processes, ensure correct internal approvals as well as due diligence are in place prior to the submission of proposals to funders, identifying and escalating risks as appropriate.
• Ensure entries in the research grant management system (Worktribe) and other reporting is completed accurately and in full.
• Assist in the sourcing, preparation and maintenance of standard texts for applications, e.g. relating to EDI priorities, University research strategy and approach to open research, that can be adapted as necessary in response to specific funder calls and requirements.
• Working with the wider Research Support team, arrange and contribute to application pipeline reporting and to meetings with academic colleagues on pipeline development in order to maintain an up to date picture of applications in the relevant area.
• Where appropriate, contribute to the development of more complex bids in liaison with other RSSD professionals. This may include organisation of meetings and workshops (e.g. funding webinars, sandpits, pitch‑to‑peer sessions etc); capturing of key information for the bid such as project partner details or budgets; or the dissemination or collection of key information from partners.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent qualifications). Where no equivalent qualification is held, significant and directly relevant experience and expertise in research support or administration within a higher education or comparable research environment will be required.
• Knowledge of the UK research funding landscape, key funders (e.g. UKRI, NIHR, charities, EU, industry). An understanding of their application and award management processes is desirable.
• Evidence of strong literacy and numeracy skills, with the ability to produce clear written materials and to interpret and analyse information and data accurately.
• Experience of successfully engaging and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders (e.g. academic staff, funders, partners) to deliver research‑related outcomes, resolve issues, or support complex projects.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven experience of working effectively as part of a team within an academic or research‑intensive environment, and of engaging confidently with staff at all levels.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain policies, procedures or decisions clearly, and to influence or negotiate effectively with a range of stakeholders.
• Experience of improving administrative processes or systems to enhance the quality, efficiency or consistency of research support services.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret both qualitative and quantitative data and present findings appropriately to different audiences.
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite and experience of using corporate research management systems (e.g. Worktribe or equivalent). Demonstrable ability to learn new systems and software quickly.
• High level of self‑motivation and accountability, with the ability to plan and deliver work to deadlines, manage competing priorities, and support others in doing so.
• Experience of actively championing equality, diversity and inclusion, with the ability to identify and address issues that may impact protected groups, and to ensure relevant legislation and institutional policies are applied effectively in practice.

Informal enquiries to Karen Atkins, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications

We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

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.