Senior Business Operations Officer

King's College London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

King's College London is seeking a proactive Administrative Officer to support the Centre for Critical Illness Research and the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences. You will provide high-quality business support across both areas and work closely with the Business Operations Manager and colleagues.

The role covers recruitment and onboarding, grant management, procurement, meetings and events, records and documentation, and stakeholder liaison with academic and external partners.

Qualifications

• Minimum level 4 qualification with relevant work experience OR substantial on-job development through progressively more demanding roles.
• Solid understanding of business operations processes including financial administration, recruitment and contract management.
• Attention to detail essential to ensure compliance with regulations and policies.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, using initiative and problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Support the Centre's development and day-to-day operations and deliver high-quality business support across the School.
• Coordinate recruitment and onboarding processes and liaise with academic and professional services staff.
• Assist grant management and procurement activities and support meetings and events.
• Maintain records and documentation and liaise with external partners as required.

Skills

Numeracy

Data analysis

Microsoft Office

Power BI

Communication

Stakeholder management

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Recruitment

Procurement

Education

Level 4 qualification or higher apprenticeship

Tools

Power BI reports

Job description

About us

This is an exciting dual-facing role within the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, combining responsibilities across the School's Professional Services team and the Centre for Critical Illness Research. The Centre brings together expertise from across the Faculty, King's and external partners to strengthen research and education in this clinically important field.

About the role

The post holder will divide their time between supporting the Centre's development and day-to-day operations and delivering high-quality business support across the wider School. Working closely with the Business Operations Manager, the Centre's leadership and colleagues across the Professional Services team, they will help ensure that priorities are coordinated and services are delivered effectively across both areas.

The role offers considerable variety, with responsibilities spanning recruitment and onboarding, grant management and procurement, meetings and events, records and documentation, and liaison with academic, professional services and external colleagues. It will suit someone who enjoys balancing competing priorities, building effective working relationships and taking ownership of accurate and timely delivery.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract for 2 years.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Minimum level 4 qualification, e.g., higher apprenticeship, HNC or other Level 4 award, plus relevant work experience OR Considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in a relevant post, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding work and the completion of professional training.
2. Solid understanding of business operations processes relevant to the role, including financial administration, recruitment and contract management, acquired through relevant work experience.
3. Experience of working in an environment where accuracy and attention to detail are essential to ensure compliance with regulations, policies and procedures.
4. Evidence of working effectively both independently and as part of a team, using initiative and a proactive approach to problem solving.
5. Excellent numeracy skills and the ability to analyse, manipulate and present data in an accessible format to support decision making.
6. Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams), experience using Power BI reports, and the ability to work with web-based systems and digital platforms.
7. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to receive, understand and convey information of varying complexity to diverse audiences.
8. Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships and networks across an organisation and with external partners.

Desirable criteria

1. Previous experience working in the Higher Education Institution.
2. Experience supporting research grant administration, research funding activity or projects funded by external funders.
3. Experience supporting events, symposia, recruitment, onboarding and non-academic probation reviews.

Further Information

At King's, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King's guidance.

Interviews are expected to be held late Mid to late October.