Research and Engagement Support Officer (BISCA/IDAI) - College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Job Description

Position Details

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,546 to £35,116 with potential progression once in post to £39,355

Grade: 6

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to July 2026

Closing date: 8th April 2025

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

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.

Background

Institute for Data and AI (IDAI)

The Institute for Data and AI (IDAI) promotes excellence in Data Engineering, Data Science and AI theory and practice, ensuring their co-evolution and competent adoption across disciplines to enable transformative, interdisciplinary, impactful data-intensive research. The Institute brings together researchers and educators from across the University around a shared ambition to address grand societal challenges through open collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.

Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA)

The Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) takes a distinct approach to leverage Birmingham's comprehensive, interdisciplinary research expertise; and apply/translate ideas, skills and influence into wider engagement and action on climate change and broader sustainability matters.

BISCA aims to move beyond evidence generation and technological solutions to consider, for example, dynamic policies and decision-making under uncertainty; politics and behaviours around policies.

The post holder will be a key member of the institutes' joint professional service team, located in the Elm House Hub.

Role Summary

The Research and Engagement Support Officer will jointly support (50/50) both institutes and be located in Elm House, a hub for interdisciplinary research. The Research and Engagement Support Officer will work closely with the Head of Institute Operations (BISCA/IDAI) and Project Manager (BISCA/IDAI), as well as the Senior Leadership Team, and various research committees and working groups, for both Institutes.

The post holder will support the rapid set-up and delivery of a number of new internal interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research networks, initiatives and projects which will be designed to enhance Sustainability and Data Science/AI research networks, foster cross-disciplinary collaborations, and promote engagement opportunities through BISCA and IDAI, across Birmingham's vibrant research community.

The Research and Engagement Support Officer will ensure timely dissemination of information about BISCA and IDAI events and opportunities. As well as leading on the co-ordination and delivery of a wide range of events, meetings, seminars and workshops. Liaising with Professional Services and Academic Staff both internally, and more widely across the University, as well as Institute external partners and collaborators, will be a key aspect of this role.

Main Duties

1. Support and co-ordinate activities and initiatives resulting from both institutes' research themes, networks, committees and other working groups.
2. Support ongoing research activity reviews and mapping exercises, as well as horizon scanning for both internal and external requirements.
3. Provide administrative support and co-ordination for meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars, as well as visits to and from potential sponsors and collaborators.
4. Contribute to developing communications plans, presentations, and the promotion of the institute's activity, projects, initiatives and their outcomes and impact.
5. Promote the Institutes' activity across relevant external networks, identifying mechanisms and channels to facilitate this.
6. Set-up and develop clear systems and distinct channels of communication within the university to enable the effective circulation and dissemination of opportunities and information, translate external partnership communications into university context and processes.
7. Be responsible for maintaining related content on Institute webpages, news feed and promotional materials.

Whilst working closely with the Head of Institute Operations (BISCA/IDAI) and Project Manager (BISCA/IDAI), be responsible for supporting the delivery of a variety of small-to-medium sized initiatives and projects, undertaken by the Institutes, through the provision of administrative support and project co-ordination. In addition to the above, this may include some, or all, of the following:

1. Co-ordinate planning for initiatives, activities and projects;
   • carrying out project planning activities;
   • identifying milestones which will need to be adhered to;
   • data collection and analysis;
   • milestone tracking/key performance indicator tracking;
   • developing and proposing solutions for any issues;
   • recommending improvements to processes;
   • preparing progress reports for project leads or other meetings;
   • support budgetary monitoring and management, including reporting;
   • assisting with stakeholder management, developing and maintaining regular contact with internal and external stakeholders to understand requirements;
   • assessing and escalating issues as appropriate.
2. Where relevant, act as main point of contact for, and facilitate the processing of, project related procurement, contracts and invoicing.
3. In co-ordination with the Project Manager (BISCA/IDAI), develop and maintain records of activity, outputs, outcomes and impact from the work undertaken by institutes' research themes, networks, committees and other working groups.
4. Ensure that all publications and awards resulting from supported activity are recorded as affiliated with BISCA or IIDSAI in PURE and provide support to academic staff with the use of it.
5. Assist in the evaluation and review of projects, events and other work packages.
6. Determine short term priorities for own work, ensuring you maximise quality, efficiency and continuity.

Institute Operations

1. As part of the joint BISCA/IIDSAI Operations Team, located in the shared 'Elm House Hub', the Research and Engagement Support Officer will, as required within the scope and capacity of this role, be expected to support the Head of Institute Operations with the day-to-day operational running of the Institute and the Elm House shared operations office, the 'Elm House Hub'. Ensuring the efficient and effective operations of the Institutes/Elm House Hub, offices, meeting, teaching and collaborative spaces supporting the outstanding delivery of the Institute's research, teaching and other interdisciplinary activities.
2. Participate as an active member of the Elm House Hub, shared operations team, including but not limited to; attending and engaging in team and institute meetings, induction of new staff, teaching and sharing knowledge/best-practice within the team, mentoring of more junior team members, promoting an inclusive and supportive working environment, etc.
3. Actively engage with broader College and University professional service networks and development opportunities.
4. Supports the University's sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
5. Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
6. Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

1. Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications). Where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
2. Significant practical experience in a similar role.
3. Proven track record of successful delivery of small-to-medium sized projects and initiatives and/or strategic partnership management.
4. Experience of coordinating events and delivering professional external communications.
5. Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data.
6. Experience with budgetary management.
7. Excellent people-management skills.
8. Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office; University procurement and reporting system; and website editing software. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
9. A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.
10. Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
11. Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Role context

Roles at this level will require expertise and a detailed understanding of methods, systems and procedures in an administrative or professional area. You will either use specialist knowledge or have more of a planning/co-ordination/project role or a role which is supervisory in nature where you may manage a team doing similar kinds of work. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve queries; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision.

Core competencies/transferable skills

Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully use the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below. As appropriate for the level, our Birmingham Professionals will take ownership for getting things done. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.

Planning and organising

1. prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery;
2. set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
3. coordinate work across a team of colleagues and/or support staff;
4. contribute to written documents, for example guidelines internal to the area, taking account of audience;
5. operate with limited supervision as they will have considerable scope for initiative, within established work procedures.

Problem solving and decision making

1. anticipate and identify issues in own area based on experience;
2. make appropriate suggestions for improvements and implement these when agreed in own area;
3. facilitate change, and articulate the implications and benefits of change to others;
4. focus on determining short-term priorities of work area, and how to maximise quality, efficiency and continuity.

Organisational understanding

1. quickly develop an understanding of their working area and how it contributes to the success of the University;
2. display an interest in how the University operates beyond own working area; develop and share this knowledge with others.

Relationships and communication

1. develop and maintain excellent working relationships in own area, and more widely as required for collaborative working opportunities;
2. communicate clearly and openly with others both within and external to the University, and use a range of communication skills and strategies to gain commitment to a course of action;
3. demonstrate collaborative working at all times, including with others outside the immediate work area.

Informal enquiries to Jessica Mylchreest, email: j.mylchreest@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

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.