Research Grants Assistant

Salary: £23,700 with progression to £25,138 per annum

 Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

 Closing Date: 20 October 2023

The Role

The post holder will undertake a wide range of clerical tasks to support the Research Grants & Contracts Team who provide support to staff across the whole University, to ensure a prompt and efficient service in the securing of external research funding.  The post holder should be able to work effectively on their own and as part of a team, managing many conflicting deadlines.  Good organisational, interpersonal and communication skills are essential.

For Informal enquiries  please contact:   Carol Huntley at carol.huntley@ncl.ac.uk or telephone on 0191 2086118

Key Accountabilities

• Maintain applications and awards data, including the setting up of new funders within the University Research Management System (NU-Projects), liaising with the Schools, Institutes, Central Professional Services and Principal Investigators (PIs) to ensure information is recorded accurately and consistently to support the generation of management reports to aid decision making
•  Submit, via the electronic submission systems, funding applications, and act as the liaison with the Schools, Institutes, Central Professional Services and PIs regarding established application processes and procedures
• Build and maintain strong and effective working relationships with research support colleagues in Schools, Institutes, Central Professional Services and PIs to assist them with the University pre-award processes
• Process variations to existing awards, including, leading on, variations in time, and if required, under the guidance of the Research Grants Administrators, variations in relation to contract value, changes in PI, and transfers of awards in and out of the University
• Under the guidance of the Research Grants Administrators, support the distribution and return of relevant grants and contracts documentation, adopting electronic signatory approvals wherever possible, to facilitate the timely start and effective management of research awards
• Keep up to date with relevant procedures to inform internal operating processes and procedures and the need for more general dissemination of information, making proposals for improvement to the Research Grants & Contracts Team
• Act as the point of the contact for queries for the Research Grants & Contracts Team, and, where necessary, escalate and liaise with others in the Team to address the queries in a timely manner
• General duties in support of the team such as carrying out specific tasks as necessary in times of pressure

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Relevant experience in a previous clerical or administrative role
• Good level of literacy and high level of numeracy skills
• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team providing effective support to others
• Experience of working independently and dealing with unforeseen problems/ circumstances

Attributes and Behaviour

• Self-confident with strong interpersonal skills and able to relate to and work effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds
• Be able to work quickly and accurately to tight deadlines, paying close attention to detail
• Combine attention to detail and thoroughness whilst achieving deadlines

• Excellent organisational skills and able to manage conflicting priorities

Qualifications

• Good level of literacy
• High level of numeracy skills

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

 We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

 At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.

 In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26063