Research Staff Development Consultant

6 Sep 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Research Field

Educational sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

United Kingdom

Application Deadline

25 Sep 2023 – 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Permanent

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

We are looking for a Research Staff Development Consultant who is enthusiastic about creating an inspiring and productive workplace culture for our approx. 2,000 research staff at King’s. Research staff in this context are defined roughly by career stage and role and include postdocs, research assistants, technicians and teaching fellows.

The post is located within the Centre for Research Staff Development , where you would work in a small team, reporting to the Associate Director (Research Staff Development) and managing one other staff member. You would also work with all those connected to the research endeavour according to our commitments to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. This includes providing a programme of professional development activities suitable for and improving the working conditions of our research staff.

Within the CRSD you will manage the professional development programme by planning and delivering events, commissioning new courses where necessary and delivering others. You will contribute to ensuring that the action plan against the Researcher Concordat is delivered. You will also manage and deliver specific projects, for example the CRSD’s mentoring scheme.

The Centre for Research Staff Development sits within Research Talent, together with the Centre for Doctoral Studies. The two centres work synergistically with staff from King’s Careers and Employability to support research staff and students through a broader professional development programme. You will build productive relationships with these two departments and the 9 King’s faculties to maintain the synergy.

You will also work outside the CRSD with colleagues across the university, building strong relationships directly with research staff, supporting their representatives and networks within faculties and across the university. You will engage the managers of research staff and others responsible for the research environment, influencing policy and practice. You will also work with other universities on collaborative professional development programmes and sharing best practice.

The CRSD is committed to developing its own staff to enable them to deliver to the best of their ability so you will have full access to in house offerings and external qualifications as appropriate.

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract.

This is a full-time post – 100% full time equivalent.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the CRSD’s professional development programme by evaluating the existing offering, liaising and managing relationships with external facilitators and devising and commissioning new courses where needed

• Personally deliver professional development courses to research staff and others, including our collaborative leadership programme, using a coaching approach where appropriate

• Devise, contribute to and/or manage events for research staff that offer professional development activities and/or useful information, e.g. on funding

• Manage the Research Staff Development Officer who provides administrative support to the professional development programme, budget planning and communications

• Ensure equality and inclusion are incorporated into the CRSD’s offering

• Liaise with research staff and their managers in all faculties across the university, building relationships with them and ensuring communication flows

• Attend meetings of research staff representatives in faculties to provide information to research staff about the activities of the CRSD, to ensure the Centre is providing appropriate support and to bring relevant information back to the CRSD

• Build relationships and trust with research staff representatives more broadly to ensure communications are productive and research staff feel supported

• Assist with data gathering through surveys and other means and evaluation of these data to understand the research staff environment and the impact of policy and practice on this group of colleagues

• Liaise with colleagues in a variety of central professional services departments to participate in the development and implementation of policy and practice.

• Support communications by the CRSD by contributing to the website and other communications outlets (mailbox, newsletter, twitter, LinkedIn)

• Contribute to annual reports for the CRSD

• Support the Associate Director (Research Staff Development) in ensuring that the action plan against the Researcher Concordat is implemented by:  i. contributing to projects where the CRSD is directly involved ii. monitoring and encouraging others to deliver their projects iii. contributing to reviews and development of future action plans

• Manage the CRSD’s mentoring scheme and the CRSD’s contribution to other mentoring schemes, both internal and external to King’s

• Manage and deliver internal projects, for example addressing career precarity, which may include managing others

• Keep up to date with HE issues that affect research staff, occasionally attending external meetings, e.g. Vitae conferences, and building relationships with other stakeholders to do so.

• Contribute to discussions on day-to-day and strategic planning for the CRSD and to Research Talent more generally

• Build relationships with and support other members of the team to ensure smooth running of the CRSD

• Engage with own professional development where appropriate

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

Ability to build strong and positive relationships quickly with a range of stakeholders at all levels within the university, showing emotional intelligence and the ability to negotiate when needed

An appreciation of the nature of professional development and the ways in which it can be delivered, together with a commitment to and enthusiasm for continuing professional development for both self and others

Knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the research staff environment, ideally across a wide range of academic fields, and the Higher Education research sector more broadly

Ability to present complex information succinctly and clearly in written form and in presentations and potential to personally facilitate professional development activities, including workshops, both online and in person

Strong numerical and analytical skills

Resilience and ability to work under pressure and without supervision, delivering projects on time

Ability to think creatively with regard to converting the needs of others into actions to deliver and the ability or potential to use a coaching approach

Willingness and ability to work with all disciplines at King’s, physically on all campuses of the university and using a hybrid approach

Commitment to equality and diversity

Education at least to degree level

Desirable criteria

Experience of the research environment, e.g. holding a PhD or otherwise working in research or related field

Line-management capability

Further information

The recruitment process will include a panel interview, presentation and a work-related exercise.

Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Country

United Kingdom

City

London (Greater) (GB)

Where to apply

Website

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/listing/351178/research-staff-deve…

Contact

City

London (Greater) (GB)

STATUS: EXPIRED