Main Purpose of the Job

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Coordination Officer to join the Directorate, to support the cutting-edge science of the John Innes Centre. The Research Coordination Officer will play a key role at the interface between JIC Science and the NBIP (NBI Partnership) Research Grants & Contracts team to contribute to implementing processes and support to increase the Institute’s grant success rates and income.

The post holder will be the Institute’s expert on national and international funding schemes, undertaking horizon scanning activities, targeting appropriate opportunities, working with scientific staff to encourage and initiate the development of proposals. The post holder may also play a role in the development of major bids.

The postholder will provide support to the JIC internal review process and will work closely with colleagues across JIC and NBIP Research Grants & Contracts. The role focuses mainly on pre-award support but will have a role in collating information on success rates, feedback from review committees for presentation at a variety of forums.

Key Relationships

The post holder will be managed by the Head of Directorate and work closely with NBIP Research Grants & Contracts team and JIC scientists. They will develop relationships with relevant funders and work externally with collaborators to support collaborative bids and to share best practice across the BBSRC networks.  

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Coordination and communication (50%)
• Support the drafting of grant support letters.
• Support the JIC COO to ensure student and grant portfolios are aligned.
• Meeting with relevant staff (e.g. Group Leaders) regularly to discuss their plans and encourage applications.
• Coordination of pre-sift/sift processes.
• Coordination of applications for specific calls to ensure that funding panels are not overwhelmed with JIC requests, reducing the chance of success.
• Coordinate feedback from all BBSRC grant committees to ensure we are aware of generic trends and feedback.
• Supporting the Head of Directorate to provide supporting information for additional grant sections like TRI and EDI.
• Work with the Head of Faculty to support Tenure Track and Group Leader mentoring disseminating best practice and learning from successful funding applications.
• Support the Head of Directorate to provide information for International Collaborations.

50

Horizon Scanning (20%)
• Research and keep abreast of key national and international policy developments that may influence and create future funding opportunities.
• Ensure that these funding opportunities are communicated via a monthly newsletter to relevant research staff. Highlighting relevant opportunities for JIC, celebrating success and reminding of internal processes, deadlines and policies.

20

Knowledge and influencing (20%)
• Develop relationships with national and international funding agencies.
• Analyse strategic priorities and calls, mapping these to Institute research remit and strategic priorities, to ensure competitive applications and success rates for funding.
• Keep informed of any changes in grant funding conditions and ensure relevant JIC policies are updated.
• Work with the Head of Directorate to support Trusted Research and Innovation.

20

Performance Monitoring (10%)
• Support the JIC COO in setting appropriate income targets, KPIs and performance reports.
• Collaborate with NBIP Research Grants & Contracts to provide grant activity reports and provide information to senior staff and committees as required.

10

As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post, for example, contributing to the work of Institute committees

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

Educated to a degree level or equivalent in the biological sciences.

Essential

A PhD in a relevant area

Desirable

Project management qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Broad scientific awareness across subjects and disciplines relevant to the work of JIC.

Essential

A broad understanding of the funding landscape and the processes, policies and implication for institute funding

Essential

Ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of sources.

Essential

Good prioritisation and multitasking skills.

Essential

Ability to deliver to tight deadlines.

Essential

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Proven ability to convey complex ideas with clarity.

Essential

Significant experience of working in a research institute or similar academic environment.

Essential

Understanding of research and innovation strategies in the UK and beyond.

Essential

Experience of working across diverse research fields and in interdisciplinary research with the ability to understand a diverse range of science.

Essential

Experience of creating processes to improve efficiency.

Essential

Project management experience

Desirable

Existing contacts with national and international funding agencies

Desirable

Experience of preparing policies or training guidance

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Excellent planning and organisational skills with demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities/deadlines.

Essential

Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders and staff at all levels.

Essential

High level of work organisation and self-motivation, with proven ability to work on own initiative, engaging others at the right stages.

Essential

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work well in a team and build good working relationships with colleagues.

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate

Essential

Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute

Essential

Comfortable with ambiguity and working flexibly and at pace in a rapidly changing environment.

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the John Innes Centre, ensuring it is a great place to work.

Essential

John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial genetics, carrying out fundamental and strategic research, to train scientists and making our findings available to society.

Our research makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences including; cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and molecular biology.

For more information about working at the John Innes Centre, please click here.

We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive working environment for all. We have a diverse and multicultural scientific community and thrive on our European and international links, appointing staff from across the world. Any candidate who would like further information on current or anticipated immigration requirements can contact the HR Team on +44 (0)1603 450888 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk.

We are proud to hold a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award, recognising the impact of our work in promoting gender equality in science. We are also a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme, a founding signatory of the Tecnician Commitment and, as a Disability Confident employer, guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852), limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 511709).

Department

Directorate

Group Details

The post holder will be based in the Directorate

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Research Coordination Officer
Salary:            £36,000 to £44,500 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.
Contract:        Full time, 24 months
Location:        John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 18 October 2024
Reference:     1004771

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Coordination Officer to join the Directorate, to support the cutting-edge science of the John Innes Centre.

About the John Innes Centre:

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial sciences. We nurture a creative, curiosity-led approach to answering fundamental questions in bioscience, and translate that knowledge into societal benefits. Our strategic vision, Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, sets out our ambitious long-term goals for the game changing impact of our science globally. 

Our employees enjoy access to state-of-the-art technology and a diverse range of specialist training opportunities, including support for leadership and management. Click here to find out more about working at the John Innes Centre.

The role:

The Research Coordination Officer will play a key role at the interface between JIC Science and the NBIP (NBI Partnership) Research Grants & Contracts team to contribute to implementing processes and support to increase the Institute’s grant success rates and income.

The post holder will be the Institute’s expert on national and international funding schemes, undertaking horizon scanning activities, targeting appropriate opportunities, working with scientific staff to encourage and initiate the development of proposals. They may also play a role in the development of major bids.  

The successful candidate will provide support to the JIC internal review process and will work closely with colleagues across JIC and NBIP Research Grants & Contracts. The role focuses mainly on pre-award support but will have a role in collating information on success rates, feedback from review committees for presentation at a variety of forums.

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should have a degree in a relevant biological science. Further qualification in Project Management, or a PhD would be advantageous.

You will have broad scientific awareness across subjects and disciplines relevant to the work of JIC, the ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of sources, and an understanding of the funding landscape and the processes, policies and implication for institute funding.

Candidates should have significant experience of working in a research institute or similar academic environment and an understanding of research and innovation strategies in the UK and beyond. You will also have a proven ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and experience of creating processes to improve efficiency.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a high level of work organisation and self-motivation is essential to this role.

Additional information:

We welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time hours for ideally a minimum of 3 days per week or other flexible working arrangements. Please include a covering letter and CV when applying for this role. 

This role does not meet the full salary requirements set by UKVI to allow for visa sponsorship.  However, some individuals may still be eligible for visa sponsorship depending on their personal circumstances.  If you require visa sponsorship, please click here to find out if you qualify before applying. Please note, the occupation code for this role is 2440, which is not on the immigration salary list.

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit our website http://jobs.jic.ac.uk or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1004771.

We are an equal opportunities employer, actively supporting inclusivity and diversity.  As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. We are proud to hold a prestigious Gold Athena SWAN award in recognition of our inclusive culture, commitment and good practices towards advancing of gender equality. We offer an exciting, stimulating, diverse research environment and actively promote a family friendly workplace. The Institute is also a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.