UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
RECRUITMENT ROLE PROFILE FORM
Job Title:
Research Administration Officer
School/Department:
Computer Science
Salary:
£22,249 - £26,537 per annum depending on skills and
experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to
performance
Job family & level:
Administrative, Professional & Managerial Level 3
Contract Status:
Fixed-term maternity cover for a period of 12 months
Hours of Work:
Full-time (36.25 hours per week)
Location:
School of Computer Science
Reporting to:
Research Administration Manager
Purpose of the Role:
The Research Administration Team is responsible for the effective and efficient provision of
administrative support for the School’s research activities and postgraduate research students.
This includes support around web presence, research events and research operations. The role
holder will provide expert knowledge and advice to the School’s Mixed Reality Laboratory as part
of that team.
Main Responsibilities
Administrative support for the management, development and strategic dissemination
at all levels of all research grants within the designated research groups. Provide
expert knowledge, advice and guidance to academics on research funding applications,
application procedures and submission deadlines:
 Administratively support PIs in managing income and expenditure according to the
regulations of the EPSRC, ESRC, BBSRC and EU including participating
organisations.
 Liaison with relevant departments, University wide and other institutions overseeing
the production of required reports and documents.
 Liaison with external/internal bodies and partner institutions.
 Act as the main point of contact for a group of researchers in relation to finance,
HR, equipment/ICT, induction, procurement, Estates and safety queries,
independently resolving any staff and student queries.
 Creating and co-ordinating updates for web-pages and management of the input to
those web pages.
 Organising promotional events and supervising mail shots.
 Administrative management and overseeing the content of regular newsletters.
This work will be undertaken with limited guidance from the Research Administration
Manager and will require the role holder to act on their own initiative and take
responsibility for day-to-day decision making in relation to queries.
Co-ordinate the organisation and administration of conferences and workshops (e.g.
EPSRC / EU workshops related as appropriate). At these times this may include
weekend working (in lieu of time off) during the evenings and weekend to fit with the
conference schedule.
Operational management of research monies:
% time
per year
55
10
25
 Maximising income and expenditure according to project objectives and regulations
of funding organisations.
 Proactively advise PI/CIs on potential areas of under/overspend.
 In conjunction with Research and Graduate Services provide information for
research project progress and final reports.
 Local school validation and reconciliation of accounting information, compiling
financial reports and summaries, and keeping records for university/external audit
purposes.
 Carry out purchasing, payments and annual housekeeping on Agresso system and
relevant reconciliation activity.
 Process non-standard national and international travel for conferences and other
business needs using various methods, including online booking for flights, hotel
arrangements, rail and car hire.
 Act as an expenses claims approver.
 Act as invoice query handler when required for the School.
 Timesheet approval for researchers.
 Produce monthly spreadsheets as required to enable Budget Holders to analyse and
maintain budgetary targets and produce reports for MRL management meetings.
 Investigate anomalies in accounts.
 Suggest mechanisms and processes for continuous improvement and best
practices.
Provision of research and financial support for PhD Studentships within Research
groups including:
 Manage the recruitment and induction of PhD students for the research group
including drafting adverts for studentship opportunities.
 Scheduling and tracking of PGR Annual Reviews for research group PhD students
working in conjunction with School PGR Co-ordinator.
Organising arrangements for visiting researchers and PhD students/interns including:
 Checking funding provision and invoicing any relevant external agencies.
 Liaising with internal departments to set up access to IT facilities.
 Ensuring working space and supervision as required.
 Liaison with the International Office regarding Visas etc. in the case of international
visitors and arranging accommodation.
 Arrangement of a relevant programme of meetings/activities for duration of visit to
maximise collaborative research knowledge exchange and future opportunities.
Any other duties appropriate to the role or level.
Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience
Essential
Qualifications/
 HNC or HND in a relevant subject,
Education
or equivalent, plus considerable
experience in a relevant role(s)
 OR
 Broad substantial relevant
experience demonstrating general
knowledge of a technical, financial
or professional practice and
development through involvement in
a series of progressively more
demanding, relevant work
Knowledge/
 Excellent verbal and written
Skills/Training
communication skills
 Ability to work on one’s initiative or
as part of a team
 Ability to motivate, negotiate and
influence both individuals and teams
2
5
5
Desirable
 Educated to degree level
 Previous experience of research
support within a HE environment
 Previous experience of financial
support within a Higher Education
environment
 Previous experience of relevant
Experience
Other
 Financial awareness and budgetary
experience
 Excellent IT skills and database
management
 Understanding and experience of HR
and recruitment processes, and an
ability to handle sensitive and
confidential issues and manage
conflict effectively
 Experience of providing
administrative support and financial
management for projects
 Experience of working to tight
deadlines
 Attention to detail and high levels of
accuracy
systems including Agresso, pFACT,
Je-S etc.
 Experience of editing and
developing web pages using
content management systems
Decision Making
i) taken independently by the role holder;
Authorisation of purchases up to an agreed limit
Transfer of expenditure/journals up to an agreed limit
Resolution of day-to-day queries
ii) taken in collaboration with others;
Conference venues and style
Extension and transfer of research staff contracts
Recruitment of consultants, contractors and casual staff
Approval of promotional material and designs, including web content
iii) referred to the appropriate line manager by the role holder.
Authorisation of purchases above an agreed level
Transfer of expenditure/journals between project codes above an agreed level
Additional Information
The University of Nottingham is currently going through a period of organisational change which
may necessitate changes to the role over the course of the contract.
Informal enquiries should be address to Mat Crosier, Research Administration Manager
(Mathew.crosier@nottingham.ac.uk). Please note, applications sent directly to this email address
will not be accepted.
3