King's College London

About us 

The School of Security Studies is a vibrant, multi-disciplinary community of researchers and teachers on all aspects of conflict, defence and security. Our research has direct and sustained impact on international security debates, policy and practice. The School of Security Studies has between 150 and 200 full-time academic staff, and several of the world’s leading experts in the academic study of security and defence issues. The School comprises the Department of War Studies on the Strand Campus in London, the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies, and the Defence Studies Department, in Shrivenham, near Swindon. The Centre Manager role will be co-located with the War Studies department in London, with the expectation of spending two days a week at the Strand Campus, and the option for the remainder of the working week to be spent working remotely.

About the role 

King’s College London, partnering with the University of Nottingham, has been awarded £10 million in funding from the Leverhulme Trust to establish a new Centre for Research on Slavery in War. This centre brings together a multidisciplinary research team, existing well-founded research programmes and a supportive research environment to conduct fundamental and applied multidisciplinary research related to the role and significance of slavery in conflict, past, present and future.

We are seeking an experienced Centre Manager to be the operational linchpin of our centre, ensuring the seamless delivery of our ambitious programmes. This pivotal role is ideal for a highly experienced individual who excels in project management, HR, research management systems, budget management and the organisation of events. Forming part of the School of Security Studies’ professional services team, but working in close partnership with the Centre’s Director, you will contribute to the development of the Centre’s strategic vision and lead on its administrative operationalisation through the development of robust systems, efficient processes, and the fostering of a culture of excellence.

This will be a full-time position based at the Strand Campus of King’s College London, requiring presence on site there at least two days a week. The role holder will also have the possibility to occasionally visit Nottingham University, building strong working relationships with their administrative staff. The Centre Manager will play a key role in helping set up the Centre prior to its Autumn 2025 formal launch and will work to support the development of its research activities, its staff and profile, and the co-ordination and management of its research programme. The Centre aims to become a high profile, internationally renowned focus of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research within its first three years of operation.

As a senior member of the Centre, the Centre Manager will help determine and develop its direction and growth, bringing strategic ideas and leadership capabilities to the role. The postholder will also build networks and connect directly with many stakeholders and collaborators, both internally and internationally, across industry and academia, to strengthen the Centre’s reach and to help accelerate the work of the Centre. The ideal postholder will have a strong understanding and experience of interdisciplinary research, with an interest in slavery and conflict as complex global issues.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31 August 2030 extendable for a further 5 years following both an internal and external review of the Centre’s progress.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Significant operational experience, ideally within higher education, including financial and budget management and HR processes and procedures. 
2. Significant events organisation and digital communications experience, ideally in an academic research setting. 
3. Demonstrable project management skills 
4. Good oral and written communication skills, with an ability to engage effectively with a range of stakeholders and develop strong working relationships with colleagues at all levels of an organisation, as well as national and international partner 
5. Proven ability to develop, implement and manage administrative processes and procedures that allow academic research and external engagement to flourish.
6. Proven ability to work both as part of a team and independently, with the ability to collaborate on tasks as necessary and use own initiative to ensure work is completed to a high standard and in a timely fashion.
7. Experience of developing research strategy, including the development and implementation of public engagement and research dissemination activities as well as research funding strategies. 

Desirable criteria

1. Knowledge and experience of working with academic research on slavery and war, or a related or similar academic field.
2. Previous experience of working in an operational leadership role in a Research Centre or similar academic unit that operates across multiple sites.
3. A PhD, ideally in a conflict- or slavery-related subject.
4. Experience of working with survivor-led or lived experience groups and academic advisory boards. 
5. Experience fostering a strong research culture among cohorts of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.