King's College London

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

About us

Our vision is to make the world a better place. King’s College London is a world-renowned university that delivers exceptional education and world-leading research. Our Research Talent department lies at the heart of our commitment to cultivating world-class research and supporting the development of future leaders, in academia, research, education and beyond.

A key element of this is King’s Doctoral College, which supports a thriving community of over 4,200 doctoral researchers. Our comprehensive and inclusive doctoral student development programme includes approximately 300 live workshops each year and an extensive range of on-demand resources. We also support best practice in doctoral supervisor development, both at King’s and nationally, through our involvement in the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP). We are deeply committed to inclusion, diversity, and the wellbeing of our staff and students.

About the role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and organised individual to join King’s Doctoral College as a Doctoral Student Engagement Coordinator on a full-time, fixed-term basis to cover a secondment.

Working within the supportive and inclusive Doctoral Environment & Development team, you will play a central role in enhancing the postgraduate research (PGR) student experience at King’s. You will lead key engagement initiatives, including the delivery of the Doctoral College induction and reinduction sessions, the coordination of the Doctoral Student Buddy Scheme, and a regular programme of social and community-building events such as game cafés and museum trips.

You will be responsible for administering a range of small grant funding schemes and prizes that support doctoral researchers and their supervisors, including the Doctoral College Conference Fund, Public Engagement Small Grants, Supervisor Excellence Awards, Doctoral Support Awards, and the Outstanding Thesis Prize.

A key part of the role involves supporting doctoral student representation across King’s. You will work closely with the King’s Doctoral Student Association (KDSA), attend monthly board meetings, and help build and train a strong network of student reps. You will also lead on the coordination and analysis of the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), ensuring student feedback informs decision-making and institutional priorities.

We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for supporting doctoral students and fostering inclusive research communities. You’ll be confident in managing events and projects, communicating effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, and promoting opportunities to maximise student engagement. A commitment to embedding principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of your work is essential.

This is a full time (35 hours per week) post, offered on a fixed term contract until 5th November 2026.

We work on a hybrid basis, combining remote working with regular in-person contact at our Lavington Street offices.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.      Experience of successfully planning and delivering student engagement or student experience projects.

2.      Demonstrable enthusiasm for understanding and supporting the doctoral student experience.

3.      Experience of event delivery for both in-person and online events (e.g. planning and scheduling, managing bookings and attendee lists, accessibility and inclusion).

4.      Excellent written communication skills, able to draft web copy, emails, reports and documents accurately, persuasively, and succinctly.

5.      Excellent verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact with a wide range of people in a professional and confidential manner.

6.      Ability to work independently, proactively and flexibly, using own judgement and initiative when appropriate.

7.      Good IT skills and familiarity with a range of software and systems.

Desirable criteria

1.      Understanding of the doctoral student journey and doctoral research landscape in the UK.

2.      Experience working with doctoral students and staff.

3.      Experience of using a range of Content Management Systems and social media platforms to share information (such as Contensis, SharePoint, WordPress, LinkedIn).

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.

Interviews are due to be held w/c 17 November 2025.