King's College London

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

About Us

The School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Medicine & Sciences (SCMMS) provides an outstanding multi-disciplinary environment for the pursuit of cutting-edge cardiovascular and metabolic research (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/scms).  

We study the fundamental molecular, cellular, and physiological processes that underly normal and abnormal cardiovascular and metabolic function and we drive the translation of this strong basic science into advances in clinical practice to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment.  This activity provides a high-quality research and training environment for non-clinical and clinical scientists.

The School occupies facilities across the Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Denmark Hill campuses of King’s College London and comprises over 65 academic groups, hosting 400 staff and 110 PhD students.  

About The Role

We are excited to be recruiting a School Research Manager.  This role is essential for supporting all research activities within the School of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. This role involves assisting academic staff in managing research throughout the entire lifecycle of their awards, from inception to completion.  

In addition to the research administration, you will also be managing a team of professional services staff who form part of the core services support. Developing excellent working relationships with central support services teams and build a trusted network of liaisons.  Support with school research strategy and policies to support the objectives of the school research actives. 

You will report directly to the School Manager and deliver on supporting with core actives and projects and to participate in cross-Faculty and university projects and initiatives.

This role requires strong organizational and leadership skills, the ability to work collaboratively across various teams, and the capacity to contribute to the strategic development of the school's research agenda.

The successful candidate will:

• Coordinate and oversee the research operations in the School, working closely with academic and research staff and the central university teams from application stage, grant set up and final reconciliation and reporting
• Work with colleagues to identify and promote funding opportunities and enhance application quality through peer review and mock interviews
• Improve financial sustainability through maximising cost recovery and overhead contributions
• Forge relationships with key partners and stakeholders
• Develop expertise in relevant funding schemes, terms and conditions of award
• Line manage and develop operational staff to support the delivery of research operations across the School
• Train and develop academic, research and professional services staff on systems and processes required throughout the life cycle of research grants including PURE, Business World, Worktribe, ResearchFish, ORCID and other platforms
• Work with colleagues across the Faculty and King’s to develop and implement policies and processes that improve our research administration
• Provide and analyse management information on the research portfolio and application rates within the School and identify areas requiring improvement
• Assist the School Lead (Research & Impact), School Manager and Faculty Research Manager in coordinating the School’s response and contribution to the Research Excellence Framework and other formal assessments/reports
• Foster a stimulating, innovative and inclusive cultural environment across the School enabling students and staff to thrive and develop, actively supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives that promote equality in research and aim to address key points of attrition, particularly for staff and students with protected characteristics. 

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and we are looking for a January 2026 start.  This post will be offered on a fixed term contract till 31st July 2026.  This is an excellent opportunity for an internal move and to gain skills and experience at this level.

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.

About You

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

Essential criteria

1. Experience working in HEI research administration and strong understanding of the UK HEI research environment 
2. Experience in managing research grants and contracts at pre- and post award stage 
3. Excellent numeracy skills and an ability to understand and analyse complex data 
4. Proven project management skills 
5. Strong communication skills – both written and spoken English, able to present and communicate ideas to a range of stakeholders, including senior members of academic staff 
6. Knowledge and expertise in using Office 365 tools, research and finance management software packages 
7. Strong inter-personal skills, influencing others, working collaboratively across complex institutions to achieve a shared objective 
8. Ability to work proactively and independently and manage/prioritise a diverse workload 
9. Ability to make informed decisions autonomously and use own initiative 

Desirable criteria

1. Knowledge of biomedical sciences research, along with relevant funders, their priorities and schemes
2. Higher degree or other qualification in a relevant subject
3. Experience of managing and developing staff
4. Understanding of open research principles and practices 

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 on 11 December 2025.