Vision 2029
Our vision is to make the world a better place
Application has passed - page retained for reference only
King's College London
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. With over 40,000 students from over 190 countries and over 10,000 employees, we are dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Based across five campuses in the heart of London, King’s offers an intellectually stimulating environment, where staff are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and learning in the service of society. We are a multi-faculty institution, providing high-quality research, education and innovation across the social sciences, humanities, medicine, law, dentistry, and sciences. As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in research and education. King’s vision is to make the world a better place through world-leading education, research and service to society. King’s provides world-class education which enables students to become rounded critical thinkers, set up for success and with the character and wisdom to strive for social change. Through enquiry-driven research, King's delivers transformative insights and solutions that have the power to advance and accelerate global progress.
Appointment details
Reports to: Mr Steve Large
Salary
Competitive Salary
Terms
Period of appointment
Permanent
Hours of work
Full time (35 hours per week)
Campus
Lavington Street (Waterloo Campus)
Vacancy ID
080870
The Role
Reporting to the Senior Vice President (Operations), the Director will ensure the function’s ability to deliver high quality research support through oversight of complex ongoing operations. They will work closely with the Vice President (Research & Innovation) and be a standing member of the Professional Services Executive and the University Executive at King’s. The relationship with the Vice President (Research & Innovation) is integral to the success of the service.
Role Purpose
The Director will have overall leadership responsibility for the Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID), dedicated to research management and innovation support. The appointed candidate will have direct line management responsibility for the RMID Executive team and oversight of a c.£45million budget (c.£22m operating budget). They will be responsible for working collaboratively with Faculty leads (Executive Deans and Directors of Operations) to ensure that locally embedded resources are aligned to the functional service delivery model, alongside other senior leaders across the university and beyond. As functional lead, the Director will own the service delivery model for research and innovation across the whole university, with responsibility for ensuring services are aligned to university strategy and business needs , developing the necessary capability and capacity to deliver against agreed service standards. They are the sponsor for the Research Management Network, one of King’s Professional Networks with a membership of circa 650 FTE across RMID and faculties. The Director and directorate leadership team is responsible for working with the Vice-Principals, ensuring that the university maintains and develops relationships and research partnerships with funding organisations both domestically and internationally. It leads the university's work on capital funding bids, and manages King's investment in research, whether via the research environment, researchers, or professional services support.
Find out more about Strategy 2026
Charting the next stage of our journey towards our 200th anniversary.
Research Environment
Our research culture and world-class research support services
Skills and Experience
The Director will bring an appreciation for the ethos, drivers, finances, and culture of higher education.
Essential Experience
• Function oversight - Experience in leading and managing large, complex research operations teams; creating the conditions for service excellence and high performance from team members through personal leadership. Bring an understanding of the range of ‘departments’ that this directorate consists of. • Complexity & stakeholder management - Experience in navigating a variety of stakeholder communities and building relationships with key charities, Research Councils, funding bodies, and healthcare providers. Demonstrable experience in effective people motivation and management with an ability to inspire confidence among professional, research and academic staff, alongside university leadership. • Sector appreciation - Experience within a research-intensive environment and knowledge of the research landscape in which King’s operates. Ability to respond to needs and challenges. • Networks - Have developed a global network within and across the research administrator community, to help inform and guide best practice and innovation. Have developed networks across health partners, charities, Research Councils, and funding bodies. • Strategic business planning - Significant budgetary oversight and experience of business planning; have developed strategic objectives and prioritised the allocation of resources to those objectives. • Improvement & technology - Track record of initiating and delivering step change in new and improvement services. Enable support for our researchers and partners through the use of new technologies and tools.
Essential Skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, e.g., ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels; ability to convey complex and detailed conceptual ideas; ability to explain, negotiate and persuade; to draft effective reports, committee papers and planning documents. • Ability to work flexibly in a collegiate manner, both within the directorate, across King’s, and externally, in a team-based context with the requisite social and interpersonal skills. • Ability to build coalitions of support for ideas and policies to enable execution. Presentable and articulate, with strong personal credibility and an ability to influence key stakeholders both internally and externally. • Critical reasoning - Excellent negotiation, decision-making and analytical skills with the capability to effectively problem solve in complex and dynamic situations. • Tone setting - Ability to maintain and build upon the positive working culture within RMID and their stakeholder communities.
Desirable Skills
• Bring considerable credibility and standing within relevant networks, at regional and national levels. • Experience gained within higher education (UK or international). • An appreciation for UK higher education and the funding landscape. • Experience building relationships with health partners such as the NHS and Kings Health Partners, alongside key charities and UKRI.
King's College London
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research.
Leadership and structure at King's
King’s is led by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Professor Shitij Kapur and supported by King’s senior officers and Executive Deans. Our 9 academic faculties: • Faculty of Arts & Humanities • Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences • Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine • Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences • Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy • Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience • King’s Business School • The Dickson Poon School of Law Our Professional Services: • Research Management & Innovation • Brand & Marketing • College Secretariat • Corporate Communications & Public Affairs • Dean’s Office & Chaplaincy • Estates & Facilities • Finance, Procurement, Strategy, Planning & Analytics • Fundraising & Supporter Development • Health & Safety • Human Resources • Information Technology • Professional & Continuing Education inc. King’s Digital • Students & Education • Sustainability
King's Senior Officers and Executive Deans
King’s is led by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Professor Shitij Kapur and supported by King’s senior officers and Executive...
Application has passed - page retained for reference only
Please quote the vacancy id: 080870 in all correspondence.
Closing date for applications: 06 March 2024 23:59
Interview date: 12 April 2024
Second interview date: 26 April 2024
Application process
To apply for this post, you will need to register on the King’s College London jobs page and submit the application form, along with the following: • a concise statement setting out your reasons for applying for the post and highlighting the particular skills and experience which you feel you would bring to the role (two pages maximum) • a curriculum vitae
Appointment Details
Reports to: Senior Vice President (Operations)
Contact the team
For an informal discussion or to find out more about the role please contact the King’s Search Team.
Please ensure you quote reference number: 080870 Closing date for applications: 6th March 2024 King’s College London is committed 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 therefore encourage applicants who are likely to be underrepresented within the King’s community and includes female applicants, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. If you have any special requirements with relation to your application, please contact the King’s Search team (contact details above).
Selection process
Applications will be shortlisted by a selection committee drawn from across the Directorate and wider College representatives. The interview panel will be chaired by a member of the university leadership and will include representatives from across professional services and faculties. The selection process will involve a two-stage interview process, with First Round Interviews scheduled for Friday 12th April 2024 and Final Interviews Friday 26th April 2024. The process will also include stakeholder engagement sessions in between the first and second round interviews.
Jobs at King's
Current vacancies and career opportunities
Lavington Street
Located in the South Bank, near Bankside
Research Management & Innovation Directorate
The Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID) is King's dedicated professional function for every aspect of research funding and research activity. With a central team of 365, the function provides comprehensive and wide-ranging professional support throughout the lifecycle of a research project, from strategic bid development to impact and innovation activity. RMID comprises central functions in the following areas: • Research development • Research policy • Research students and research staff development • Research ethics and integrity • Research information systems • Award management • Contract negotiation • Enterprise support • Knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer partnerships • Consultancy services • Intellectual property management • Clinical trials management • Audit and compliance. The above are grouped into 11 areas, each headed up by an area lead making up the RMID Executive team: • e-Research • Research Talent • Research Information Systems • Research Strategy & Development • Research Grants & Contracts • REF, KEF and Research Impact • Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity • Research Platforms & core facilities including Biological Services • Innovation@King’s • Clinical Trials Unit • KHP Clinical Trials Office
As well as the central function, there are research support staff embedded within the faculties. The central team works collaboratively with the Faculty Director of Operations and embedded research support staff to ensure locally embedded resources are aligned to the functional service delivery model. Collaboration is aided by The Research Management Network which has a membership of circa 650 FTE across RMID and faculties. The Directorate includes dedicated campus offices for research support for Arts & Sciences and for the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. All work done by RMID follows the Athena SWAN charter guidance, which helps King's to identify best practice for the working environment of all staff, not just women, working in science disciplines.
King’s Research and Innovation
Research is core to King’s, what we do, what we care about and how we educate. Our enquiry-driven research delivers transformative insights with the power to advance and accelerate global progress. We work across disciplines and collaborate with partners so that our research changes practice and influences understanding at home and abroad. Through our research we save and improve lives. We enhance the economy. We advance discussion and debate. We shape policy and the cultural landscape. The 2021 REF confirmed King's place as one of the UK's top research universities, maintaining its spot in 6th position for ‘research power’ and ranked 3rd in the UK amongst multidisciplinary institutions for impact, with 67.8% of our research impact rated outstanding. For the next stage of our development, and working with our academic faculties and professional services directors, we are: • building breadth and depth of excellence in physical, natural and biological sciences and multidisciplinary research institutes across our faculties and working in collaboration with King’s Health Partners and NHS. • extending our strengths in health research to drive impact. • accelerating growth in digital, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data-driven research across the university. • strengthening support for research grants capture, impact and innovation including industry partnership, commercial, innovative UK income and university spinouts. • enhancing our research culture and working environment for our academic staff, researchers and graduate students. • offering attractive jobs and development opportunities, supporting ethical, open research and research-enhanced education. • scaling up research and collaborations in climate and sustainability, across all faculties. By providing the best environment, support and networks for our community, from postgraduate research students to senior academics, King's College London enables the delivery of research excellence. We are committed to advancing a positive research culture which focuses not just on research outcomes but on how we conduct our research – within an inclusive environment in which all staff can prosper.
The Role
Reporting to the Senior Vice President (Operations), the Director will ensure the function’s ability to deliver high quality research support through oversight of complex ongoing operations. They will work closely with the Vice President (Research & Innovation) and be a standing member of the Professional Services Executive and the University Executive at King’s. The relationship with the Vice President (Research & Innovation) is integral to the success of the service.
Role Purpose
The Director will have overall leadership responsibility for the Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID), dedicated to research management and innovation support. The appointed candidate will have direct line management responsibility for the RMID Executive team and oversight of a c.£45million budget (c.£22m operating budget). They will be responsible for working collaboratively with Faculty leads (Executive Deans and Directors of Operations) to ensure that locally embedded resources are aligned to the functional service delivery model, alongside other senior leaders across the university and beyond. As functional lead, the Director will own the service delivery model for research and innovation across the whole university, with responsibility for ensuring services are aligned to university strategy and business needs , developing the necessary capability and capacity to deliver against agreed service standards. They are the sponsor for the Research Management Network, one of King’s Professional Networks with a membership of circa 650 FTE across RMID and faculties. The Director and directorate leadership team is responsible for working with the Vice-Principals, ensuring that the university maintains and develops relationships and research partnerships with funding organisations both domestically and internationally. It leads the university's work on capital funding bids, and manages King's investment in research, whether via the research environment, researchers, or professional services support.
Vision 2029
Our vision is to make the world a better place
Find out more about Strategy 2026
Charting the next stage of our journey towards our 200th anniversary.
Research Environment
Our research culture and world-class research support services
Skills and Experience
The Director will bring an appreciation for the ethos, drivers, finances, and culture of higher education.
Essential Experience
• Function oversight - Experience in leading and managing large, complex research operations teams; creating the conditions for service excellence and high performance from team members through personal leadership. Bring an understanding of the range of ‘departments’ that this directorate consists of. • Complexity & stakeholder management - Experience in navigating a variety of stakeholder communities and building relationships with key charities, Research Councils, funding bodies, and healthcare providers. Demonstrable experience in effective people motivation and management with an ability to inspire confidence among professional, research and academic staff, alongside university leadership. • Sector appreciation - Experience within a research-intensive environment and knowledge of the research landscape in which King’s operates. Ability to respond to needs and challenges. • Networks - Have developed a global network within and across the research administrator community, to help inform and guide best practice and innovation. Have developed networks across health partners, charities, Research Councils, and funding bodies. • Strategic business planning - Significant budgetary oversight and experience of business planning; have developed strategic objectives and prioritised the allocation of resources to those objectives. • Improvement & technology - Track record of initiating and delivering step change in new and improvement services. Enable support for our researchers and partners through the use of new technologies and tools.
Essential Skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, e.g., ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels; ability to convey complex and detailed conceptual ideas; ability to explain, negotiate and persuade; to draft effective reports, committee papers and planning documents. • Ability to work flexibly in a collegiate manner, both within the directorate, across King’s, and externally, in a team-based context with the requisite social and interpersonal skills. • Ability to build coalitions of support for ideas and policies to enable execution. Presentable and articulate, with strong personal credibility and an ability to influence key stakeholders both internally and externally. • Critical reasoning - Excellent negotiation, decision-making and analytical skills with the capability to effectively problem solve in complex and dynamic situations. • Tone setting - Ability to maintain and build upon the positive working culture within RMID and their stakeholder communities.
Desirable Skills
• Bring considerable credibility and standing within relevant networks, at regional and national levels. • Experience gained within higher education (UK or international). • An appreciation for UK higher education and the funding landscape. • Experience building relationships with health partners such as the NHS and Kings Health Partners, alongside key charities and UKRI.
King's College London
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research.
Leadership and structure at King's
King’s is led by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Professor Shitij Kapur and supported by King’s senior officers and Executive Deans. Our 9 academic faculties: • Faculty of Arts & Humanities • Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences • Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine • Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences • Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy • Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience • King’s Business School • The Dickson Poon School of Law Our Professional Services: • Research Management & Innovation • Brand & Marketing • College Secretariat • Corporate Communications & Public Affairs • Dean’s Office & Chaplaincy • Estates & Facilities • Finance, Procurement, Strategy, Planning & Analytics • Fundraising & Supporter Development • Health & Safety • Human Resources • Information Technology • Professional & Continuing Education inc. King’s Digital • Students & Education • Sustainability
King's Senior Officers and Executive Deans
King’s is led by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Professor Shitij Kapur and supported by King’s senior officers and Executive...
Application has passed - page retained for reference only
Please quote the vacancy id: 080870 in all correspondence.
Closing date for applications: 06 March 2024 23:59
Interview date: 12 April 2024
Second interview date: 26 April 2024
Application process
To apply for this post, you will need to register on the King’s College London jobs page and submit the application form, along with the following: • a concise statement setting out your reasons for applying for the post and highlighting the particular skills and experience which you feel you would bring to the role (two pages maximum) • a curriculum vitae
Appointment Details
Reports to: Senior Vice President (Operations)
Contact the team
For an informal discussion or to find out more about the role please contact the King’s Search Team.
Please ensure you quote reference number: 080870 Closing date for applications: 6th March 2024 King’s College London is committed 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 therefore encourage applicants who are likely to be underrepresented within the King’s community and includes female applicants, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. If you have any special requirements with relation to your application, please contact the King’s Search team (contact details above).
Selection process
Applications will be shortlisted by a selection committee drawn from across the Directorate and wider College representatives. The interview panel will be chaired by a member of the university leadership and will include representatives from across professional services and faculties. The selection process will involve a two-stage interview process, with First Round Interviews scheduled for Friday 12th April 2024 and Final Interviews Friday 26th April 2024. The process will also include stakeholder engagement sessions in between the first and second round interviews.
Jobs at King's
Current vacancies and career opportunities
Lavington Street
Located in the South Bank, near Bankside
Research Management & Innovation Directorate
The Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID) is King's dedicated professional function for every aspect of research funding and research activity. With a central team of 365, the function provides comprehensive and wide-ranging professional support throughout the lifecycle of a research project, from strategic bid development to impact and innovation activity. RMID comprises central functions in the following areas: • Research development • Research policy • Research students and research staff development • Research ethics and integrity • Research information systems • Award management • Contract negotiation • Enterprise support • Knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer partnerships • Consultancy services • Intellectual property management • Clinical trials management • Audit and compliance. The above are grouped into 11 areas, each headed up by an area lead making up the RMID Executive team: • e-Research • Research Talent • Research Information Systems • Research Strategy & Development • Research Grants & Contracts • REF, KEF and Research Impact • Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity • Research Platforms & core facilities including Biological Services • Innovation@King’s • Clinical Trials Unit • KHP Clinical Trials Office
As well as the central function, there are research support staff embedded within the faculties. The central team works collaboratively with the Faculty Director of Operations and embedded research support staff to ensure locally embedded resources are aligned to the functional service delivery model. Collaboration is aided by The Research Management Network which has a membership of circa 650 FTE across RMID and faculties. The Directorate includes dedicated campus offices for research support for Arts & Sciences and for the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. All work done by RMID follows the Athena SWAN charter guidance, which helps King's to identify best practice for the working environment of all staff, not just women, working in science disciplines.
King’s Research and Innovation
Research is core to King’s, what we do, what we care about and how we educate. Our enquiry-driven research delivers transformative insights with the power to advance and accelerate global progress. We work across disciplines and collaborate with partners so that our research changes practice and influences understanding at home and abroad. Through our research we save and improve lives. We enhance the economy. We advance discussion and debate. We shape policy and the cultural landscape. The 2021 REF confirmed King's place as one of the UK's top research universities, maintaining its spot in 6th position for ‘research power’ and ranked 3rd in the UK amongst multidisciplinary institutions for impact, with 67.8% of our research impact rated outstanding. For the next stage of our development, and working with our academic faculties and professional services directors, we are: • building breadth and depth of excellence in physical, natural and biological sciences and multidisciplinary research institutes across our faculties and working in collaboration with King’s Health Partners and NHS. • extending our strengths in health research to drive impact. • accelerating growth in digital, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data-driven research across the university. • strengthening support for research grants capture, impact and innovation including industry partnership, commercial, innovative UK income and university spinouts. • enhancing our research culture and working environment for our academic staff, researchers and graduate students. • offering attractive jobs and development opportunities, supporting ethical, open research and research-enhanced education. • scaling up research and collaborations in climate and sustainability, across all faculties. By providing the best environment, support and networks for our community, from postgraduate research students to senior academics, King's College London enables the delivery of research excellence. We are committed to advancing a positive research culture which focuses not just on research outcomes but on how we conduct our research – within an inclusive environment in which all staff can prosper.