Senior Grants Officer - Maternity cover

We are seeking to appoint a Senior Grants Officer (Maternity Cover) to join the NDM Grant Management Team, which provides professional project support across the department. Reporting to the Research Grants Manager, you will manage your own work on a day-to-day basis, working independently while contributing to a high-performing team. This role is maternity cover and is available until 31 October 2026, or until the substantive postholder returns or is replaced, whichever is earliest. You will play a central role in supporting the financial and operational management of NDM’s diverse project portfolio, liaising with academic staff, central University services, external collaborators, and funders.

You will be responsible to manage day-to-day grant administration, including pre-award activities such as preparing and accurately costing grant applications using the University’s costing tool (currently X5) and ensuring compliance with funder terms and University policies. You will oversee post-award activities, including monitoring budgets, analysing expenditure, preparing reports, and liaising with Research Accounts, collaborators, and other departments. You will provide guidance to grant holders, support audits and financial reporting, and escalate any issues to senior staff when necessary. You will also support training of Grants Officers, Apprentices, and other team members, and contribute to the development of information management systems to improve grant administration across the department.

It is essential that you must have a degree or equivalent experience, with strong knowledge of grants or contracts, preferably in higher education. You will need experience in financial administration, interpreting policies, and managing budgets, with high attention to detail and strong numeracy skills. Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently and as part of a team, and confidence using IT systems, including Microsoft Office, are essential. Experience using a costing tool, working with industry partners, or using financial software such as Oracle or X5 is desirable. You will be organised, proactive, and able to prioritise multiple tasks to meet deadlines, with a proven ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels.

Applications for this vacancy should be made online and you will need to upload a supporting statement and CV. Your supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. Please restrict your documentation to your CV and supporting statement only. Any other documents will be requested at a later date.

This position is offered full time on a fixed term contract for  12 months and is funded by Department.

Only applications received before 12 midday on  8 October 2025 will be considered. Please quote 181941 on all correspondence.

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