Senior Project Manager (Research and Innovation Initiatives)

About us:

King’s College London is a world-renowned university with exciting plans to accelerate innovation across all areas of our education and research to advance knowledge and make the world a better place. The focus of this new role is to manage the delivery of a major strategic investment in AI+ research and education across the university.

About the role:

As Senior Project Manager (Research and Innovation Initiatives), you will join a team leading high-profile and complex projects that that will shape the future of one of the UK’s most prestigious universities. You will be delivering strategic development across faculties, professional services, and external partners to drive innovation and sustainable improvement.

What you’ll do:

• Deliver major initiatives in research and innovation from concept to completion, focusing on a major investment in AI.
• Research, analysis and facilitation to inform planning and decisions around academic themes and strategic directions.
• Develop business cases, manage risks, ensure benefits realisation and provide effective project governance.
• Build strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to build better connected and interdisciplinary communities.
• Mentor, manage and support project teams and workstream structures to deliver performance and impact.

A passion for, and a literacy in, science and technological innovation is a crucial part of the role. The role be based in the Transformation Office, the university’s project management function, with a dotted line into the Research Management and Innovation Directorate.  

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About you:

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

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level standard or equivalent relevant experience
• Significant, demonstrable skills and experience of project management tools and techniques including scoping, business case development, planning, controls & reporting, risk management and benefit management.
• A recognized project management or change management qualification (e.g., Prince2, PROSCI) and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience working in intensive research and/or a technologically focused environments, with a strong interest in science and technology, particularly in growing areas such as artificial intelligence.
• Strong networking, interpersonal and communication skills, with an ability to engage and collaborate with stakeholders across all levels.
• High level of strategic and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesise and interpret information and communicate effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Significant experience of managing, engaging and motivating teams, with an ability to liaise effectively with colleagues from different professional backgrounds.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in research and innovation, familiarity with research concepts, processes, funding challenges, career stages and expectations, support services.
• Knowledge and understanding of the UK Higher Education sector.
• PhD or other experience of working in research

Further information:

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.

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