Chief Research Support and Compliance Officer

About the role

Founded in 1907, Imperial is one of the world’s great universities, renowned for ground-breaking research, an exceptional community of staff, students and alumni, and global reach. Our mission is to achieve enduring excellence in research and education in science, engineering, medicine and business, for the benefit of society.

Our strategy, Science for Humanity, is ambitious and positions Imperial as a force for good in the world. Through our Imperial Class of 2030 programme, the continued development of our White City Deep Tech Campus, and cross-institutional School of Convergence Science focused on sustainability; human and artificial intelligence; health and technology; and space, security and communications, we are shaping the future at scale.

People are at the heart of Imperial’s success. Through Imperial Together, we are creating an inclusive environment in which everyone can fulfil their potential, guided by our values of Respect, Collaboration, Excellence, Innovation and Integrity.

Imperial has a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university. With a research order book exceeding £1 billion and annual research expenditure of almost £450 million, the scale and complexity of our portfolio require outstanding leadership in research support, governance and compliance.

We now seek to appoint a Chief Research Support and Compliance Officer, reporting to the Registrar and University Secretary and operating as a key member of the University’s Professional Services leadership team. This pivotal role provides strategic and operational leadership of the Research Support and Compliance Division and advises on matters with significant impact on research delivery, risk and institutional reputation.

What you would be doing

The post holder will set the vision for research support across our four Faculties, ensuring that systems, policies, and processes enable world-class research within a robust, proportionate control environment. You will lead institutional approaches to research governance, funder compliance, audit, research security and integrity, and maintain strong relationships with UKRI, research councils, major charities, government agencies, the NHS and international partners.

As a member of the University Research and Enterprise Committee, you will help shape policy in emerging areas of research funding and regulation. You will also lead the post-award research management workstream within our Great Service Programme, supporting service transformation and the implementation of new enterprise systems.

What we are looking for

We are seeking a politically astute and accomplished leader with deep expertise in research funding and regulatory frameworks within complex, research-intensive environments. You will bring a track record of leading high-performing teams and influencing across devolved structures, alongside the judgement and credibility to build trust with senior academics and professional services colleagues.

This is a rare opportunity to shape research support at a global top ten university. We welcome conversations with leaders who have the strategic insight and presence to operate at this level.

Further Information

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to Imperial

For a confidential discussion, please contact:

• Alicja Janowska on +44 (0) 7743 927 783 or alicja.janowska@andersonquigley.com
• Kiersten Avery on +44 (0)7510 384 735 or Kiersten.Avery@andersonquigley.com

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