Postgraduate Research Support Lead

Are you an experienced team leader and manager who sets high standards and supports your team to achieve them? If you think and plan strategically, enjoy working collaboratively and have the enthusiasm to contribute to a high-quality postgraduate research student experience, this role may be a good fit for you!

You will use your skills in building relationships and influencing stakeholders, your acute judgement and risk management approach and ability to navigate a large organisation to achieve your aims and objectives. You will be a senior colleague within the department and a key point of contact on postgraduate research student matters across the organisation, contributing to develop projects and initiatives in collaboration beyond your immediate context.

The primary focus of this role is to:

• Lead and manage our central professional postgraduate research student teams, working closely with colleagues across the university to seek input, ensuring consistent processes which are fit-for purpose in a changing internal and external environment.
• Oversee the postgraduate research student lifecycle: managing research degree programmes, regulatory processes, quality assurance and systems to support these, and operating effectively within our institutional governance framework.
• Ensure a positive and supportive research environment for PGR students that results in an enhanced PGR student experience, with significant improvements in timely submission and completion rates, and a culture of best practice in academic supervision.

Typical deliverables will include:

• Fit-for-purpose and accessible policies and regulatory documents, such as our Code of Practice for Research Degrees, which balance expectations of statutory bodies, funder terms and conditions and University aims and objectives and which are, in turn, implemented effectively.
• Carefully judged, risk-aware advice to a range of colleagues on complex student issues including progression and complaints, and the application of University regulations in specific student cases.
• Agreed processes that are transparent and consistent. For example, for cohort recruitment of publicly funded PGRs, the management of institutionally matched scholarships and statutory returns.

Research, Partnerships & Innovation is undergoing a change programme following a recent restructure. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to new ways of working, staff development programmes and to contribute to building teams who are known for being connected and working across boundaries.

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