Senior PhD Coordinator

Contract Type: 2 Year Fixed Term

Hours: 0.6 FTE (We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants, but do require on-site working 3 days per week)

Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), Harwell, Oxfordshire 

Together, our scientist, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. 

Come and discover how much you can achieve when you’re surrounded by world-leading experts, encouraged to constantly learn and empowered to explore your curiosity. 

The Role 

Acting as an Ambassador for STFC’s PhD programme, you will support a range of projects to deliver and develop the current PhD programmes and engage with a variety of stakeholders. Whilst liaising with the STFC Research Office and Universities to ensure PhD students receive an effective experience, you will provide student support advice and guidance to managers, supervisors and PhD students. You will ensure all PhD students receive effective onboarding, Health and Safety training, pastoral support and build cross-campus and cross-facility networks. 

Key Responsibilities

• Administration of the existing PhD students, ensuring they are correctly recorded on STFC systems and receive all appropriate STFC/UKRI training
• Provide student support advice and guidance to managers and supervisors at STFC as part of the PhD programme
• Develop a pastoral care function; meeting appropriately with PhD students to monitor their wellbeing and achievements and working with supervisors to resolve issues
• Work with subject matter experts in the organisation to oversee the technical quality and delivery of PhD research and training
• Manage and coordinate student onboarding to STFC
• Coordinate cohort activity/events, e.g. induction, training week
• Maintain an annual calendar of activities for all cohorts and ensure the smooth running of the programme through all key milestones, including induction, reviews, project allocation etc.
• Work closely with both internal and external stakeholders to communicate progress of key milestones and provide updates on the progress of all cohorts 

Stakeholder engagement:

• Build effective relationships with key stakeholders across STFC
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders e.g. industry, academia, government
• Build cross-campus and cross-facility networks to connect PhD students 

Person Specification: 

• Knowledge/understanding of PhD programmes and motivation to continuously update knowledge
• Experience of providing pastoral support to students, ideally in a higher education setting
• Have worked in and/or have an understanding of an academic environment and the challenges faced by post-graduate students
• Experience of developing robust and successful processes
• Strong organisational skills and high levels of attention to detail
• Ability to develop strong, collaborative relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to engage and support post-graduates at this stage of their career 

This role will require occasional travel to all of STFC’s UK sites 

Our Benefits: 

Our Benefits include a flexible working scheme (subject to business requirements), Defined benefit pension scheme, and 30 days annual leave allowance plus 10.5 bank holiday/privilege days and several other benefits.  

Join us and discover what’s possible! 

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