Operations Manager - Research / Grants

Are you ready to lead in a fast-paced environment while driving impactful change?

We're seeking an experienced Operations Manager (Research/Grant Funding) for a 12-month fixed-term contract, covering a secondment on a full-time basis. The role is mostly remote with just one day a week in their office, based in Twickenham. You will need to be immediately available to start, ideally start in December, if possible.

The client:

This client works with customers in the academic, government, pharmaceutical, agricultural biotechnology, food, environment, security and sports sector. They work with the UK government departments and arm's length bodies to support medical and health research across the UK. The Operations team are primarily responsible for managing new funding calls for a numbers of Healthcare and Health and Care Research Wales schemes.

The role:

As the Operations manager (Research/Grant Funding), you will manage 10-12 Research Officers and Programme Managers. You will take responsibility for delivering a portfolio of funding calls to key milestone dates and quality standards. The role will involve complex scheduling and resource management, risk and issues management, project and relationship management, team leadership and line management.

The Operations team are a team of about seventy, with about 40-50 live competitions at any one time. The Operations Manager (Research/Grant Funding) would be joining a team of Operations Managers, who each have their own team to deliver a portfolio of funding calls. The role provides an exciting opportunity to join a busy team, playing an important role in funding high quality research that benefits the NHS, patients and the public.

The Role:

Lead the setting up of new funding competitions

• Engage relevant GMG teams in planning new competitions
• Determine achievable timelines that consider other calls, resources, work peaks and factors
• Oversee the creation of detailed project plans
• Present different commissioning options to stakeholders and explain the impact of different decisions
• Identify Operations team resource requirements

Run competitions effectively

• Have suitable processes, forms, templates and quality checks in place
• Oversee project management and day-to-day delivery by all parties
• Handle issues and risks effectively
• Oversee the provision of a responsive help desk service and clear communications with external stakeholders
• Take responsibility for the overall high quality and timeliness of outputs from the team
• Oversee the delivery of scheme improvements and developments

Other duties:

• Embed good data quality across all aspects of operational work, monitor data quality and resolve issues when necessary
• Line manage 10-12 Research Officers and Programme Managers

Essential experience required

• Experienced in research funding, grant management, or a similar environment
• Experience of delivering work that involves complex scheduling, robust processes and resource management
• Experience of managing and developing individuals and teams
• Ability to coach, develop and motivate people working in a busy environment

What's Next?
If you meet the above essential criteria, please submit your CV today. The hiring manager wants to appoint asap so applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so don't delay!

If you meet the above criteria, a member of the TPP team will be in touch with you within 3 working days. Unfortunately, due to the high number of CVs we receive, we are unfortunately able to reply to each applciation. If you have not heard back from us within 3 working days, then unfortunately your CV hasn't been selected for this role.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.