Research Partnership Officer

JOB NUMBER

FAC01945

CONTRACT TYPE

Fixed Term Contract

POSTING END DATE

09-Jun-2024

LOCATION:

Stirling Campus

GRADE

Grade7 £37,099-£44,263 p.a.

FACULTY/SERVICE

Faculty of Social Sciences

Post Details

Full time
Fixed term until 31 December 2026

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 09 June 2024.
Interviews are expected to take place on Tuesday 02 July 2024.

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.

This post may be eligible for sponsorship depending on candidate circumstances under SOC code 3543.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

The Post

Everywhere in the world people organize in relation to water. Its resources and assets provide essential ‘goods’ and ‘services’ and huge opportunities for the economy, society and communities. Harnessing these productively is a key route to optimising growth, value and community outcomes, as well as meeting important environmental goals.

This post is part of a £5m Local Policy Innovation Partnership project funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) over 3 years to explore these issues in the Forth Water Basin in Scotland. The Partnership, called ‘FORTH₂O’, involves six Universities and Institutes, as well as over eighty stakeholder partners (including Scottish Government, Scottish Water and SEPA). This is a hugely exciting opportunity to make a real difference for the health and wealth of our businesses, communities, and natural ecosystems. Through a range of innovative core projects; challenge, innovation and living ‘labs’; and a commissioning fund of £1.2m to support new activity, the partnership will play a vital role in ‘optimising outcomes’ from the water system.

The Research Partnership Officer will play a key role in the Partnership, taking the lead in building, developing and delivering effective strategies for information sharing, co-ordination and collaboration between Partnership members. The post will involve building strong relationships with internal and external networks. This will mean supporting appropriate projects and working groups to ensure that agreed actions linked to innovation opportunities are implemented. It also means curating and managing internal partnership communications, and preparing and implementing effective external stakeholder engagement and communications plans (including web, video and social media content, blogs, podcasts, and so on as required). The post will also coordinate knowledge transfer activity across the project, preparing briefing papers, reports, and other information on issues relating to LPIP/FORTH₂O, including development and management of training and capacity building plans, events and activities. This may lead to proposals for further funding, or to consultancy, CPD or spin-out opportunities.

Additional Information:

This role will be based primarily on campus at the University of Stirling, but will involve agile working within the University framework, including working away from the office as required to engage effectively with partners and stakeholders.

Description of Duties

• Work with the Project Principal Investigator, Research Partnership Manager and other project partners to build, develop and manage effective strategies for information sharing, co-ordination and collaboration between Partnership members
• Provide regular analysis of the above Partnership strategies to the Project Principal Investigator and Partnership Executive Group (PEG), and initiate processes and procedures to resolve new problems across the matrix of project partners
• Liaise and build strong relationships with internal and external networks through which innovation can be pursued, including with intermediaries
• Manage internal partnership communications, using MS Teams and associated Sharepoint sites effectively to connect Partnership members and researchers
• Take a key role in preparing and implementing an effective external stakeholder engagement plan and communications plan for LPIP/FORTH₂O, including and the development of appropriate materials and events to support innovation and Partnership development
• Record and monitor the progress of engagement and communications plans to ensure delivery at the key stages. Prepare and present quarterly progress reports for the Partnership Executive Group (PEG), internal Partnership Advisory Board (PAB) and other relevant stakeholders as may be required by the Project Principal Investigator
• Coordinate Knowledge Transfer activity, preparing briefing papers, reports, proposals and other information on issues relating to LPIP/FORTH₂O, including development and management of training and capacity building plans, events and activities across the Partnership, as required
• In conjunction with the Research Partnership Manager, develop and manage the administration of Partnership events
• Provide officer support for appropriate projects and working groups to ensure that agreed actions linked to innovation opportunities are implemented
• Maintain, contribute to, and disseminate expert knowledge of national and international issues in relation to the innovation activity and wider business of LPIP/FORTH₂O, including review and improvement of appropriate new, policies and practices
• Contribute as appropriate to the pursuit of further funding opportunities and proposals
• Support the Research Partnership Manager in monitoring and reviewing the portfolio of intellectual property arising from LPIP/FORTH₂O activities, in order to help identify potential commercial opportunities such as spin-outs, research, consultancy or CPD
• Lead the organisation of meetings as appropriate, supporting the attendance and participation of members
• Deputise for the Research Partnership Manager as required
• Undertake such other duties as may be required by the Project Principal Investigator and Research Partnership Manager, commensurate with the grade and nature of the role

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent or employment experience across a range of roles with increasing levels of responsibility
• Practical experience of working on large projects, preferably in a research or higher education setting
• Excellent skills in communicating effectively at all levels, both orally and in writing, with the ability to communicate using a wide range of styles appropriate to different individuals, groups and situations
• Competence and experience to support and monitor the effective progress of engagement and communication plans on behalf of the Partnership
• Strong commitment to operational excellence, and experience of working successfully within contexts of innovation and/or partnership development
• Proven experience of effective delivery of projects and events to deadlines, within a complex and diverse workload
• Highly organised with the ability to work with strong attention to detail, accuracy, and within specified deadlines
• Proven ability to:
  • Work independently and with initiative, but to also operate successfully in team and wider collaborative contexts
  • Build proactively productive and enduring relationships between internal and/or external bodies to benefit the Partnership
  • Summarise complex ideas or information, which may be highly detailed, technical or specialist
  • Provide advice and guidance relevant to the Partnership and its development
  • Anticipate possible implementation difficulties, and identify practical ways of overcoming or preventing them
  • Initiate processes and procedures to resolve new problems
    
• Knowledge of the current research landscape and of the wider policy context, along with the capability to apply this knowledge to the appropriate operation and development of the Partnership
• Negotiation, persuasion and motivation skills
• IT skills, including proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office 365

Desirable Criteria

• Educated to post graduate level in a relevant subject area
• Professional training in engagement and communications management, ideally through a formal management qualification

Behaviours and Competencies

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

1. Managing self and personal skills
   Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.
2. Delivering excellent service
   Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.
3. Finding solutions
   Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.
4. Embracing change
   Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.
5. Using resources effectively
   Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.
6. Engaging with the wider context
   Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.
7. Developing self and others
   Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.
8. Working together
   Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.
9. Achieving Results
   Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.

The University

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions, and helping to shape society. Stirling is 4th in Scotland and 43rd in the UK for research impact, with 87% of its research having an outstanding or very considerable impact on society – and more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

The University of Stirling is ranked among the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction (National Student Survey) and top 30 in the UK for postgraduate student experience (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey), and has an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings.

More than 17,000 students study with the University of Stirling globally, with over 140 nationalities represented on its scenic central Scotland campus alone. The University – also home to 1,700 staff – is ranked first in the UK and top three in the world for its campus environment (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two). Ranked first in the UK and top five in the world for its sports facilities (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two), Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. Its world-class facilities provide the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars – many of whom compete at the highest level, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and for students, staff, and the wider community.

The University has twice been recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the first for its Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and the second for its Institute of Aquaculture (2019).

The University is a signatory to the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal and a central partner of the Forth Valley University College Health Partnership.
www.stir.ac.uk @stiruni