Portfolio Delivery Officer - Swindon, United Kingdom - Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Description

Economic and Social Research Council

Portfolio Delivery Officer:


Salary:
£25,702 per annum


Hours:
Full time (part-time submissions considered)


Contract Type:
Open Ended


Location:
Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire


Grade:

UKRI C

> Closing Date:11 April 2023


Job Purpose

Portfolio Delivery Officers provide key support to ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and our portfolios of research investments and sit within the breadth of ESRC teams.

You will engage with academics at the forefront of economic and social science research, supporting the effective deployment of research and innovation funding.

You will undertake a diverse range of activities that facilitate the assessment of high-quality research proposals, support scoping, prioritisation, and commissioning of new investments, and ensure outputs, outcomes and impact are captured and optimised.

These also include supporting the management of key research investment, high quality peer review selection, organising expert review panels, and delivering workshops to engage with broader stakeholder communities to catalyse research ideas.

You will also act as a source of advice on ESRC's policies and processes.

You will provide this support across portfolio areas within a hard-working, collaborative, and dynamic team, supporting everyday team functions and owning discrete areas of work that you drive forward.

You will be required to build and manage strong relationships with colleagues across the organisation and external stakeholders to facilitate the effective delivery of funding through a wide range of supporting systems, data, processes, mechanisms and policies.

Responsibilities

• Play an active role in team activities to support the delivery of the ESRC's vision for social science
• Ensure that the endtoend commissioning of grants, including checking proposals, and peer review selection, and managing queries, is efficient, accurate and delivered on schedule.
• Provide support on the grantlevel portfolio management of investments including processing postaward changes to grants and capturing outputs, outcomes, and impacts
• Coordinate attendance at workshops, expert group meetings and other key events
• Lead arrangements and prepare agendas for internal and external meetings and record clear minutes and actions
• Support senior colleagues to analyse existing portfolio data, helping the team to catalyse, prioritise and develop new ideas
• Contribute ideas for improvements to our policies and processes.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• A degree in a relevant discipline, or demonstrable experience of working in a relevant environment or role
• Planning and organisational skills, including an ability to prioritise and manage complex activities
• Quality focused, with demonstrable attention to detail and pride in accuracy
• Ability to take a positive approach to solve problems and overcome challenges
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills (verbal, presentational and written) to build credibility internally and externally
• Ability to work with others as part of a team to achieve results
• Ability to engage with a range of stakeholders from different types of organisations and at different levels
• Selfmotivated, enthusiastic and the flexibility to adapt and change
• An awareness of project management principles from inception through to delivery and evaluation, including the capability and drive to continuously improve processes
• IT competency and familiarity with Excel, Word and Outlook

Desirable:

• An enthusiasm for social science research and an understanding of the role it plays within the UK research/innovation system
• An awareness of the principles of peer review and its associated processes

About the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The ESRC is the UK's largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science.

It supports the development and training of the UK's future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research.

ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.


About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK.

Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world.

We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that yo