Research Coordinator (

Job Number:

24000971)

Department of Engineering

Grade 5: – £25,742 – £28,759 per annum

Open-Ended/Permanent – Full Time

Contract Duration: Open-Ended/Permanent

Contracted Hours per Week: 35

Working Arrangements: Monday to Friday

Closing Date

: 04-Jul-2024, 11:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable. 

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. 

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. 

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

The Role and the Department

The Department of Engineering is consistently one of the very best UK engineering departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. The Department is ranked 5th in the Complete University Guide, 5th in the Guardian University Guide and 7th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 in the UK for General Engineering. Ranked in the top six in the UK for overall profile in REF 2021 (with 95% of publications rated as 4* and 3*), this dynamic Department is an excellent place to work. The strategic vision for the Department includes a planned growth in excess of 50% over the next five years, with a significant enhancement of the research challenge portfolio, and a drive to enrich our undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research provision. We were ranked 2nd in Engineering behind only Cambridge in a recent Institute for Fiscal Studies report on the difference in graduate earnings by UK university choice. It is an exciting time to join this expanding Department and make your mark.

The Department holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award, recognising our commitment to diversity within all aspects of life in the Department and reflecting the supportive, collegiate and positive environment within the Department.

The post holder will be responsible to the Department Manager and will be expected to provide administrative support to the research environment of the Department and, in particular, to the Directors of Research and Impact. They will be responsible for the maintenance of research management information, including information collated for the Research Framework Exercise (REF), and act as Secretary to Departmental committees, managing the business and associated activities outside of the meetings, including events management. The post holder will proactively engage with academic, administrative, research and technical support colleagues, within and external to the Department, including the central Research Office and with industry, to provide administrative support for a wide range of research-related activities.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about working in an educational environment, making a difference and achieving results. You will be an adaptive individual with strong time management skills and an ability to develop and nurture relationships with others. You will also have a keen eye for detail, a commitment to the principles of continuous improvement and a drive to get things done.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

• 27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have some parking available across campus and a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available, and children’s clubs are available in the summer holidays. 
• Family friendly policies are in place, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal. These include money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, cinema tickets and days out at various attractions. 
• We offer generous pension schemes. 

Durham University is Committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification 

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered. 

Your application should cover the following criteria: 

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1. Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics.

2. A Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.

3. Relevant experience of working in a busy office environment delivering front line administrative services to a high standard.*

4. Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.*

5. Experience of managing time to meet deadlines and working under pressure without compromising on quality.*

6. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

7. Excellent spoken and written communication skills, including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

8. Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including internet, email, digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, digital booking systems, project planning software. 

9. Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.

10. Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.

11. Ability to effectively participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.

Desirable Criteria

12. Experience of working in Higher Education.

13. Knowledge of the research environment in Higher Education would be a significant advantage.

14. Experience of working with web pages and social media in a professional capacity.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria, we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there are any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. 

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

What you are required to submit:

1. A CV;
2. A cover letter explaining why you are applying for this post;
3. A table in a separate Word document which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification 

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

Contact Details 

If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Dr Ruth Vater ([email protected]) would be happy to speak to you.

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected].

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). 

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

If you have any queries about the recruitment process, please contact the recruitment team on [email protected]. 

Typical Role Requirements 

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• Ensure that relevant regulatory and professional standards relating to research and impact are being used within services being delivered by your team.
• Help to develop and implement policies and procedures relating to your service area.
• Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to research and impact and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with to make sure the best possible service is provided.
• Ensure that processes and business systems effectively support the services being delivered by the research team.
• Monitor and analyse the use of research equipment and resources to ensure efficiency and report your findings to senior colleagues.
• Ensure that research and impact data is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
• Capture and share research and impact information and data that needs to be shared with relevant networks and committees.
• Use digital media, e.g. SharePoint, Social Media, web pages, to update team members and colleagues, students and external contacts on activities relating to research and impact.
• Prepare reports for senior managers.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role within the context of the cyclical nature of research activities and their internal and external deadlines.
• Organise and schedule research-related resources, activities and events.
• Monitor research- and impact-related processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.

Teamwork

• Provide specialist support and advice to team members on research and impact.
• Explain and provide instruction to other team members on how to correctly record and manage research- and impact-related data.
• Make changes to the research- and impact-related services provided by your team in discussion with other team members.
• Identify research- and impact-related opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.
• Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.

Communications/Liaison

• Use your research- and impact-related knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
• Provide instruction and demonstrations to others within the administrative team.
• Create and maintain good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.
• Work collaboratively across the organisation and/or externally with colleagues and stakeholders to maintain effective relationships and to plan and deliver a robust research support service.
• Create and maintain good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to deliver cross-functional services and activities related to research and impact.
• Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.
• Liaise with external suppliers, contractors, specialists and service providers to plan the delivery of research- and impact-related services and events.
• Any other reasonable duties.
• Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices – Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. 

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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