Corporate Services
Research and Innovation Service
Finance – Research Operations
Operations Manager
Full time, fixed term until September 2019 as the post requires specialist skills for a limited
period.
The Research Operations Service is part of the Finance Service and works closely with the
Research & Innovation Service to provide end to end financial management of a research grants
and contracts portfolio of around £130m p.a. (set to grow to £200m p.a. by 2020). The Finance
Service comprises 3 teams: Management Accounting, Financial Services and Research
Operations. The Research & Innovation Service also comprises 3 teams: Quality and Policy,
Funding Development, and Contracts and Commercialisation.
Job Summary
Reporting to the Head of Research Operations & Reporting, but working with a high degree of
independence, you will lead the Operations Team and will have line management responsibility for
a team of 2.The Operations Team has responsibility for setting the frameworks within which eight
Faculty Research Offices (FRIOs) and a number of central staff (EU Post Award and KTPs)
operate, including policy, procedures and systems. The team provide support and training to
central and faculty-based staff, and lead on systems development and maintenance, research
finance, quality assurance and compliance.
This is a key role in the Research Management Team, and the institutional lead for the
management of research income - ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the University’s research
grant records and finances, and developing robust processes and controls. You will have
excellent problem solving skills and the ability to assess the impact of changes across a broad
range of related systems and processes. You will ensure the continuous improvement of research
grants management in line with a changing environment and will develop a solid appreciation of
best practice across the sector. You will have the ability to write clear and insightful reports
identifying the key points from large sets of data and interpreting these to provide information and
recommendations for action.
You will be experienced in people management and team working, and in influencing across a
broad organisation to achieve operational and strategic objectives. You will be expected to operate
in a highly professional manner and maintain effective professional relationships across the
University, especially within the Finance and RIS Services, with Faculty Research Managers and
academics.
University grade 8 (£39,324 - £46,924 p.a.)
Informal enquiries may be made to Jennifer Stergiou, tel +44 (0)113 343 1944, email
[email protected]
Ref: CSRIS1056
Click here for further information about working at the University of Leeds
www.leeds.ac.uk/info/20025/university_jobs
Job Description
Responsible to: Head of Research Operations & Reporting
Reports to: Head of Research Operations & Reporting
Main duties and responsibilities
Grants Management Policy, Procedures and Systems

Responsible for the cradle-to-grave administrative and financial processes for research
grants and contracts across the University, and for ensuring that these processes are
continuously improved in line with a sophisticated understanding of changes & best
practice across the sector.

Working with Finance colleagues, ensure continued compliance with University Costing
and Pricing regulations, offering advice to FRIOs on full economic costing and TRAC
issues. Provide expert knowledge on external regulations and internal policy, procedures
and systems, including the full economic costing of research proposals and ensure the
dissemination of this knowledge across Faculties and Services.

Make recommendations to the Head of Research Operations & Reporting on changes to
policies and procedures for grants management and priorities for systems and reporting
developments.

Working with central and Faculty teams, the KRISTAL 2 Project Team and IT, ensure
continued compliance with University systems ensuring data integrity and the financial
probity of research.

Working closely with the KRISTAL 2 Project Team to lead the roll out of new system
developments and any associated changes to procedures. Work with FRIOs, Pro Deans
and other stakeholders to ensure that system developments and procedures are fully
implemented within each faculty.

Working closely with the KRISTAL Project Team to undertake User Acceptance Testing
of new system developments and reports.

Oversee the production of quality assurance reports and ensure that errors are corrected
within an appropriate timeframe. Where necessary make recommendations for changes
to prevent the occurrence of issues, and escalate material or persistent issues to the
Head of Research Operations & Reporting.

Define and implement a rolling programme of internal audit to quality assure pre and post
award procedures and grant files across the University, identifying areas for improvement
and areas of best practice. Make recommendations and agree a timetable for
improvements, and ensure that best practice is shared.

Lead the University response to major external audits including RCUK FAP and A133 for
federal funding. In particular, work with FRIOs to ensure that their grant records and
internal processes meet audit standards. Ensure that audit findings are accepted and
implemented or challenged as appropriate.

Be proactive in identifying future changes to funder requirements, best practice in the
sector, and other changes in the external environment and asses their potential impact on
the University. Make strategic recommendations to the Head of Research Operations &
Reporting regarding how these changes should be managed.

Provision of a central contact point for external funders. Liaising with external funders and
providers of research systems to ensure consistent service provision and to ensure
dissemination of information.

Member of committees, steering and working groups to help deliver strategic projects on
behalf of the University, as required.

Administer & report on the Academic Development Fund for research & innovation pump
priming and the Cheney Fellowship scheme.
Management Information & Research Planning

Oversee the production of regular and ad-hoc management information to inform strategic
planning and decision making. Prepare reports on University research performance for
Council, the University Executive Group and Research & Innovation Board, identifying
trends, and performance against forecasts and targets, and analysing this data to inform
decision making.

Work closely with the KRISTAL 2 Project Team and others across the University to
specify the requirements of new reports,

Contribute to the delivery of the HESA and HEBCI statutory returns, ensuring that data is
robust and auditable.

Work closely with Faculty Research & Innovation and Finance Managers to develop
robust plans, forecasts and targets for research applications, awards, income and
recoveries. Advise Faculty and University Management on levels of risk and recommend
school and faculty level adjustments or University level de-risks where appropriate.

Support the development and implementation of a new planning process and planning
system for research applications, awards, income and recoveries.

Provision of ad-hoc reports and financial analyses as required, including data required in
response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
Training & Development

Manage a high quality programme of personal development for research & innovation
administrators and managers across the University, including workshops, good practice
exchange and action learning. In some cases this will include developing and delivering
the training courses.

Oversee FRIO staff recruitment, reviewing job descriptions to ensure consistency. Sit on
all interview panels for FRIO staff recruitment and ascertain the potential training
requirements of candidates in order to inform the training programme.
Team Management and Relationships

Responsible for the management of the Operations Team in line with the University’s
values and standards, to ensure the provision of an efficient and effective support service
for administrative and academic staff across the University.

Direct the work of the team, providing guidance and support, defining work priorities,
setting objectives and managing performance. Ensure that the team have the necessary
knowledge and skills to undertake their current and future responsibilities

Support the Head of Research Operations & Reporting in leading the implementation of
the Research Operations Strategy and Plan.

Contribute as an active member of the team by taking ownership of issues, respecting the
work of other team members, contributing to building team morale and motivation, and
upholding the values of the University.

Build strong links with Faculty Research Managers (FRMs) and colleagues across
Finance, RIS and Strategy & Planning. Work in partnership to share knowledge and best
practice, developing trust and influence to facilitate joint solutions to problems.

Attend external workshops to gather strategic intelligence and to contribute to discussions
on national policies, and research strategies. Build strong links with equivalent post
holders at other Universities to share best practice and maintain a strong external profile.
Staff are also expected to:

Work largely unsupervised, with full responsibility for prioritisation of own workloads to
meet multiple competing deadlines.

Be responsible for own development, identifying training and development needs and
suitable forms of development to address those needs. Demonstrate a commitment to
personal development by continuously developing skills necessary for the role

Be alert to risks and opportunities by taking steps, where possible and appropriate, to
minimise any adverse risks or maximise any opportunities, report to the appropriate
person as any significant risks or opportunities that become apparent, be responsible for
your own safety and minimise risks of endangering safety of yourself or others.

Comply with the University Policy on Equality and Diversity.

Any other duties which are commensurate with the grade of the post as required by the
line manager
University Values
All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and standards, which work
as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together. More
information about the university’s strategy and values is available at
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/.
Person specification
Essential

Good honours degree or equivalent by experience

Demonstrable leadership and influencing skills, and a professional approach

Demonstrable skills and experience in managing and developing staff to achieve their full
potential. Including experience of recruitment, setting objectives and performance
management.

Pro-active, working on own initiative with resilience to ensure delivery of outputs to strict
deadlines, maintaining accuracy under pressure

Significant skills and experience in managing a large and varied team workload with
limited supervision

Excellent written and spoken communication skills (including presentation and report
writing skills) with demonstrable ability to liaise effectively with staff at all levels and to
articulately express complex ideas and analysis

Experience of developing, implementing, reviewing and improving procedures in a
complex organisation

Experience of working in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to achieve
shared objectives

Analytic strategic thinker/problem solver.

Experience of the development and improvement of services, with a strong customer care
focus

Must be highly numerate and comfortable working with figures and complex calculations,
with experience of interpreting and reporting financial data

Ability to maintain high standards of confidentiality

Experience of producing and analysing management information / reports for a range of
audiences

Advanced MS Excel skills, including experience of working with multiple linked workbooks
and large data sets, V Lookups, pivot tables, charts and functions

Advanced skills in the use of other MS Office applications
Desirable

Significant and recent knowledge of business processes for research grants and
contracts administration including knowledge of funder regulations for research projects
and a working knowledge of TRAC and fEC

Knowledge of contemporary issues in research management

Experience of SAP, KRISTAL and Qlikview systems

Experience of writing reports and position papers, including highlighting risks and issues
and making recommendations to support strategic decision making

Experience of designing, implementing and managing internal audit, quality assurance
and compliance functions

Knowledge and experience of implementing different forms of training and staff
development including mentoring, action learning sets etc,

Experience of designing and delivering training courses
Additional Information
The University offers generous terms and conditions of employment, a wide range of
benefits, services, facilities and family friendly policies. Full details are available on the
Human Resources web pages accessible at www.leeds.ac.uk/hr
The Partnership
The Partnership has been developed by students and staff and describes the mutual
expectations of us all as members of the University of Leeds community. More information
about the Partnership is available at http://partnership.leeds.ac.uk
Criminal Record Check
A criminal record check is not required for this position, however, all applicants will be
required to declare if they have any ‘unspent’ criminal offences, including those pending.
Any offer of appointment will be in accordance with our Criminal Records policy. You can find
out more about required checks and declarations in our Criminal Records information.
Disabled Applicants
Disabled applicants wishing to review access to the building are invited to contact the
department direct. Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment Officer, email
[email protected] or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.
Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be
covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.
Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions is
available in the applicant guidance.