Job reference: HUM-032003
Salary: £37,694 - £46,049 per annum depending on relevant experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Humanities
Location: Oxford Road
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Humanities Research and Business Engagement
Hours Per Week: Full Time (1 FTE)
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 28/08/2026
Contract Duration: 24 Months
School/Directorate: Faculty Office - Humanities

Job Description

We are looking for a pro-active individual with an interest in humanities and social science research to join the Research Development and Impact (RDI) team in the Faculty of Humanities. This is a lively and collegiate team which helps researchers to build collaborative projects for external funding and make a real-world difference from their research.

The team works across the Faculty of Humanities, which comprises of four Schools (the School of Arts Languages and Cultures, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Environment, Education and Development and the Alliance Manchester Business School). The team also supports interdisciplinary research and helps build diverse cross-Faculty projects. This role has a portfolio related to the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures and a particular focus will be to build a strong pipeline of future large grant winners and deliver training to support a shift towards larger, interdisciplinary team bids.

The post of Research Development Officer (SALC) is a two-year position while the substantive postholder is on secondment.

The successful candidate will be able to think critically, keep abreast of research and Higher Education policy and offer authoritative advice on grant capture to researchers at all career stages. They will be able to manage a diverse portfolio of projects and have superb written and oral communication skills.

Essential Criteria

  • Degree level qualification or equivalent education, training or professional experience.
  • Experience of playing a substantive role in the preparation of large, complex grant proposals
  • Knowledge of the UK’s research funding and impact / innovation landscape
  • Excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and submit high-quality materials on time
  • Numerical ability to review and advise on research grant budgets, familiarity with costing and pricing models.
  • Analytical ability to collect and interpret complex information relating to regulations and policies, ability to determine trends and therefore anticipate opportunities in the funding arena

Desirable Criteria

  • PhD or comparable research experience in an area relevant to the Faculty Humanities
  • Good knowledge of the international funding landscape
  • Track record of building teams or facilitating activities across organisational boundaries
  • Strong understanding of research culture initiatives, as well research ethics procedures and developments in open research

Our benefits include:
• Generous employer contribution pension
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, along with Christmas closure
• Ride to work and EV car scheme available

For more information, please see University of Manchester Benefits. You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working here.

We are an open place of enquiry and challenge. We embrace and celebrate difference, diversity and debate, and we pride ourselves on being a place of education, learning and community where we are able, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, express new ideas and explore controversial or unpopular topics and opinions. Find out more from our Freedom of Speech Policy.

Enquiries about the role, shortlisting and interviews

Name: Chloe Jeffries

Email Address: chloe.jeffries@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries and administrative support

recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Technical and job portal support

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

Applications close at midnight on the closing date.

Further particulars (with person specification) linked below.

Take a look around the company https://www.manchester.ac.uk/