Research Hub Coordinator

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 .

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Durham University

The Role and the Department

The Department of Biosciences is seeking to appoint an administrator to support the management and operations of a BBSRC-funded Engineering Biology Mission Hub (ELEMENTAL) that will develop sustainable and efficient solutions to address the environmental challenges posed by metal contaminated wastes. The ELEMENTAL Mission Hub, with nine partner institutions, is one of six recently funded by the BBSRC. You can read more about the ELEMENTAL Hub here ( https://affiliated.onpressidium.com/elementalhub/ ).

The overall purpose of the role will be to provide on-going support for the various activities of the Hub. Its primary activities are research focused at the partner institutions but free membership in the Hub is open to other individuals (from academia, industry, and other organisations). Membership enables flexible funding to support schemes that promote collaborations between Industry and Academia . Specific responsibilities of t he role will include designing and running meetings and events, supporting the Hub management team, maintaining databases, gathering information, and assembling reports. Additionally the successful candidate will support the Hub Diversity and Inclusion officer in the planning of EDI-linked activities and monitoring these activities to ensure Hub EDI targets are being met. The role will also provide opportunities for the post holder to contribute to the development of promotional materials and communication tools, including the website and social media content,

The post holder will be based in the Department of Biosciences (located within space embedded in the Department of Chemistry) providing support to the Hub Management Team, including the Vice Chair (and Hub CoI) based at Durham University (and line manager for this role), the Hub Director (Professor of Biochemistry, University of Kent), the Project Manager (University of Kent) and working alongside a second network coordinator based at Durham University.

The post can be hybrid/remote and there is flexibility for determining the working hours, to be agreed prior to the start of employment.

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 parking across campus, 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 plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• Family friendly policies, 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 including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• We offer generous pension schemes.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

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.

Qualifications :

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 or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.

2. Experience of working in a busy office environment delivering front line administrative services to a high standard.

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

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

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

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

6. Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including Microsoft 365 applications.

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

8. Committed to continuing professional development.

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

Desirable Criteria

10. Experience of organising and planning events.

11. Experience of producing and updating promotional materials.

12. Experience of using databases.

13. Experience in maintaining websites and using social media.

14. Experience in organisation and/or delivery of EDI training events.

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 is 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:
• A CV
• A supporting statement which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.

Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, please contact Dr. Peter Chivers (Durham Hub lead and line manager) via email at peter.chivers@durham.ac.uk , and he will be happy to arrange a mutually convenient time to speak.

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• 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 your role such as meeting organisation and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Continually review what is required from the Hub Management team and Hub Members to make sure the best possible service is provided.
• Ensure that processes and business systems effectively support the services being delivered by the Hub Management team.
• Ensure that data is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to the Hub Management Team.
• Capture and share information and data that needs to be shared within the Hub its membership, and with external partners relevant networks and committees, including the granting agency.
• Use digital media e.g. SharePoint to update management team and Hub members.
• Prepare reports for senior managers.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.
• Organise and schedule assigned meetings and events (virtual and in-person).
• Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.

Teamwork

• Provide specialist support and advice to team members on on event planning, for example.
• Explain and provide instruction to other team members on how to correctly record and manage data.
• Help and cooperate with the rest of your team on operational matters to help achieve shared objectives.
• Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.
• Seek feedback from Hub Management and Hub membership on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.

Communications/Liaison

• Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
• Create 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.
• Liaise with Hub Membership and non-academic partners to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
• Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint activities.
• Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.
• Liaise with external suppliers and service providers to plan the delivery of 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.