Impact Development Officer

This role will support the development and implementation of the College of Social Sciences Impact Strategy.The post-holder will work closely with College and School Impact Leads and Professional Services colleagues in the organisation and management of impact related activity. The post-holders will also work closely with the College’s Research Planning Partner to support the monitoring and evaluation of impact activities for REF 2020.They will be based in the College Research Support Office and will also attend monthly meetings of the Central Research Planning team.

The post-holder will have experience of working as a member of professional services in the Higher Education sector, in particular working collaboratively with academic staff. The post-holder will be proactive in establishing effective relationships with academic and Professional Services colleagues (e.g. Marketing, Research and Knowledge Transfer, Impact) from within the School/College and across the University. They will also look to develop and maintain high quality external partner links.

The post-holder will have strong project management skills and be proactive in developing plans to support the impact agenda of the College, including identifying and pursuing new opportunities to increase impact.

Essential:

• An undergraduate degree.
• Evidence of a high standard of written and oral English, including the ability to critique and help re-draft material effectively.

Desirable:

• Evidence of involvement in research/impact activity.
• Evidence of highly developed numerical and IT skills, including data manipulation and presentation using standard Microsoft products (excel and access) to support communication, analysis of information, data dissemination, and project management, as well as an understanding of the use of the web and social media in communicating the outcomes and impact of research.

Skills/Attributes required:

Essential:

• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.The post holder will be expected to interact with a range of stakeholders, including senior academic and non-academic managers; external enquirers; colleagues in other universities and colleagues from across Professional Services.This interaction will require the post holder to have the ability to listen effectively and to moderate their behaviour according to audience and situation.The post holder must understand the challenges of working within a highly political environment and be capable of maintaining a professional, cool, and calm approach in all circumstances.
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new IT-based systems.
• Ability to assess and organise resources effectively.
• Understanding of, and ability to contribute to, broader management/administration processes.
• Accuracy and attention to detail, particularly experience of interpreting and adhering to detailed and precise requirements and providing advice on them.
• Ability to manage time effectively, work to deadlines; and to maintain high standards, including when under pressure.
• Problem-solving skills, including the ability to act with limited supervision.
• Absolute discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality.

Desirable:

• Well-developed organisational abilities, including the ability to manage projects, keep accurate records, and produce status and progress reports.
• The ability to synthesise and communicate complex information and data to a variety of audiences.
• Effective negotiation and influencing skills at all levels, creating professional relationships with researchers, administrators and senior staff internally and externally, and the ability to work across academic disciplines.
• Project management skills.

Level of previous experience required:

• Prior work experience in a Higher Education institution is preferred, ideally with some experience of working within a research environment.
• Previous experience of working in a knowledge exchange or research impact environment is desirable.This might be evidenced, for example, through experience of commercialisation or support for the delivery of policy or cultural or other forms of impact.
• Recent postgraduates, or RAs/RFs who have decided not to continue with a research career, who have no previous relevant experience, but who can demonstrate an interest in, and engagement with, the issues pertinent to the role and an understanding of the skills needed will be considered.