Research Program Manager

The Research Programme manager will be expected to develop and deliver an integrated programme plan that meets the needs of the Scientist’s strategy and ensures that project deliverables and milestones are met alongside compliance with the funders’ requirements.

This role entails the full range of project management responsibilities including liaising with a variety of the teams based at different sites covering research infrastructure, technical aspects and administration. Specifically the role will support the Senior Research Group Leader in areas such as research project monitoring, staff recruitment, events and meeting planning including developing agendas and taking notes, keeping stakeholders and teams up to date, financial planning and reporting, governance and compliance in areas such as GDPR, as well as record keeping, risk management and problem solving.

The programme of projects includes large international consortia including the Human Cell Atlas (HCA - https://www.humancellatlas.org/), the NIH funded HuBMap project (https://commonfund.nih.gov/hubmap) and LIFETIME (https://lifetime-fetflagship.eu), as well as research projects with collaborators based primarily in the Cambridge area.

Your role:

Managing the research and administration of the ongoing projects across a number of different organisations. It is important that the role holder interacts well with others to get things done in differing research contexts across many diverse teams.
Deputising for the research lead as necessary, including attending both virtual and in-person meetings.
Drafting research applications, reports, meeting notes; tracking and following up on actions.
Providing secretariat support for the Senior Research Group Leader, who is a member of the Human Cell Atlas project, the Oversight Committee of the Data Coordination Platform (DCP), the co-chair of the Analysis Working Group (AWG) and co-chair of the GDPR task force. The role is expected to be responsible for ensuring adherence to GDPR processes and policies.
Supporting the management of the differing projects and the interface with the different host institutions with respect to reporting on progress, coordination with the respective organisations’ grants offices, finance and research teams.
Arranging, drafting content, planning and ensuring regular attendance at meetings for the major projects of the team, along with the EMBL research office administrative team.
Helping to improve internal management processes, for example by writing up processes and investigating new tools where necessary.
Assisting in the preparation of publications, press releases, material for websites and other external communication around the programme activities.
Tracking the project expenditure and ensuring that the funding aligns effectively to the benefit of the science. Working with the financial teams across all of the organisations to deliver reports to funders and others as required
Overseeing the operational aspect of the research lab ensuring that health and safety requirements are met and interfacing with the local teams.

You have

You will have an undergraduate degree in the life sciences or other relevant area, as well as a Ph.D. or Masters relevant to work undertaken at EMBL-EBI, or equivalent work experience in a scientific or technical environment.
You will be experienced in working with high level stakeholders and research funders with demonstrable experience of writing grants and reports. Good organisation skills and the ability to prioritise your own workload are a must, along with the ability to handle confidential information and problem solve.
You must also have a high degree of ability in handling numerical or financial data and demonstrated attention to detail, experience in coordinating complex tasks or projects across at team, good knowledge of Microsoft Office packages, including Word and Excel and a track record of hands on research operational management and experience of research governance matters.
Excellent networking skills and the ability to build strong working relationships are essential, as are interpersonal and communication skills and excellent written English.

You might also have

Formal project management training and or business management qualifications
An eagerness to learn new software and tools and introduce new processes and systems to support the research work of the team
Familiarity with modern technologies used for communicating, writing and monitoring progress

Why join us

At EMBL-EBI, we help scientists realise the potential of ‘big data’ in biology by enabling them to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind. Working for EMBL-EBI gives you an opportunity to apply your skills and energy for the greater good. As part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), we are a non-profit, intergovernmental organisation funded by 22 member states and two associate member states. We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK, and our 600 staff are engineers, technicians, scientists and other professionals from all over the world.

EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation. For more information about pay and benefits click here

We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else.

If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library.