Research Governance Adviser
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Job purpose
To provide professional, specialist advice and guidance on national security and international collaboration research and teaching compliance issues, ensuring the University of Glasgow (UofG) and the University community are aware of compliance requirements and are supported to fulfil their legal responsibilities in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Please contact Samantha.Oakley@glasgow.ac.uk, Research Governance and Integrity Manager, for more information about this post.
Main duties & responsibilities
1. Act as the specialist contact point on a day-to-day basis for all queries relating to national security and international collaboration in research and teaching compliance including Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, the National Security and Investment Act and the Nagoya Protocol, providing expert advice, guidance and high-level support on compliance and associated due diligence with regards to regulatory matters in research, advising on the implications of non-compliance and recommending solutions / actions to support risk-based decision making. Be responsible and accountable for ensuring that national security and international collaboration in research and teaching compliance, are proactively managed and activities coordinated to achieve statutory compliance and in accordance with relevant legislation.
2. Support and provide specialist advice to staff in the following appropriate legal procedures, including conducting due diligence and obtaining licences and/or registering projects where required. This will include:
- Providing support for applications for both UK Dual Use and Military Goods export licences and applying for Control List Classifications. This will involve liaising directly with researchers and their external collaborators, providing specialist advice regarding complex and evolving legislation and applying it to specific circumstances, communicating with government departments to determine the approach the University should take, identifying the correct documentation, and submitting the application through the Export Control Organisation’s online export licensing system;
- Advising colleagues on complex export control and sanctions or equivalent requirements as they relate to overseas governments (e.g. US export control and ITAR regulations), including providing specialist advice on the incorporation of appropriate contractual conditions as they relate to overseas export control requirements. This includes where such requirements are flowed down to the University through funding or collaborative agreements;
- Providing specialist advice on the Nagoya Protocol, acting as the key information contact for colleagues in the University, registering access and benefit sharing of non-human genetic resources on the UK portal;
- Providing specialist advice about acquisitions in relation to the National Security and Investment Act, and making necessary notifications to the Secretary of State.
3. Interpret and assessing complex legal and regulatory matters, including primary and secondary legislation, government guidance and policy statements and apply these to the University research setting to ensure our policies are up-to-date and staff are informed of relevant changes and the implications of these.
4. Manage, monitor, and maintain records of the discussions, the application process and outcome of licence applications, supporting internal and external audits as required.
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential:
A1 Either: Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar or number of different roles. Or Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4), or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training), and experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).
A2 An in-depth knowledge and thorough understanding of the practices, processes and procedures required to ensure compliance with regulatory policies and guidelines in a research setting and the risks of non-compliance, reflected by the level of experience required for this role.
A3 A comprehensive knowledge of one or more of the following regulatory areas: Export Control and sanctions, the National Security & Investment Act and the Nagoya Protocol.
A4 Awareness of the national higher education policy environment.
Desirable:
B1 Qualification or equivalent experience in training delivery.
Skills
Essential:
C1 Articulate and persuasive – ability to persuade staff at all levels on a range of matters, some of which may not be popular or within the experience of the audience.
C2 Ability to assess and interpret complex legal and regulatory rules and requirements and to distil these in order to brief staff in an appropriate and accessible way.
C3 Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate at all levels, provide professional advice, make sound judgements and recommendations and to influence colleagues where required.
C4 Ability to design and implement new policies and / or their underlying processes, to ensure their smooth launch.
C5 Highly organised with the ability to manage competing demands.
C6 High level planning, analytical and problem-solving capability.
C7 Highly motivated with the ability to work independently but with the flexibility to contribute across professional boundaries and to contribute as a team player.
C8 Well developed presentation skills with the ability to deliver meaningful training.
C9 A service-focused ethos and the ability to engage with a diverse range of people with different needs in a dynamic and complex environment.
C10 Ability to use initiative to achieve successful outcomes in complex investigations and circumstances.
C11 Excellent IT skills with the ability to maintain and develop electronic record keeping systems.
Experience
World-Changing Campus
We have delivered one of the most significant expansions of a UK university city campus for over a century.
Over the last decade, the University of Glasgow has invested in its estate to expand its world-class campus and facilities.
An area covering 14 acres of land next to our magnificent Gilmorehill campus has been redeveloped to build a mix of modern research, teaching and public spaces.
Our new buildings will mean the University remains a centre for world-changing research, as well as a vibrant community hub and centre for public engagement.
The development will transform our teaching, learning and research spaces. It will allow us to bring together the best minds of today and tomorrow within world-class interdisciplinary research spaces that offer flexibility and stimulate collaboration, and modern study spaces that will combine study and social learning space with technology enabled teaching.
- The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) is changing the way research is conducted at Glasgow. The ARC is the creative and collaborative heart of research at the University of Glasgow, bridging the boundaries between research, cross-subject collaboration and true societal impact . The ARC brings more than 500 world-leading researchers from a range of disciplines together in a building specifically designed to break down organisational structure and facilitate collaboration and interdisciplinary work.
- The James McCune Smith Learning Hub is an inspirational and diverse learning space. The flagship building was the first to be completed as part of our campus development, and provides a creative environment, combining flexible study and social learning space with multi-styled and technology-enabled teaching. It can accommodate more than 2,500 students, and includes a lecture theatre with capacity for 500 students. State-of-the-art teaching facilities, with flexible study spaces and interactive teaching for students, help to create a more immersive learning experience.
Find out more
Living in Glasgow
A UNESCO City of Music, a vibrant arts and culture scene, a food-lover’s delight, and a shopper’s paradise. Just some of the highlights of the ‘friendliest city in the world’. As well as that accolade by the Rough Guides poll, Glasgow has also been named a must visit destination by publications including the New York Times, The Guardian, and Wanderlust.
Music
The city hosts an average of 130 music events a week catering for every taste; from rock to rap, and classical to country. Glasgow also has a world class club scene playing host to some of the world’s top DJs.
Shopping
Outside of London’s West End, Glasgow is frequently voted the best place for shopping in the UK. A must-visit destination for any shop-a-holic, it houses high street chains, international designers, and independent retailers. The West End, home to the University of Glasgow, is bustling with vintage fashion, vinyl stores, and second-hand bookshops.
Arts and Culture
Glasgow’s arts scene has gone from strength to strength, and is the base for five internationally renowned performing arts companies including the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Ballet. The city has several world-class museums, which are free to the public, and the city’s architecture is a work of art in itself.
Food and drink
You can be in Glasgow and taste the world with its many diverse restaurants, cafes, and bars. And if you’ve yet to sample the delights of haggis and whisky, Glasgow is the place to be.
The City and Beyond
Glasgow has all the opportunities and excitement of a big city but its compact size means you can quickly travel from one vibrant district to the next. You could be relaxing in one of its many parks, before shopping in the quirky West End, and then dancing until the wee small hours in the Merchant City.
And when you fancy getting out of the city you can reach the stunning Loch Lomond in just 30 minutes, climb one of our many breath-taking Munros, play golf at one of Scotland’s many world-class courses, visit one of our ancient castles, or go further North and search for Nessie! Scotland has also just been named the world’s most beautiful country by Rough Guides.
Relocating to Glasgow
Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. There are numerous things to be considered, such as the costs of moving, the cost of living, and where exactly to relocate to. We have created two guides to aide you in the decision making process.
Find out more on relocating to Glasgow at the below link:
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
WORLD CHANGING GLASGOW 2025
Our outstanding disciplinary breadth and expertise has enabled us to make world-changing advances in fields as diverse as medicine, physics, linguistics, public policy and global development.
The key to our success is our talented staff and students pushing back at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding together.
Our World Changers Together strategy recognises the fundamental importance of a culture of open cooperation: not just as colleagues and mentors or students and teachers, but as a community of discovery that reaches beyond its walls and draws inspiration and strength from its connections and partnerships worldwide: excellence that's part of something bigger. The strategy is articulated across three themes:
COMMUNITY
- People centred, globally engaged
CONNECTIVITY
- Collaboratively minded, digitally enhanced
CHALLENGES
- Solution focused, impact oriented
Find out more
How to apply
Full details of the role and how to apply can be found by visiting our website:
The closing date for applications is 28 April 2025
Terms and Conditions
Salary will be Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum.
This post is full time (35 hours p/w) and open ended. Relocation assistance will be provided where appropriate. This position can accommodate hybrid working arrangements, to be discussed with the successful applicant.
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
It is the University of Glasgow’s mission to foster an inclusive climate, which ensures equality in our working, learning, research and teaching environment. We strongly endorse the principles of Athena SWAN, including a supportive and flexible working environment, with commitment from all levels of the organisation in promoting gender equity.
Our values
The future holds innumerable challenges for our sector, our society, and our world. We will have to adapt and change what we do and what we offer if we are to navigate these successfully. Our strategy and approach may evolve as the landscape changes, but our values will remain constant: a fixed point of certainty in uncertain times.
We have identified our values in consultation and partnership with our staff and student community. Living and upholding these values will ensure that we remain true to the spirit of our community and ourselves:
Ambition and Excellence
- We strive for excellence through our work
- We defend academic freedom globally
- We recognise and celebrate shared success
- We have an unrelenting focus on development
Curiosity and Discovery
- We innovate and solve problems together
- We lead by influence and example
- We engage with lifelong learning and personal development
- We learn from our mistakes
Integrity and Truth
- We uphold honesty, integrity and fairness
- We share our work widely and generously
- We do the right thing, not the easy thing - or we don’t do it
- We take responsibility
An Inclusive Community
- We are one Glasgow team, and we care for and respect one another
- We advocate for diversity and believe in variety as a vital part of a healthy university
- We champion education as an engine for social progress
- We practise and advance sustainability