Postgraduate Research Administrative and Operations Manager
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Job purpose
To lead the successful delivery of highly efficient and effective postgraduate research (PGR) administration within the College, ensuring management and development of the support is provided in all aspects of PGR academic and student administration. This includes overseeing the management of funded PhD programmes across the College. You will work in partnership with the Dean of Postgraduate Research to deliver targets and KPIs that support and advance the College’s strategic objectives.
Main duties & responsibilities
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Play a lead role in delivering a highly professional, efficient and effective PGR service to ensure the needs and requirements of all PGR Convenors, supervisors and PGR students across the college are met.
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Working in partnership with the Dean of Postgraduate Research and Associate Dean, PGR Convenors andenior colleagues on funded PhD grants, contribute towards the development and delivery of the College PGR strategy ensuring alignment with the Education and Research strategies.
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Provide leading contributions to the planning and development of the College PGR strategy which will include considering targets, KPIs and budgets and providing advice to Senior colleagues and other key stakeholders to ensure college growth targets are met.
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Overseeing the day-to-day management and leadership of a team of senior administrative staff, with responsibility for the administrative management of all PGR students in the college of MVLS, this encompasses financial aid, doctoral training portfolio and PGR students.
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To manage and oversee the allocation of funding for Studentships working closely with the Finance Business partner to ensure effective use of college funds to maximise the studentship numbers. This will involve proactively forecasting student numbers, reviewing sources of funding, terms and conditions and ensuring governance and compliance are understood.
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To lead on the management and analysis of PGR data within the college to be used to assist and inform on future budgets and external data reporting related to student numbers, completion and retention rates.
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Working in partnership with the Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) Administrative Manager to ensure there are appropriate administrative structures in place to support and deliver all funded PhD programmes in the Graduate School. This will include oversight of funded PhD applications, finances, final claim submission and allocation of resources within the PGR team.
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Line management of staff in the PGR team with responsibility for staff development, annual review and performance.
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Proactively establish, build and maintain effective working relationships with appropriate external partners to benefit PGR delivery within the College as well as the university as a whole, upholding the reputation and values of the institution.
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Contribute to MVLS 2033 and university projects, ensuring the college PGR team is engaged and actively contributing where necessary.
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To play a lead role by supporting the College and University-wide Service Excellence programme reviewing and monitoring business processes to simplify, driving efficiency gains and improving the service provision to students and staff.
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To contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Vision 'World Changers Together – World Changing Glasgow 2025.
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Undertake other duties as are assigned by the Head of Academic Governance and Graduate Administration.
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential
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Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, 10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree, Post Graduate Qualification) or equivalent including being professionally qualified in a relevant discipline, with a broad range of professional experience in a similar management level role.OR
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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.
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Knowledge of governance and business processes in a large complex organisation.
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Understanding of the HE sector and potential challenges.
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Current knowledge and understanding of postgraduate research funding and environment.
Desirable
- Knowledge of University funding and governance arrangements.
- Knowledge of University of Glasgow processes and policies.
- Knowledge of UKRI funding bodies including Doctoral Training Partnerships, Doctoral Training Grants and individual grant competitions.
Skills
Essential
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Excellent oral and written communication and presentational skills, with an ability to contribute to the development of funding applications and write reports for a variety of audiences.
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Excellent interpersonal skills, including the engage with staff, students, and a wide range of internal/external contacts at all levels.
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Proven ability to understand, communicate, negotiate and influence with diplomacy at all levels across differing groups of people.
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Highly effective leadership skills related to stakeholder management and business partnering.
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Resilience with ability to maintain momentum in the face of challenges and setbacks while focusing on prioritising between multiple and conflicting priorities.
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Strong understanding of financial planning and business analytics.
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Ability to develop and deliver and articulate operational plans to support strategic initiatives.
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Excellent ability to empower, develop and motivate others to deliver a high-performance culture in a participative manner.
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Excellent people management, including supporting staff to ensure they provide an efficient and effective service whilst being encouraged to reach their potential.
Experience
Essential
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Relevant recent experience in a similar role with knowledge of university policies and procedures and of Higher Education.
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Excellent leadership and management skills, proven through delivery and activities in a changing and complex environment.
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Demonstrable experience of extracting, and manipulating data to contribute to annual reporting and decision making.
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Proven track record of leading a high quality, customer focused operational service dealing with a wide and diverse internal/external stakeholders.
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Experience of leading successful change management/project management programmes.
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Experience of financial management.
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Experience of managing a team of staff and aligning the day-to-day work and goals of the team to support with the organisation’s strategy and/or goals.
Desirable
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Experience of management of postgraduate research funding.
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Experience of using Agresso or other finance systems.
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 a guide 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 the 30th of April.
Terms & Conditions
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