Head of Open Research

at  Kings College London

Job id: 086466. Salary: £51,974 - £61,021 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance..
Posted: 18 March 2024. Closing date: 07 April 2024.
Business unit: Students & Education. Department: Research & Impact.
Contact details: Gavin Beattie. gavin.beattie@kcl.ac.uk
Location: Strand Campus. Category: Professional & Support Services.
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Job Description
About Us
The King’s community is dedicated to the service of society. King’s Strategic Vision 2029 sets out our vision for the future, shaped around five priority areas: educate to inspire and improve; research to inform and innovate; serve to shape and transform; a civic university at the heart of London; and an international community that services the world.
Within Libraries & Collections, we aspire to be leaders in enabling access to knowledge and information fundamental to this vision. Developments in digital education, e-research and AI are transforming our services. Our Open Library strategy outlines our ambitious plans and how they contribute to student success and research excellence.
We are very excited to be recruiting to the role of Head of Open Research at a time when Open Research has never been more important. Our Open Research team is responsible for working with King’s researchers in an exciting, complex, and fast-moving area. The team works to support the curation and dissemination of scholarly outputs – support for open access publishing, REF, research data management, and copyright; alongside the provision of an interlending service and wide range of subscription-based Library resources.
About the role
As Head of Open Research, you will work to drive forward and promote the openness of King’s world-class research. You will be a member of Libraries & Collections Senior Management Team, contributing to our overall strategic direction, providing operational leadership across our division and leading the Open Research team in developing and delivering services. You will play a leading role in planning our long-term transition from paywalled content to investing in open models of scholarly publishing.
You will work closely with other heads of service to ensure delivery of our Open Library strategy and develop policy on collections and open research.
All Libraries & Collections staff are encouraged to take responsibility for their performance and development by identifying clear objectives, maintaining professional awareness, participating in professional networks, and reflecting on their performance. We expect all senior managers to adopt a positive, proactive, flexible, and committed approach that inspires and motivates others.
You will be expected to participate in frontline services, including contributing towards a Manager on Duty rota for evening and weekend work.
We particularly welcome applications from global majority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Libraries & Collections at this level. We also encourage applications from candidates who have experience from both within and outside of the Higher Education sector where they can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role.
This is currently a hybrid working role with both work from home and on campus. The role will be based in our department, currently in the Maughan Library on the Strand campus
This post will be offered on an indefinite contract.
This is a full-time post, but we welcome applications from candidates seeking a flexible work pattern within our necessary service operating hours.
Key responsibilities
With the Associate Director, establish Libraries & Collections as the voice of Open Research at King’s
Work closely with colleagues in Libraries & Collections, faculties and the Research Management & Innovation Directorate to embed the principles of Open Research in policy, practice, and culture across the university, ensuring compliance with research funders
Proactively keep up to date with developments and changes in open scholarship and scholarly publishing, both nationally and internationally, maintaining a strong professional profile and engagement with sector groups
Lead the operations, services, and staff of the Open Research team, delivering and developing a range of services
Collaborate as part of the Senior Management Team to deliver our strategy; provide operational leadership and guidance for staff across the whole of Libraries & Collections
Ensure coordinated approaches to prioritising, operational planning, and shared accountability for delivering our aims, while tackling complex issues that prevent success
Create a common culture of empowerment where staff are supported and challenged in order to drive continuous improvement, service innovation and delivery of results
Ensure consistent and effective line management practice through effective objective setting, clear definition of job roles, communication of strategy, the operational plan and commitment to the Performance Development Review process
Co-ordinate a visible view of team priorities, providing transparency, focus and opportunities for collaboration
Drive the implementation and use of Business Intelligence to steer operational service planning, budget management and decision making
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Please clearly address how you meet the essential criteria in your application, and where possible how you meet the desirable criteria as well.

Essential criteria

• Relevant work experience and education: We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. Relevant work experience could include experience at management level in a research library or research organisation. Educational experiences should include being educated to first degree level or a professionally accredited library/information/archives qualification.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team of staff through continual change and to a high level of performance
• Ability to develop and evaluate new services for research and researchers
• Experience of financial management, such as budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting
• Ability to explain complex ideas with clarity and facilitate constructive discussion in order to influence key stakeholders
• Highly organised and skilled in managing and delivering projects and initiatives, with an understanding of the role of business planning and business intelligence in effective service delivery
• Ability to work on own initiative and comfortable with ambiguity, taking active ownership for service development and delivery and persevering when faced with obstacles
• Up-to-date knowledge of current issues and debates in scholarly communication, research data management, and Library subscriptions, including government and funder policies in the UK and internationally
• Understanding of the current and future challenges facing academic libraries in research-intensive universities
• A meaningful and visible commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Desirable criteria

• Experience of advocacy and outreach activities, such as creating promotional campaigns, giving high-level presentations, writing briefings and articles and use of social media
• Knowledge of the role that HE Libraries play in the academic research lifecycle
• Knowledge of HE copyright and how it is applied in teaching and research

Further Information
Please submit a personal statement when applying for this vacancy, clearly setting out how you meet the essential criteria, as this is how we shortlist applications. Learn more about how we recruit, including tips on writing your application and supporting statement on our website: https://jobs.kcl.ac.uk/gb/en/applying
If you are a student or alumni of King’s there are resources from King’s Careers & Employability to support you in your application and interview.
Interviews will be held in-person at the Maughan Library and will consist of a presentation and competency-based questions linked to the essential and desirable criteria.
Interviews are currently scheduled to take place on 16 April 2024
Although we have made improvements over the last number of years, our team is still under-represented in terms of staff from global majority ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities, and from people with disabilities. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.

Please refer the Job description for details