Research Systems and Information Manager (Job Number: 25000756)
Research and Innovation Services
Grade 7: - £38,249 - £45,413 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contract Duration: n/a
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 07-Jul-2025, 5:59:00 PM
Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DEMONSTRATE WHEN YOU APPLY/PERSON SPECIFICATION

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Relevant experience of managing research systems, for example Worktribe, Pure, etc.
3. Professional practitioner with knowledge and expertise in the delivery and development of services and activities within the organisation.
4. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting change and service improvements.
5. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
6. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.
7. Experience of using data visualisation software (e.g. PowerBI) to create reports.

SKILLS/ABILITIES/KNOWLEDGE

1. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
2. Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems.
3. Accuracy, numeracy and the ability to analyse, interpret, contextualise and explain complex information and data sets to a variety of audiences.
4. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.
5. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines (e.g. General Data Protection Regulation).
6. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
7. Ability to be proactive and prioritise work effectively to meet demanding and often conflicting deadlines.

THE ROLE AND DEPARTMENT

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) provides guidance, expert advice and hands-on support for all aspects of research and research-related work, including securing funding, working with partners, undertaking knowledge exchange, demonstrating impact, commercialising outputs, ensuring good research practice and supporting professional development.
This post sits within the Policy, Systems and Performance team in Research & Innovation Services (RIS). The team is responsible for the University’s research information management systems, the overall governance and ethical framework for both funded and unfunded research & research related activities across the institution, support for institutional strategy development and the compilation of relevant returns including HEBCI, KEF, KEC and REF, as well as management information reporting relating to university research and knowledge exchange (RKE) activities.
As a Research Systems and Information Manager you will be our research systems subject matter expert. You will provide specialist advice and guidance in relation to both the implementation of new research systems and additional functionality to our existing systems (Worktribe Research Management, Infonetica Ethics RM, and Dynamics CRM) as well as any business as usual activities and system improvements. You will be responsible for ensuring our research systems are configured in the most optimal and user-friendly way and that any associated training and communications will be delivered in a clear, concise and timely manner. You verify and authorise any work undertaken in the systems space by any other Systems team member. You will be responsible for delivering key reporting from research systems to enable strategic decision-making, including using tools such as PowerBI as well as in-system reporting tools. You will lead on requirements-gathering for reports, liaise with report stakeholders, and collaborate with other key departments in providing reports, such as the Strategic Planning and Insight Office.
You will report to the Senior Manager – Research Systems and Reporting but will work closely with colleagues across the Research and Innovation Services Directorate as well as colleagues in faculties, departments and across professional support services. You will be a part of an enthusiastic team that is known for delivering transformational change. You will also be a key contact to a number of external system suppliers.
The Research Systems and Information Manager is an extremely strong problem-solver with excellent communication skills. You as the Research Systems and Information Manager will act as an escalation point for cases where local system knowledge is not sufficient. If cases need to be escalated further, you will be leading on the work liaising with the appropriate internal and external stakeholders.
It is essential that the Research Systems and Information Manager is highly organised and pays close attention to detail. The capability to prioritise and manage a busy and varied workload is crucial. The ability to work across business as usual activities and a number of concurrent projects at different stages of development is essential.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, and office days are based at our exciting new professional services hub based at Boldon House. Boldon House is situated on the outskirts of Durham near the Arnison Centre in Pity Me. Boldon House brings a number of professional services teams together in a vibrant office environment which supports collaborative working and is designed to embrace hybrid working.
Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.