Senior Operations Officer Ref: 40791 (Fixed Term)

Senior Operations Officer Ref: 40791 (Fixed Term) Location

Brighton, UK

Hours

Full-time considered up to a maximum of 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours) Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).

Grade 6 starting at £34,132 to £38,249 per annum, pro rata if part time.

Contract Type

Fixed Term Contract

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen at the University of Sussex for a highly motivated and skilled professional to join the operational team of the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC). This ambitious initiative is supported by a £15 million grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The Centre brings together world-class expertise to tackle critical challenges in energy systems and sustainability.

As the Senior Operations Officer, you will play a pivotal role in the management and delivery of the Centre's activities. Embedded within a dynamic team of professional staff at the University of Sussex Business School, you'll work closely with the leadership, operational and academic teams to realise the Centre's mission to be a global leader in energy demand research and innovation.

Key responsibilities:

• Operational management: Support the day-to-day operations of the EDRC, ensuring smooth delivery of its ambitious research agenda.
• Funding scheme administration: Oversee the implementation and management of the Centre's funding scheme (the 'Flexible Fund'), ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.
• Stakeholder engagement: Act as a key liaison between collaborators, applicants, and the operational team, providing accurate and timely advice on queries and processes.
• Impact facilitation : Support the Centre's mission to deliver impactful, interdisciplinary research by collaborating closely with academic, research, and professional staff across EDRC's partner institutions.

As well as the University of Sussex Business School, the Centre includes thirteen other UK universities and numerous non-academic partners.

About our Centre:

The UK has a legal duty to become a Net Zero society by 2050, requiring a change in the way energy is used across different sectors of industry, businesses, transport and buildings. Without a significant reduction in energy demand, the UK is unlikely to meet these ambitions. Many UK homes and businesses have also faced high energy prices in the last year, bringing greater public attention to issues such as energy affordability and security. These challenges provide an opportunity for energy demand reduction to bring benefits via improved energy efficiency and broader societal changes to reduce emissions, secure prosperity, reduce inequality and improve quality of life.

As the UKRI's flagship £15 million investment in energy demand research, the EDRC has a key role in providing evidence on actionable solutions for energy demand reduction across different sectors. The Centre is interdisciplinary, covering expertise in technological, social, economic, business and policy aspects.

Our overarching vision for the Centre is to inform and inspire energy demand reductions that support an affordable, comfortable and secure Net Zero society. Our five main research themes are:

• Futures: to understand the underlying conditions needed to deliver a low energy future in the UK to contribute to rapid greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.
• Flexibility: to assess the needs, impacts and implications of demand-side flexibility - i.e. the capacity to use energy in different locations at different times of the day or the year - and to explore solutions that enable effective and equitable deployment of demand-side flexibility.
• Place: to build a new approach to place-based approaches and policy making which provides actionable insights, tools and processes which enable an acceleration of the Net Zero transition.
• Governance: to develop a research and action programme that contributes to the Centre's delivery of short-term impact and identifies feasible models, policies and pathways to overall energy demand reductions and decarbonization.
• Equity: to generate rigorous, interdisciplinary and actionable evidence and knowledge on how different energy demand solutions can deliver an affordable, clean and more equitable Net Zero energy system.

Our team comprises over 75 people from different academic backgrounds and disciplines, located across 14 different universities. We are committed to the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and our core values are:

• Fair to people and the planet
• Transparent in our approach
• Bold in our thoughts and actions
• Open to different points of view
• Impactful towards the future of energy demand.

As a 5-year Centre, we have a strong focus on engagement with key stakeholders in policy, industry, civil society and academia, in order to achieve high impact for our research.

You can find more information on EDRC on our website ; and also more information on the Flexible Fund .

About you

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced individual with a proven track record in funding administration and quality assurance within a higher education or equivalent setting. The ideal candidate will be exceptionally well-organised, self-motivated, and adept at prioritising workloads to deliver effective, Centre-wide support.

Key attributes:

• Interpersonal and communication skills: Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships with stakeholders at all levels, fostering a collaborative and productive working environment.
• Critical thinking and adaptability: A proactive mindset with the ability to critically assess current practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement procedural changes to enhance operational efficiency.
• Process management: Expertise in managing complex processes, ensuring timely and accurate delivery of tasks while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.

About our School

As a pioneering research-driven and interdisciplinary Faculty, the University of Sussex Business School offers an inspiring and supportive environment for impactful business and management research and scholarship. Our five dynamic Departments-Accounting and Finance, Strategy and Marketing, Management, Economics, and the renowned Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU)-are dedicated to advancing academic excellence and practical insights to inform policy and drive responsible business solutions.

With a strong commitment to innovation and sustainability, the School shapes the future of business education, producing research and scholarship and graduates that make a difference in the UK and globally. By joining us, you will be part of a distinctive, future-focused community influencing real-world practices and promoting sustainable development.

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.

Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it's our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.

The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.

If you are experiencing any issues using our application portal or if you require adjustments to be made to the selection process, please contact us on 873743 or to discuss your requirements.