Head of Research and Innovation Operations

Head of Research and Innovation Operations - INTERNAL ROLE FOR UCL EMPLOYEES ONLY

UCL is a world-leading research-intensive university, often ranked in the top ten in the world, with an annual turnover of around £1.8bn. Our research and innovation continue to grow in scale and complexity, with record levels of research income and impact achieved last year. UCL is working to better integrate and connect support for the portfolio, including the formation of faculty-level research and innovation operations teams, to provide excellent end-to-end service to researchers, bolster compliance and improve development opportunities for research and innovation professionals.

The Faculty of Population Health Sciences is a global leader in public and population health, tackling urgent health challenges through world-class research and education.

Our work spans the lifecourse and diverse communities, with a strong focus on health inequalities, climate impacts, and major conditions like cancer, heart disease and mental health.

Our students are part of a vibrant, research-led community, learning alongside experts across eight institutes and schools. Together, we are shaping a healthier, fairer future for all.

About the role

The Head of Research and Innovation Operations enables research and innovation excellence that delivers meaningful impact. By leading comprehensive research and innovation operations across the faculty, the post holder creates the conditions for academic colleagues to pursue ambitious research agendas and translate discoveries into real-world benefit.

The role drives service excellence, leading a team of professionals to deliver a core University service. The postholder will lead the faculty service on behalf of UCL departments, institutes and researchers, with a matrix reporting line into Research and Innovation Services to co-create standards, smoother ways of working and continuous improvement.

This is a chance to make a meaningful difference to UCL's academic mission in an intensive and stimulating research and innovation environment.

Role specific details:

This is an Internal recruitment advert, available to eligible UCL workers only.

• Flexible Working Statement: 'We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible'.
• This role is eligible for hybrid working.

You are an experienced and credible leader in research and innovation operations, able to deliver high-quality, compliant and efficient services within a complex, research-intensive environment.

You will lead a high-performing team and work in close partnership with academic and professional services colleagues to translate strategy into delivery, strengthening the research pipeline, optimising income and ensuring effective management of the faculty's research and innovation portfolio.

You will be expected to drive service excellence and continuous improvement, enhance financial sustainability and cost recovery, and provide trusted, insight-led advice to senior stakeholders and Principal Investigators.

Collaborative and solutions-focused, you will build strong relationships across UCL, enabling consistent, high-quality support that allows researchers to deliver impactful, world-leading research.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

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