Research Planning And Operations Manager - Research And Strategy And Services - 107045 - Grade 8

Research Planning & Operations Manager

The University of Birmingham has an ambitious vision to build on its research excellence and secure its position as a global top 50 university, as set out in the Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework. The Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD) plays a central role in delivering this ambition by providing expert, integrated support across the full research lifecycle.

As part of a strategic reorganisation, RSSD has established a new Research Performance & Systems Innovation Team, led by the Assistant Director, RSSD (Head of Research Performance & Systems Innovation). This newly created team has responsibility for research performance oversight, REF management, systems innovation, and research data, and provides strategic leadership of the University's REF2029 submission.

The Research Planning & Operations Manager is a key role within the Research Performance & Systems Innovation Team. The post provides senior operational leadership for REF and research planning activity, translating strategic direction into robust delivery, and ensuring that complex, time-critical institutional processes are well-coordinated, high quality, compliant, and delivered to schedule. The postholder will also play a key role in embedding consistent approaches across Colleges, supporting senior leaders with clear guidance, high-quality data and effective operational oversight.

The Research Planning & Operations Manager will support the operational delivery of institutional research planning and REF activity, working closely with academic leads, College teams and central Professional Services colleagues.

Main duties include:

• Operational planning and delivery of the University's REF2029 submission.
• Developing and managing detailed REF project plans, timetables and risk registers.
• Coordinating REF-related data collection, validation and assurance processes.
• Acting as a central operational point of contact for REF activity.
• Supporting the delivery of institutional and College-level research planning rounds.
• Producing high-quality briefings, papers and reports to support decision-making.
• Working closely with Research Systems and Data colleagues.
• Supporting data quality, audit readiness and compliance.
• Building strong, trusted working relationships across the RSSD.
• Providing operational leadership to staff contributing to REF and planning activity.
• Representing RSSD on operational working groups.
• Identifying opportunities to improve the efficiency of REF and research planning operations.
• Contributing to wider change programmes within RSSD.
• Capturing and embedding lessons learned from REF and planning cycles.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade, as required from time-to-time by the Assistant Director.

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications, and experience include:

• Significant experience of delivering complex, time-critical operational processes within a research-intensive or similarly complex organisation.
• Strong working knowledge of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) or equivalent large-scale assessment, planning or compliance exercises.
• Proven ability to manage multiple workstreams, competing priorities and tight deadlines with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience of coordinating stakeholders across organisational boundaries, including academic and professional services colleagues.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to work confidently with data, plans, and detailed documentation.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to produce clear guidance and high-quality papers for senior audiences.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of initiative, judgement and professionalism in a sensitive and high-profile environment.

• Direct experience of REF submission processes, Codes of Practice, or REF-related data and systems.
• Experience of research planning, performance management or research environment activity in a UK higher education context.
• Familiarity with research information systems such as Pure, Worktribe or Core Fusion.
• Experience supporting or delivering change programmes or process improvement initiatives.