"Research and Communications Administrator"

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the NIHR Policy Research Unit for Healthy Weight (HWPRU) as a Research and Communications Officer. You'll provide comprehensive administrative support to this cross-institutional research unit that builds evidence to help reduce obesity prevalence and burden across the UK. The role encompasses research governance, financial administration, communications, and event coordination supporting work at the interface of academic research and government policy. Your responsibilities will span managing research project lifecycles, supporting patient and public involvement activities, maintaining digital presence, and facilitating collaboration across seven research institutions. For approximately two days per week, you will work for the Policy Research Unit. In this role, you will work closely with senior academics, patient and public groups, and national policy makers to support the unit's mission of developing evidence-based policies for healthy weight maintenance. For approximately one day per week, you will support an NIHR-funded study evaluating voluntary restrictions on the use of price promotions to sell foods high in fat salt and sugar in UK supermarkets. This position offers excellent development opportunities in research management at the interface between research and policy, within the prestigious UCL Faculty of Population Health Sciences. This post is funded until 30/09/2027 in the first instance.

About you

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with proven experience in research administration and communications who enjoys working in collaborative teams and is comfortable working with multiple stakeholders. The successful candidate will possess strong organisational skills and the ability to manage complex projects across multiple institutions while maintaining attention to detail in communications, governance, financial administration, and contract management. The successful candidate should demonstrate excellent communication skills with experience in developing digital content, managing websites and social media, and creating accessible research outputs. The ideal candidate will have experience in event coordination, meeting organisation, and liaison work with various departments including IT, HR, and Finance. A collaborative approach is essential, as you'll be working with diverse groups ranging from academic researchers to policy makers and patient representatives. This role is perfect for someone seeking to develop their career in research management at the intersection of academic research and government policy, with a genuine interest in public health and obesity prevention initiatives.

Customer advert reference: B02-09737