Research Planning and Operations Manager

Research Planning and Operations Manager

University of Birmingham - Research Strategy and Services Division

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535, with potential progression once in post to £63,606.

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

The Research Planning and Operations Manager will provide senior operational leadership for Research Excellence Framework and research planning activity. The role translates strategic direction into effective delivery, ensuring complex institutional processes are coordinated, high quality, compliant, and delivered to schedule. Working with academic leads, College teams, and Professional Services colleagues, you will support planning rounds, coordinate data and assurance activity, produce high-quality papers and reports, and help embed consistent approaches across the University.

You will bring significant experience of delivering complex, time-critical operational processes in a research-intensive or similarly complex organisation, alongside strong knowledge of the Research Excellence Framework or comparable large-scale assessment, planning, or compliance activity.

Main Duties

• University’s REF2029 submission, working under the strategic direction of the Assistant Director (Head of Research Planning & Systems Strategy).
• Develop and manage detailed REF project plans, timetables and risk registers, ensuring alignment across ‘Contribution to Knowledge & Understanding’, ‘Engagement & Impact’, and Strategy, People & Research Environment (SPRE).
• Coordinate REF-related data collection, validation and assurance processes, working closely with College teams, research systems colleagues and data specialists.
• Act as a central operational point of contact for REF activity, providing clear guidance and practical support to Colleges, Schools and Institutes
• Support the delivery of institutional and College-level research planning rounds, ensuring alignment between REF, research strategy, and performance planning processes.
• Produce high-quality briefings, papers and reports to support decision-making by senior academic and professional committees (e.g. REF Board, Senior Research Leadership Team).

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Essential:

• 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.