Centre Manager

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Short info about job

Salary: £30,000 to £40,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience

Hours: Full Time

Contract type: Permanent

Type / Role: Academic or Research

Phone: +44-1264 2303802

Fax: +44-1276 1447692

E-mail: N\A

Site:

Detail information about job Centre Manager. Terms and conditions vacancy

The National Institute of Economic Research (NIESR) is Britain’s longest established independent economic and social research institute. It specialises in high quality academic research, relevant to the economic and social forces affecting people’s lives. The newly established Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) based at NIESR is looking to recruit a Centre Manager to help run this new research centre.

ESCoE is a research centre funded by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is currently funded from January 2017 until March 2022. The Centre will provide ONS with research that addresses the challenges of measuring the modern economy, as recommended by Professor Sir Charles Bean in his recent Independent Review of UK Economic Statistics. Key areas of investigation will include: National Accounts and Beyond GDP, Productivity and the Modern economy, Regional and Labour Market statistics.

The Centre has four main objectives:

  • To deliver research that helps ONS to meet its vision of delivering world-class economic statistics that meet user needs and that allows ONS to exert greater influence over the direction of travel of the international standard-setting agenda;
  • To deliver dissemination mechanisms to bring international expertise to bear on ONS objectives;
  • To develop collaboration between ONS and the research community, offering the capacity for fundamental methodological and conceptual work that will feed into the development and improvement of ONS economic statistics and data processing methodologies;
  • And to provide an environment for the development of a wider research community with skills and research experience in economic statistics, building the next generation of academic experts in this field.

The Centre is led by NIESR and benefits from close collaboration with its partner institutions: King’s College London; Nesta; University of Cambridge; Warwick Business School (University of Warwick); and Strathclyde Business School. Rebecca Riley directs the Centre, working with Sylaja Srinivasan as Operational Co-Director and Professor Richard Smith as Academic Co-Director and supported by the NIESR.

Role and Responsibilities

The role is a key one for the Centre, providing support primarily to the Centre Directors in relation to all the main areas of the Centre's work. You will be responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the Centre. You will need to communicate effectively and develop efficient systems and procedures to support the many activities underway. This will also involve providing an administrative service, eg invoicing, to Centre partners as well as to the ONS and other external bodies with which the Centre works. As this is a new Centre, the role provides an exciting opportunity for somebody with the initiative and proactivity to deal with new and unanticipated issues as they arise.

You will be responsible for supporting the Director of the Centre in managing the budget of approximately £1¼m per annum and in doing so will work closely with the Centre Directors and other members of the Centre’s Management Team, as well as project leads, and the NIESR finance team. You will also be required to work, as necessary, with NIESR’s Chief Operating Officer, the finance and research personnel of the Centre's partner institutions and other researchers on the management of the sub-contracts.

This form summarises the purpose of the job and lists its key tasks. It is not a definitive list of all the tasks to be undertaken as those can be varied from time to time at the discretion of NIESR and the Centre Directors in consultation with the postholder.

Financial and Project Administration

You will support the research, training and consultancy activities of the Centre through accurate and timely gathering and synthesis of information, and the sharing of this information with colleagues, management, funders and potential funders as required. This will include:

  • Ensure systems are in place for monitoring expenditure through implementation and review of budgets and forecasts and spreadsheet templates, in collaboration with NIESR’s finance team.
  • Assisting the Director in monitoring of the Centre's budget through regular review of monthly and quarterly reports, identifying and rectifying any discrepancies, and supporting the Director in the management of any unanticipated variances.
  • Preparing and submitting financial and progress reports to the Centre Management Team and funders through appropriate processes as required.
  • Monitoring spending on different projects.
  • Ensuring invoices, fees, monthly timesheets and expense claims are checked for accuracy and completeness, prior to authorisation and submission to NIESR’s finance team.
  • Communication and negotiating with NIESR staff and external contractors as to the submission of acceptable claims.
  • Be familiar with financial regulations, procedures and policies at NIESR and ONS, and ensure these are adhered to.
  • Advising the Director and Co-Directors on the contractual conditions regarding the expenditure of the ONS grant, and any requirements or restrictions which may relate to disbursements under different budgetary headings.
  • Liaising with auditors to provide information as required and ensuring correct procedures are established.
  • Other budget administration, including:a. Familiarising colleagues with the NIESR’s costing policy.b. Ensuring that ethical considerations, risk assessments and quality assurance matters are dealt with through the appropriate processes.c. Entering of relevant information on the NIESR’s relevant management information systems, as required.

Communication and External Liaison

  • Liaising with external partners and Centre stakeholders, including officials in ONS, government departments and international agencies at working level.
  • Assisting in the implementation of the Centre’s communications strategy, working closely with NIESR’s Head of Communications.
  • Assisting in the production and dissemination of Centre publications, including research papers, newsletters and briefing reports, in collaboration with the NIESR communications team.
  • Assist in organising Centre conferences and seminars in collaboration with the NIESR’s Events Manager and the communications team.
  • Assist in organising Centre visits from our international networks and secondments between ONS and the Centre in liaison with the appropriate NIESR administrative staff.
  • Maintaining reporting requirements to ONS, including providing the Directors and ONS liaison staff information on different performance indicators.

Staffing Support

  • Ensuring appropriate processes are in place and adhered to in relation to induction for new staff and visitors at the Centre.
  • Managing the Centre's accommodation and equipment needs at NIESR in liaison with the appropriate NIESR administrative staff, ensuring that new and existing members of staff, as well as visitors, are catered for.
  • Ensuring staff profiles of research and consultancy activity are maintained, including providing support for colleagues to ensure that relevant material and information for assessment activities is recorded.

General Responsibilities

  • Instigating and maintaining accurate and effective administrative systems within the Centre, including both paper and computerised filing systems.
  • Servicing committees, including the Centre Management Team and Advisory Boards as required, including drafting agendas, collating and distributing papers, taking minutes and ensuring that all follow-up action is undertaken.
  • Undertaking general clerical and other such duties as may reasonably be requested.

The Centre Manager will report to the Centre’s Operational Co-Director, will work closely with the Centre Director, and will be part of the NIESR administration team.

Selection Criteria

Essential

  • Proven excellent administrative skills with experience of project administration.
  • Highly numerate with experience of financial administration, including the ability to create budgets, then monitor and review budgetary expenditure.
  • Proven experience of designing, developing, maintaining, reviewing and improving administrative, management and information systems.
  • Excellent record keeping skills, a high degree of accuracy in your work and the proven ability to pay close attention to detail.
  • Experience of servicing committees, including minute-taking.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, including skills in negotiation and conflict resolution.
  • A high degree of probity and sound judgement.
  • Flexible and adaptable in your approach to work.
  • Proven, organised approach to work with the ability to prioritise under pressure and meet tight deadlines, exercising initiative and working independently as appropriate.
  • The ability to work well as a member of a team.
  • Comprehensive working knowledge of Microsoft office applications, including Excel, Access, Word and Outlook.
  • Commitment to offering a high level of service within resource constraints, and the proven ability to convey this standard both to support staff and users of the Centre’s services.
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in a higher education or research environment.
  • Experience of dealing with senior officials in government departments and international agencies.
  • Experience of Microsoft Project software.
  • Prince2 certification.

The post is a full-time role. Salaries for this post are between £30,000 to £40,000, depending on qualifications and experience. To apply please send a CV (with the names of two referees) and covering letter explaining your suitability and interest in this post to [email protected]. Emailed applications should include the subject line ‘ [Your Name] ESCoE Centre Manager’.

The post will be based at NIESR, 2 Dean Trench Street, London SW1P 3HE.

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 13 September.

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