Faculty/Administrative/Service Department / Vice-Provost (Research)
Doctoral College
Job Title / Doctoral College Manager
Job Family / Professional Services / Job Level / 5
Responsible to / Director, Doctoral College
Responsible for (Staff) / Doctoral College Administrator
Job Purpose Statement
To provide management of the operational aspects of the Doctoral College to support the University’s ambitious Research Strategy as it relates to PGR and ECR activity. The post holder has responsibility for ensuring the effective running of Doctoral College operations through developing and maintaining key relationships and supporting the Director in securing income to support PGR and ECR activity. The post holder will work closely with the Director, academic colleagues and senior University Officers to ensure that the Doctoral College meets its ambitious targets (particularly improved submission and completion rates and higher satisfaction scores in public surveys), maximises external funding opportunities, while providing appropriate support within the Doctoral College Directorate. The design and implementation of effective management systems for the wide range of KPIs is key to this role. Successful delivery of efficient administration, first-class training to ECRS and PGRs, and project activities are pivotal to meeting the ambitious Doctoral College targets. With the federal structure of the College the post holder will need to employ significant influence, collegiality and tact while liaising with colleagues from, inter alia, Planning, Marketing, the Registry (admissions, research degrees team, business systems), the Faculties (including the Associate Deans (Doctoral College) and their support teams, academic supervisors and principal investigators employing ECRs), the Library (especially the Researcher Development Programme), Quality Enhancement and Standards, Finance, Research and Enterprise Services and Human Resources (Faculty and Central, especially Staff Development).
Key Responsibilities
1. To design and implement effective management of the University’s Doctoral College operations to achieve its Key Performance Indicator targets particularly submission and completion rates, growth in PGR numbers and improved performance in PGR and ECR public satisfaction surveys.
2. To support the Director in ensuring that the University’s portfolio of activities meets the expectations of external funders and sector benchmarks (e.g. Research Councils, HEFCE etc) with respect to methods and technical training, employability and skills training.
3. On behalf of the Director, manage the Doctoral College budget to ensure its operational effectiveness and to work with the Director in leveraging funding from external sources (such as industrial partners, overseas sponsors, Research Councils) to support growth in PGR numbers.
4. To provide support for key University PGR and ECR-related projects. For example (not limited to) HR Excellence, Athena Swan, supporting existing and legacy DTCs, bidding for new DTCs especially consortium bids. Ensure that the University is proactive in identifying DTC opportunities and forming/joining consortia as appropriate.
5. To support the development and implementation of activities to strengthen the research environment and community for PGRs and ECRs, for example, mentoring schemes, training and workshop activity, employer engagement, researcher cafes, PGR conference, open fora, research seminars, competitions, journal clubs, presentations etc. In doing so, the post holder will work closely with supervisors, PIs, Researcher Development Programme, Associate Deans (Doctoral College) and Staff Development.
6. To play a key role as a member of the Doctoral College Board and the University Research Degrees Committee and liaising with the University Research and Enterprise Committee to make recommendations on strategic initiatives to support the work of the Doctoral College and to manage bids for resource to ensure the ongoing operational effectiveness.
7. Working with the Director, liaise with Marketing and Communications and Admissions to ensure that recruitment of home and international PGRs is benchmarked to the best in sector.
8. On behalf of the College, manage University-wide studentship competitions (e.g. University scholarships, consortium studentships, Surrey-funded NPL PGI studentships etc)
9. Liaison with Quality Enhancement and Standards to ensure that processes are appropriate to complying with national benchmarks and facilitate effective and efficient delivery of the Doctoral College aims.
10. Coordination and oversight of DTP activity across the university to build up a centre of expertise and enable the sharing of good practice. To include:
11. Liaison with consortium leads and partners
- Liaison with SepNET
- Act as Operational lead on DTP consortia Management Boards and on consortia DTP bids
- Oversight of the run out of the SEDTC and other legacy DTPs/IDCs
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
Elements of the Role
Planning and Organising
· The post holder is expected to provide effective management in the targeting of external opportunities to increase funding for studentships in order to grow and maintain a healthy PGR population consistent with the objectives set out in the Research Strategy
· The post holder will play the key role in planning the Doctoral College’s calendar of activities to ensure that it meets the needs of key stakeholders
· The post holder will acquire an overview of the changing postgraduate and ECR landscape in the sector and any legislative changes that will impact upon the PGR and ECR provision at the University. The post holder will develop process changes and amendments to the portfolio of activity to meet national and international requirements.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
· The post holder is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy and will act as de-facto Deputy-Director when the Director is unavailable.
· The post holder will advise and liaise with the Director, and other senior managers, how to deploy resource to meet the needs of the Doctoral College and to ensure its operational effectiveness. Many of the activities are time critical and will require a creative use of resource to meet absolute deadlines.
· The post holder is expected to have senior level engagement with University Officers and Senior Directors at our key funders. They should be able confidently to promote and represent the University’s strengths with strategic examples of engagement supported by evidence. They should have the confidence to resolve high level queries or problems during engagement, and leave the official with a positive impression of the University.
· Failure to make appropriate and timely decisions has the potential to impact both on the reputation and finances of the University.
Continuous Improvement
· The post holder is expected to provide effective management in the embedding of policy and process improvements with minimum input from the Director of the Doctoral College.
· The post holder is expected be proactive in the implementation of key strategic projects creating new policies and process as appropriate to meet project objectives, and providing appropriate communication methods to inform key stakeholders.
· Recommendations for process improvement once developed, would be presented to key committees such as the Doctoral College Board, University Research Degrees Committee and University Research and Enterprise Committee.
Accountability
· The post holder will manage for the Doctoral College budget, including studentships.
· The post holder will work with the Director to ensure that key stake holders, including supervisors, embrace the aims and objectives of the Doctoral College and support its activities.
· Failure to promote new funding opportunities, lead on strategic projects, successfully establish the Doctoral College could lead to KPI targets being missed and risk financial and reputational damage with external agencies and sponsors.
Dimensions of the role
· The post holder will manage the Doctoral College Administrator and will work closely with senior staff in the Research Degrees Team, Directorate of Quality Enhancement and Standards, and Researcher Development Programme. The post holder will have operational responsibility for a cost centre budget in excess of £1m at steady-state.
· The post holder will be responsible for implementing and ensuring the effective management and operation of the Doctoral College.
· The post holder will be co-responsible with the Director for cultivating strong ties between the Doctoral College and supervisors and Principal Investigators to ensure support for the activities of the Doctoral College and that its ambitious KPIs are met.
· The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the Doctoral College supports the success of the Research Strategy and to elevate the University’s performance in external reviews.
Supplementary Information
· None
Person Specification This section describes the sum total of knowledge, experience & competence required by the post holder that is necessary for standard acceptable performance in carrying out this role.
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
Professionally qualified with a relevant degree/postgraduate qualification, with significant relevant experience.
OR
Substantial vocational experience, demonstrating professional development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding and influential work/roles, supported by evidence of significant development of appropriate specialist knowledge. / E
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance). / Essential/
Desirable / Level
1-3
Significant and relevant experience in supporting postgraduate researcher and early career researcher provision / E / 3
Knowledge of the Higher Education Sector, culture and working methods with a particular emphasis on the PGR and ECR landscape / E / 3
Experience of working on strategic projects, providing leadership, excellent implementation skills and change management / E / 3
Comprehensive knowledge of relevant software packages e.g. Microsoft Office, Microsoft Projects and Visio / E / 3
Special Requirements: / Essential/
Desirable
Must be prepared to travel off site to clients and work outside normal working hours when required / E
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a requirement of the grade. / Level
1-3
Communication
Adaptability / Flexibility
Customer/Client service and support
Planning and Organising
Continuous Improvement
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
Creative and Analytical Thinking
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
Strategic Thinking & Leadership / 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
The University’s Doctoral College will be established in August 2016. It forms a core part of the University’s Research Strategy. Its aims are to: recruit high quality PGRs and ECRs; provide an excellent experience of PGRs and ECRs; build a strong research culture with a coherent and cohesive identity for PGRs and ECRs; develop highly skilled and employable PGRs and ECRs; provide first class training and supervision; ensure the University is an attractive proposition to funders of PGR and ECR activity.
Department Structure Chart
Relationships
Internal· Director of the Doctoral College – to liaise on the development and implementation of the Doctoral College’s strategy ensuring that operational activities support strategic priorities
· University Senior Management Team – to advise on strategies to improve the PGR and ECR experience and funding opportunities for PGR and ECR activity
· Faculty ADs (Doctoral College), PGR Directors - to promote engagement with the Doctoral College and to ensure its activities are visible within the Faculties
· PGRs, ECRs, supervisors – to actively engage with these key stakeholders ensuring that feedback is regularly collected and acted upon so that the Doctoral College’s activities remain relevant
· Researcher Development Team – to ensure the portfolio of training and activities supports the strategic aims of the Doctoral College
· Student Services and Administration Directorate - to ensure that admissions processes and life-cycle support processes are efficient and that timely intervention happens where there are issues
· Directorate of Quality Enhancement and Standards – to ensure that policy and regulatory frameworks are responsive to the needs of the Doctoral College
External
· Brokering relationships with potential sponsors of PGR and ECR activity
· Be connected with research councils to ensure an agile and swift response to DTC opportunities
· Be an active member of external special interest groups such as UKCGE and Vitae