Project Manager: Information and Engagement - Department of Applied Health Sciences - 108205 - Grade 7

Position Details

• College of Medicine and Health, Research and Knowledge Transfer
• University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
• Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822
• Grade: 7
• Full Time or Part Time, Fixed Term contract up to March 2029
• Closing date: 12th November 2026
• UK travel may be required for this role

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally.

They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely and manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Department Summary: The Research Support Service (RSS)

The role will support delivery of the RSS mission – to support access to funding for healthcare research, from pre-application through to post-application phases for healthcare researchers (NIHR and non-NIHR funded) in England.

With a central portfolio team based at the University of Birmingham, the RSS Central Team provides strategic leadership and coordination to 8 RSS expert Hubs and the 2 RSS Specialist Centres (1 Public Health and 1 for Social Care) across England. Drawing on the breadth of expertise and experience across the partnership, we foster collaboration to maximise impact of the RSS network to deliver a national service that is equitable, innovative, and responsive to the needs of researchers across health, public health, social care, and the industry sector.

A new national RSS Network strategy provides aligned strategic direction, to collaboratively deliver a ‘One-RSS’ mission. The national strategy will define and drive the brand identity, coordinate development of a consistent national network of research support, and surface-and-share innovations to continuously enhance the quality of the service. The RSS network will contribute to the Government’s health and growth missions by delivering on the ‘three big shifts’ and NIHR’s mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research.

The role will be hosted within the University of Birmingham’s Research Delivery team, part of the College of Medical & Health Research Office. The Research Delivery team is a vibrant hub for Professional Service staff (~120 individuals) supporting high-value, strategically important projects and programmes.

We work closely with both Professional Services colleagues and Academics across the University and partner organisations, to maximise the impact of funded research, and lead on the development of renewals for large infrastructure awards. The portfolio of research supported is wide ranging (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/medical-dental/index.aspx)

This role will be embedded within the Research Delivery team’s Applied Health pillar (currently providing programme and project management support to over £100m of research funding) and benefit from established relationships with programme partners and key stakeholders including NHS Trusts, collaborating research institutions both locally, nationally and globally, patient and public contributors, charities and funders.

Role Summary

The Project Manager: Information and Engagement Manager will lead the operational delivery of key strategic workstreams within the overarching RSS network strategy alongside the national communications and engagement strategy. The role encompasses high-impact digital content creation, management of national platforms, internal information architecture, and strategic stakeholder relationship management across all 8 RSS Hubs, Specialist Centres, and external partners to raise awareness, advance brand reputation, and foster collaborative partnerships nationwide.

Main Duties

Serve as an integral member of the central PMO team, managing information and engagement activities throughout the portfolio life cycle to support the RSS Director of Strategic Engagement and Chief Operating Officer. This may include some or all of the following:

Lead operational delivery on designated strategic objectives embedded within the overarching RSS Network Strategy.

Provide strategic updates, portfolio progress reporting, and analytics to the Director of Strategic Engagement and Executive Board.

Translate complex portfolio data into demonstrably evidence-based communications, promotional materials, and performance reports for governance forums and public dissemination.

Operationalise the national communications and engagement strategy across the entire RSS network, leading on the development of newsletters, digital content, and multi-channel campaigns.

Manage and optimize national digital platforms, including websites, CMS portals, and social media channels; ensuring all digital platforms adhere strictly to WCAG accessibility standards.

Design and manage central internal communications channels (e.g., SharePoint, town halls, and cascade communications) to optimise and streamline information flow and best practices across the 8 RSS Hubs and Specialist Centres.

Safeguard national NIHR branding guidelines, ensuring unified messaging across all central and regional hub communications.

Coordinate the organisation of national events, including conferences/ webinars / and dissemination events if required.

Maintain matrix relationships across the central PMO and RSS Hubs and Specialist Centres - liaising with Communications and Operational Leads to align outputs with national strategy.

Support the implementation and monitoring of the national engagement plan to align outreach activities, partner communications, and campaign schedules.

Cultivate, manage, and evaluate strategic external relationships with key ecosystem partners; including NHS Trust R&D departments, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Local Authorities, public health bodies, social care providers, medical research charities, and diverse public communities.

Ensure external outreach across the national RSS network is non-duplicative, targeted, and unified to provide strategic, high-impact engagement that reaches priority audiences, maximizes service delivery, and elevates the RSS brand nationally.

Ensure that priorities are balanced, taking action to deliver agreed deliverables against timelines.

Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff.

Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures.

Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.

Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Qualified to Degree level or equivalent plus practical managerial experience or significant relevant experience demonstrated through increasingly more demanding roles evidencing the experience necessary for this role

Proficiency in project management, data analytics, and translating data into evidence-based communications.

Track record in multi-channel communications, digital content creation, and platform management.

Experience establishing internal information management systems, data curation pipelines, and reporting frameworks.

Knowledge of web CMS platforms, digital channels, accessibility standards (WCAG), and data governance (GDPR).

Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office and website editing software. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.

Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship building and influencing skills with the ability to deal confidently with a range of internal and external stakeholders/contacts

Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to prioritise workloads in order to meet deadlines

High degree of initiative, resourcefulness, diplomacy, and discretion handling sensitive issues.

Experience working within the NIHR, NHS, Higher Education, or health and social care research infrastructure.

Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).

Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Sarah Fallon, email: [email protected]

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations.

We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.