UKCEH is looking for an experienced Tender Support Manager to join our team of talented individuals, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.

Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:

• 27 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after five years, plus 3 days for our Christmas closure
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to qualifying requirements)
• 24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues plus access to our trained Welfare Officers
• Flexible working opportunities
• And much more…

You’ll be managing our tender support team along with collaborating with our Research Contracts and Research Development teams. You’ll be working with some of the leading global scientists, managing the overall tender process allowing our scientists to focus on the scientific components of proposals and grants.

The Tender Support team is critical to our success by identifying, pursuing and securing competitive income opportunities, amounting to over £30M a year. This income enables us to pursue world class research addressing environmental challenges, and making a difference to environmental policies, commercial innovation and conservation action globally.

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Manage the Tender Support Team within the Research Development & Impact Function, and the allocation and balance of Tender Support Executive workloads and performance
• Identification, validation, dissemination and tracking of UKCEH relevant funding opportunities across public, private, academic and third sectors
• Provision of the tender support service supporting Researchers and Research Development Managers; leading the Team’s delivery of coordinating the tender process, and non-technical aspects of bidding, optimising UKCEH’s success rates and ensuring timely responses to tender deadlines
• Provision of high-quality services through efficient procedures, documentation, and resources for researchers and responsible for the Team’s delivery of the Quality Assurance customer feedback process
• Monitor funders’ policies and requirements, championing UKCEH compliance across UKCEH’s Professional Services through appropriate policies, procedures and interventions, thereby ensuring and evidencing eligibility for funding opportunities
• Review of business-critical tenders and proposals in concert with Research Development Managers and Researchers, and provision of advice on funder evaluation criteria
• Working with Research Development Managers, manage UKCEH’s awarded pre-tender framework partnerships to optimise funding proposals therein
• Routine provision of analytics, management information and performance indicators of UKCEH’s bidding pipeline, at an organisational and Science Area-level, and of future funder priorities and Calls
• Maintenance of the tender information database and UKCEH financial system records, ensuring up-to-date and accurate information is recorded for all opportunities and bids
• Support the Head of Research Development & Impact in annual income forecasting at a Customer Group-level, informing UKCEH’s 5-year business plan, and routine monitoring and reporting of variances against underpinning funding assumptions
• Ensure the professional training and development of the Team, and leads / contributes to in-house training of researchers in the development of successful proposals

For the role of Tender Support Manager, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Experience and proven success of supporting research grant, innovation awards and contract funding applications with a track record of supporting significant funding outcomes, in research intensive or environmental consultancy/services organisation, across academic, public, private and third sectors
• Demonstrable experience in provision of business data analytics and reporting
• Evidence of identifying and implementing organisational improvements to tendering procedures, optimising efficiency and effectiveness
• Proven experience of evaluation of funders’ policies, enabling their institution to maintain eligibility for funding opportunities
• Experience of management of high performance and resilient teams, and be able to work in partnership and on own initiative
• In-depth knowledge of the research funding landscape
• Fundamental understanding of the research needs of the full spectrum of governments, policymakers, private sector, and third sector
• A clear understanding of the role of research support services and a strong commitment to delivering a high-quality professional service
• Analytical skills, employing and disseminating management information to inform decision-making within the Team and in the wider organisation

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet. Apply now. Please send us your CV, accompanied by a covering letter which highlights any relevant skills and experience, together with what excites you most about the role and working for UKCEH.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.