Ref Number
B09-01377
Professional Expertise
Finance
Department
Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) (B09)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£43,981-£52,586
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
07-Jul-2026
UCL is a radically different university. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, we were the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women to university education. Today UCL has over 50,000 students and 15,000 staff, is one of the world’s top 10 universities and is recognised as one of the most successful research institutions in the world, consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2024) and is 2nd in the UK for research power and 1st in London (REF 2021).
Playing a key role in supporting the UCL research portfolio of 6,000 active research awards and contracts with an annual research income of £500M, Research and Innovation Services (RIS) supports and advances UCL’s position as a world-leading research institution. Award Services provides a range of specialist advice to UCL's externally funded research and innovation portfolio and works in partnership with academic and professional services colleagues across UCL, collaborating organisations and funders.
As part of our continued commitment to strong governance, accountability and support for research delivery, we are developing a new Research Funding Assurance team to strengthen oversight of externally funded research projects and ensure the highest standards of financial management and compliance.
An exciting opportunity has arisen within Award Services in Research and Innovation Services (RIS) for a Research Funding Assurance Administrator – EC to join our newly established Research Funding Assurance team.
This role plays a key part in supporting the financial management, assurance and compliance of European Commission (EC) and Innovate UK-funded research projects across UCL. Working closely with academic departments, professional services colleagues, auditors and external funders, you will help ensure that projects are managed in line with funder requirements and UCL's financial regulations, policies and procedures.
You will be responsible for a portfolio of research awards and will contribute to financial reporting, audit coordination, grant maintenance and compliance monitoring activities. The role involves maintaining accurate project records, monitoring expenditure against funder requirements, supporting complex audits and working with institutional finance and research management systems to ensure robust governance and accountability across a significant research portfolio.
This is a varied and collaborative role, requiring excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities within a busy and deadline-driven environment. You will work closely with colleagues across UCL and play an important role in supporting world-leading research through effective financial oversight and assurance.
This is a hybrid role, with a minimum onsite attendance requirement of 20%. Wednesdays are designated as a fixed team collaboration day, and the succesful candidate will be expected to attend campus on this day to support team engagement, collaboration and in-person activities.
You will have experience of working within research finance, research administration or a similar financial compliance environment, ideally within a higher education or research-intensive organisation. You will have experience of working with complex financial information and be confident supporting financial reporting, reconciliations, audit activity and compliance processes.
Educated to degree level or with equivalent relevant experience, you will possess strong analytical skills and be comfortable working with financial systems and large volumes of data. You will be highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and committed to maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex financial or procedural information clearly to non-financial colleagues and build effective working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You will be proactive, collaborative and capable of working independently while contributing positively to a team environment.
Most importantly, you will be adaptable, solutions-focused and committed to delivering a responsive, high-quality service. You will enjoy working in a changing environment and be motivated by the opportunity to contribute to the continued development of research funding assurance and compliance across one of the world's leading universities.
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- On-Site nursery
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
