Brussels Office Manager - Research Strategy and Services - 106706 - Grade 8

Position Details

Research Strategy and Services 

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 17th December 2025

UK and International 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 UK institution working from within a diverse and vibrant UK City base with offices worldwide. It offers an inspiring education to students, and delivers critically important research. In 2025 the University opened an office in Brussels to engage directly with European research and business partners, and to build on longstanding relationships to build global knowledge and increase research and innovation activity in a European and global context.

Research Strategy Services Division (RSSD) Department overview

The University has an exciting vision to build on the success to date, by continuing to transform its research performance across outputs, income, impact, and policy influence. Central to this ambition is the Research Strategy & Services Division (RSSD), a department established to provide a transformative and sector-leading approach to research strategy and support.

Business Engagement & Research Impact (BERI) Team overview

Within the Research Strategy & Services Division, the Business Engagement & Research Impact team (BERI) has been established to bring together the functions of Business Engagement (Strategic Industry Partnerships, Research, Innovation Partnerships and Access to University expertise); Research, Research Partnerships with major funders, and Regional Engagement & Innovation. This drives innovation through change and building partnerships, to build on the momentum achieved through research to make a global difference. It will contribute to a significant step-change in research income through the development and expansion of new and existing research partnerships and collaborations; bring together teams that work across different research portfolios to improve the University’s engagement with external partners and collaborators, and support the development and delivery of an institutional Industry Engagement Strategy, the embedding of a positive research impact culture across all disciplines, and a new approach to ensuring the University can deliver research that matters to industry partners and policymakers. 

European Office, Brussels

The new European Office, Brussels, is a symbol of our commitment to nurture existing partnerships and forge new ones with European partners. The University is a top UK performer in Horizon Pillar II funding, and the office will act as a gateway to grow its networks and deepen partnerships that will accelerate research excellence and impact.

Role Summary

The University of Birmingham is one of the most ambitious institutions in the UK and we are determined to be placed in the global top 50, with investment and strategic plans in place to enable us to achieve our objectives. We are looking for a talented and committed individual to support the RSSD and the academic community to manage the newly opened University of Birmingham European Office in Brussels, providing connectivity into funders and partners in the region and act as a conduit for information and intelligence sharing, ensuring we are aware of and have access to funding and consortia building opportunities. The post holder will manage the day-today running of the office, based centrally in Square de Meeus, supporting visiting members of staff to maximise their time, but also have the opportunity to build a network of contacts that will help enable new discussions, collaborations and access to funding either via the EU funding programmes or direct from industry partners.

The post will formally report into the Business Engagement & Research Impact Management Team and will help initiate and deliver the development of major strategic research projects and activities. The role will on occasion be required to provide expert strategic support to the University’s Executive Board and Senior Management teams in the appropriate Colleges, and leadership to academic and Professional Services teams. Many of these research projects will be multi-disciplinary, cross-College and multi-partner in nature, including with industry. The post holder will be expected to support strategic relationships with a number of key funding and stakeholder bodies and partner organisations within the EU. Leadership, facilitation, tact, collaborative working and negotiation are key capabilities for this post. 

Main Duties

Strategic Thinking 

Working for BERI, the post holder will be expected to liaise as required with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Knowledge Transfer), Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), Heads of College, College Directors of Research, and others that play an important role in developing and shaping strategies and major research investment priorities aligned to delivery of the University’s mission. Working relationships will be established with Professional Services teams, and in particular, the EU/International team in RSSD, Birmingham Global, and the Development and Alumni Relations Office. 

The post holder will be expected to;

• Analyse, review and develop current and future partnerships.
• Undertake frequent horizon scanning business intelligence and analyses - maintain an awareness of the funding and wider political, economic and social environment.
• Identify opportunities and threats that inform new strategic directions and share this information accordingly, making recommendations about how to exploit new opportunities or to manage possible threats. 
• Feed into (internal and external) policy consultations and other University discussions of strategic importance relevant to the development and expansion of research capabilities.
• Produce high quality written papers/reports and presentations for a range of audiences including University Senior Leadership, College Senior Management Teams; RSSD colleagues; and academics on a wide range of topic areas associated with the wider responsibilities of the role. 

Partnership working 

Working closely with BERI and the RSSD and liaising with relevant College academic and Professional Services leads, the post holder will represent the University and its interests to external bodies: in particular, European government bodies and funders; key industry partners, as well as philanthropic foundations, and other stakeholders and partners. 

• Assist the RSSD to establish and maintain a network of contacts within Brussels and proactively cultivate appropriate partnerships in collaboration with the Directors of Research, academics, relevant College Professional Services leads, Business Engagement Partner(s and the wider University. Through these relationships ensure institutional priorities are communicated to, and understood by, partners and funders and maximise the University’s influence on these organisations in order to best position our strategic interests. 
• Working closely with relevant senior academic and Professional Services colleagues, support the RSSD and wider University as the professional services lead in maintaining links with key European funding agencies critical to supporting delivery in order to influence and align funder opportunities with the interests and priorities of the University. 
• Ensure the University’s key messages are being clearly communicated to stakeholders in a timely fashion, including working with Professional Services teams supporting and delivering impact and shaping the use of institutional funds in support of this where appropriate. 

New Business/Project Development 

• To identify, lead on and connect colleagues to major opportunities for leveraging partnerships to deliver significant investment into the University for new research collaborations, with a focus on Horizon Europe and associated EU funding programmes. 
• Facilitate new, multi-disciplinary collaborations between academics and key external stakeholders (e.g. industry, funders and policymakers) by designing and hosting appropriate fora (e.g. research sandpits, discovery days, workshops) to build capacity for major project opportunities. 
• Work collaboratively with the University RSSD/BERI team, and others to identify appropriate industry partners, organisations and other funders to develop attractive funding cases. 

Office Management

• Working closely with academics and professional services colleagues, the post holder will manage the day to day running of the Brussels Office ensuring a connected and welcoming environment for staff and guests.
• Joint planning with the team in Birmingham to deliver effective use of the Office and available meeting rooms for staff and guests.
• Ensuring compliance with office contractual obligations and being an active and positive member of the community.
• General Office Management Duties such as hosting, liaison and procurement as required.
• Working autonomously whilst remaining connected to a wider team, and institutional international objectives.

In addition

• Actively manage equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working. 
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus significant relevant practical experience – where no equivalent qualification is held substantial practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required. 
• Understanding and experience of European framework and funding programmes, including familiarity of Pillar II and Pillar III funding calls, and the ability to navigate and guide others through complex funding calls with EU member and no-member state partners.
• Strong networking, diplomacy and consortia building skills.
• Knowledge of project lifecycle management, proposal writing, technology and knowledge transfer and innovation ecosystems.
• Excellent communication and dissemination skills, specifically in translating complex research ideas into accessible information for a range of audiences. Ideal skill to proficiently achieve this in English plus a European language.
• Experience with European funding policy development in terms of understanding timelines for action, ability to action and translating potential policy to reactive action within funding criteria and guidance.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly for a variety of audiences, and to produce and analyse source material, information and data.
• Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role, including broader sector/commercial awareness.
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area. 
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied. 
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Informal enquiries to Helen Lau, email: h.l.r.lau@bham.ac.uk 

View our staff values and behaviours here

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 everyone on our website.