Grants Operations Officer Full Time NEW

The postholder will provide essential administrative support to the Grant Operations team to ensure that the Royal Society’s Grants schemes and programmes are being delivered in the most effective manner.

This role has a specific focus on supporting the Grant Section’s use of systems and data including:

• Working with members of the Grants team, IT team and service providers to support the day-to-day management of systems, including the grant management system Flexi-Grant and the CRM, Dynamics.
• Supporting the management of data quality across our grant making systems ensuring that data is accurate, up to date and that data retention policies are observed.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Royal Society in the delivery of activities designed to improve the Royal Society’s management of grants.

The Grant Operations Officer role would suit an individual looking to develop their knowledge of Grant systems management and gain experience of research funding and grant making.

Reports to: Senior Manager, Grant Operations

Line manages: N/A

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG plus hybrid remote working

Pay Band: B

Contract type: permanent

Salary: £33, 417 per annum

The application closing date is 18 May 2026 at 23:59.

Interviews will be held week commencing 1 June 2026.

Responsibilities and tasks

• Grant System Administration
• Undertake administrative tasks within Royal Society Grant Management systems to support the delivery of grants, including user management, organisation management, template and resource updates and maintenance of contact lists.
• Provide a key contact point for the day-to-day management of the grants systems by answering and directing queries, helping staff or applicants resolve system issues, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Support a portfolio of system-related projects, ensuring all are appropriately planned, organised, and delivered through to completion, keeping to agreed timing and scope.
• Liaise with colleagues across the Grants Operations team and the wider Grants team to maintain and update the Grants team SharePoint site to ensure that all information, guidance and learning resources relating to grant management systems is accurate and correct.
• Coordinate the delivery of training and induction programmes for the Grants section on key areas within systems and data.
• Data administration
• Support the appointment process for members of grant assessment committees through the maintenance of committee membership data, including maintaining contact details in the CRM and producing appointment and retirement letters.
• Provide administration support to the Grants Comms & Marketing team, by maintaining contact lists in the CRM, accurately transferring comms data between the CRM and the grant management system and cleaning data where required.
• Collaborate with the Operations and Monitoring Evaluation and Learning teams in their use of data for business analysis and grant reporting.
• Support the activity of the Operations team in ensuring that the information relating to applicants and grants holders is correctly maintained and ensure that data protection requirements are being met.
• Ensure that Grants Section document storage is consistent with the Document Management Policy and keep track of retention schedules for key documents.

Other Responsibilities

• Support the day-to-day activities of the Operations team.
• Work collaboratively with others to support continuous ongoing improvement and implementation of good practice in the context of grant-making, including contributing to review of documentation, procedures and processes to ensure funding provision is delivered efficiently and effectively.
• Role model desired behaviours in line with the Grants Team Charter.
• Share experience and ideas with others in the Grants Section and the Society and contributing broadly to the Royal Society’s mission and priorities.
• Support activities within the Grants team aimed at increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion including encouraging participation from under-represented groups and supporting the development and maintenance of policies and practices to foster greater inclusivity and to ensure that those who have followed a non-standard career path are encouraged to apply.

Education/Qualifications/Knowledge

Key knowledge and skills require

• Interested in science, engineering and technology issues – Essential
• Educated to degree standard or equivalent – Desirable
• Science degree – Desirable
• An understanding of academic and/or research activities in science or related fields – Desirable

Skills

• Good communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills – Essential
• Excellent organisational and time management skills – Essential
• Strong IT skills – Essential
• Strong attention to detail – Essential
• Excellent numeracy skills and meticulous record keeping – Essential
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills – Essential
• Good presentational skills – Desirable

Experience

• Experience of working in an administrative role – Essential
• Experience of working in a team and across teams – Essential
• Experience of using Microsoft Office (in particular, Excel, Teams & SharePoint) – Essential
• Experience of data management – Desirable
• Experience in a similar role – Desirable

Competency Requirements

Self-management

• Enthusiastic and positive attitude
• Reliable and consistent
• Output is accurate and of high quality
• Punctual and meets deadlines
• Confident of own abilities
• Knows personal values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and limits
• Gains insight and learns from mistakes
• Learns from challenges and can implement changes to avoid similar in the future
• Is open when faced with constructive criticism
• Ensures actions are consistent
• Works within the Royal Society Values at all times

Working With Others

• Willing to cooperate and share knowledge within the team, Shares all relevant, critical and useful information
• Listens to and acts upon feedback from senior colleagues and willingly learns from others
• Offers their assistance if they have the capacity, without the need to be asked.
• Actively seeks opportunities for gaining feedback from others
• Presents with confidence within own section and area of remit.
• Communicates confidently, asks questions and checks for understanding.
• Values the input of others, balances that with a sense of purpose to get the job done
• Possesses self-awareness and senses situations prior to acting or communicating.

Resource management

• Is aware of and works within budgetary and resource constraints
• Organises own workload prioritising according to business need
• Is flexible and adapts to changing circumstances and priorities
• Looks for ways to improve quality or results
• Meets the standards of quality expected of their role
• Can multitask and manage urgency in a calm and practical manner
• Performs a wide variety of tasks and changes focus quickly as demands change
• Undertakes additional responsibilities and responds to situations as they arise with minimal supervision.

Critical thinking

• Thinks tasks, queries and problems through
• Uses relevant information when providing a service, solving a problem or dealing with a query
• Is open to new ideas and willing to try them
• Makes decisions within well-defined guidelines
• Uses initiative to select most appropriate solution to straightforward problems
• Analyses both successes and failures to improve
• Prepares for problems or opportunities in advance
• Highlights any issues or problems with tasks
• Proposes various solutions or options for consideration defining the pros and cons of each

Adaptability

• Adapts to changes in workload without letting standards slip
• Listens to and accommodates the alternative views of others
• Takes on new challenges when asked to do so
• Is receptive and accommodating when asked to take on new projects outside of their usual work
• Remains open-minded and changes opinions on the basis of new information
• Performs a wide variety of tasks and changes focus quickly as demands change and with minimal disruption

Managing people and relationships

• Values and appreciates the importance of feedback
• Shares responsibility for the performance and workload of the team where appropriate
• Handles requests promptly
• Respects opinions and deals appropriately with complaints
• Works to improve the performance of oneself and others by pursuing opportunities for continuous learning.
• Constructively helps others in their development.
• Exhibits a “can-do, will-do” approach
• Asks questions and probes to understand stated and underlying needs, issues, concerns and problems
• Addresses concerns and problems fairly, empathetically, decisively and promptly, maintaining a diplomatic and professional manner
• Manages expectations and keeps everyone concerned up to date on progress
• Raises concerns and recommends potential solutions for those processes that negatively impact on relationships, customer service or the fair treatment of others