Research Funding Specialist at Edinburgh University Group

Grade UE06 £34,610 - £39,906 per annum

Corporate Services Group / Edinburgh Research Office

Full time: 35 hours per week

Open Ended (permanent)

The Edinburgh Research Office, a team that is at the heart of university research support at the University of Edinburgh, is looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Research Funding Specialist. The postholder will facilitate, support and contribute to the submission and award of mainly externally funded research activity, in or led by a portfolio of schools or units. The Research Funding Specialist provides expert guidance on funder requirements, project budgets and administrative structures.

The Opportunity:

The Edinburgh Research Office operates within the context of an ambitious and growing research agenda at the University of Edinburgh. As a Research Funding Specialist, you will proactively support budget preparation, review and submit applications as well as accept and set-up awards for research activity on behalf of the University. You will collaborate with staff across both the University of Edinburgh and a variety of external collaborators, including senior academics, researchers and research support professionals. You will provide expert guidance on areas such as funder requirements, legal contracting, eligibility and more for those proposals in or led by your portfolio of schools or units. Your customers will mainly be the researchers and research support offices in the school or units within your portfolio.

You will be given opportunities to work agilely across a number of teams to support the delivery of business-critical objectives, for example: large/key projects; major deadlines; and other time-sensitive initiatives. Whilst participating in one of these initiatives you will be under matrix management.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• Process-driven, great attention to detail and problem-solving ability
• Team player with good interpersonal skills, a collegial and customer-oriented approach to the delivery of services
• Demonstrable knowledge of the UK research environment 
• Demonstrable ability to analyse and summarise complex issues in research funding

Click here for a copy of the full job description 

As a valued member of our team you can expect: 

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits 
• The University offers hybrid working; in Edinburgh Research Office we expect colleagues to be on campus for a minimum of team anchor days, team meetings, all-ERO meetings and other in-person meetings and events required in your role.

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.  

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 18 September 2025. 

 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 

 

Edinburgh Research Office

Working in Edinburgh Research Office you will be part of a professional, supportive, and friendly team; at the heart of University research support, working in collaboration with academics and research support professionals across the institution. The breadth of our remit means you will get an overview of research support activity across the university while you build your skills in your specialism. Gaining new knowledge and skills to help you develop in this role and progress in your career is a priority. We offer colleagues a stimulating working environment based on our values of integrity, expertise, community, and collaboration. Our work is fast-paced and intense; you will thrive here if you are motivated, customer-oriented, and passionate about providing an excellent service to enable our researchers to do amazing work.

The Research Funding Team is responsible for maximising the quality and success of our research applications and the value of our funding. Our work is predominantly deadline driven, and fast paced. Working in the Research Funding Team, you can expect to support the delivery of the highest quality research applications and secure funding. Working in the Research Funding Team will give you direct access to the University of Edinburgh research and professional service communities, as well as external stakeholders. Our diverse team of over thirty is dedicated and ultimately critical to achieving the University's research ambitions.

Company