Compliance & Assurance Officer - UCL Research & Innovation Services

Reference
1092115

Branch
UCL

Start date
03/02/2025

Duration
3 Months

Hours and days
Full-time; 37.5 hours per week

Dress code
Not Applicable

Rate of pay
£22.66

Holiday rate
£4.24

Role

Unitemps are recruiting for a Compliance & Assurance Officer for the UCL Research & Innovation Services. This is a full-time role at 37.5 hours per week. This role is for an early/mid February 2025 start date (or soon after) and has a projected end date of May 2nd 2025. Payment is set at £22.66 per hour + holiday pay. This role will be UCL home based working.

The Compliance & Assurance team is responsible for providing expert advice that adds value to the academic mission while protecting UCL from legal, reputational, and financial risks. This involves improving compliance with terms and conditions, policies and regulations, including the Trusted Research and similar guidance, Export Controls, the National Security and Investment Act 2021 and the Nagoya Protocol. 

The team also leads on Due Diligence on research funders and partners as required by UKRI, other major research funders and in line with UCL’s policy to protect UCL’s interests.The team works closely with colleagues across RIS, the Office for the Vice Provost of Research, Innovation and Global Engagement, Office of General Counsel and other Professional Services and Faculties to develop and support an integrated approach to managing research and innovation risk.The postholder holds responsibility for maintaining an efficient, effective service and management of key Compliance and Assurance processes (e.g. due diligence). The postholder will provide support with the administration of partner and funder records, supporting data integrity and the maintenance and management of research management systems. Supporting the broader Trusted Research agenda, the role will be responsible for the coordination of  other aspects of Research and Innovation compliance, including international regulations and controls and case management.

Duties and responsibilities

• Acquire, maintain, and develop a good understanding of UCL’s research and innovation management systems. Provide general administration for Worktribe including setting up funder and partner profiles, as required.
• Provide operational support to the Compliance & Assurance team and respond to operational queries.
• Undertake third party due diligence on funders and partners, at the appropriate stage to assess ethical, legal, financial, and national security risks.
• Maintain a database for records relating to due diligence, Export Controls, National Security, Access and Benefit Sharing and other Compliance and Assurance priority areas.•    Provide regular reports to RIS Directors, the Office of Vice Provost of RIGE and others, as required.
• Make sense of complex issues on behalf of UCL even when information is incomplete and presenting a position to senior staff.
• Effectively identify and measure risks. Assess and make recommendation for risk mitigations, as required.
• Respond proactively and appropriately to the needs of colleagues and partners, making decisions regarding next steps independently.
• Monitor Compliance & Assurance service standards and provide reports to Research and Innovation Services leadership team and departments as required.
• Maintain a good understanding of funders requirements and terms and conditions, relevant to the Compliance & Assurance remit (e.g. Trusted Research agenda, Due Diligence etc.)
• Support the Assistant Director of Compliance & Assurance in continuously improving the services provided by the Compliance & Assurance Team. Make suggestions for improvements and proactively implement service, process and documentation improvements.
• Regularly solicit feedback on operating procedures to ensure issues are captured, and that development opportunities for future enhancements to processes and guidance are optimised.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with staff at all levels across UCL engaging with them in a consistent and pro-active manner, on the development of changes to practices, policies and procedures.

Skills and experience

Experience and knowledge

• Experience of responding to research and innovation compliance and assurance requirements, maintaining systems and records, in the higher education sector. - Essential
• Knowledge and operational experience of research administrative procedures, practice and policies e.g. experience within a HEI Research Services / Administration function - Essential
• Experience of maintaining, managing, and providing guidance on research management systems within a complex organisation - Desirable
• Knowledge and experience of delivering professional customer service in the research environment; with an understanding of academic and administration needs. - Essential
• Proven ability of implementing and / or supporting research management and governance processes and solutions within a complex organisation. - Essential

Skills and abilities

• Proven ability to analyse and understand complex and challenging issues and problems and to develop innovative and creative solutions. - Essential
• Good written and oral communication skills, including presentation and report writing. - Essential
• Excellent attitude to customer service. - Essential
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential issues appropriately - Essential
• A high degree of computer literacy, particularly understanding and demonstrable experience of Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook - Essential

UCL Ways of Working for professional services    

• Committed to providing a responsive and helpful service - Essential
• Making best practice an absolute priority - Essential
• Documenting and sharing solutions - Essential

Location
UCL; home based working

Additional information

This job will close for applications at 11.59pm on Thursday January 30th. Interviews will be held shortly after (February 6th).

*Please note to be eligible to work within this role, you must have the right to work in the UK, be physically based in the UK and be able to travel to our London based office for a RTW check (if required).

*If you have a full-time contract of employment with UCL, you are not able to work through UCL Unitemps at the same time.

Unitemps reserves the right to close this advert for applications prior to the date specified above, if a high volume of suitable applications are received.

Unitemps payroll is monthly, one month in arrears, please see the payroll dates here.

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