Research Development Officer

Role Title: Research Development Officer

Grade and Salary: Grade 6, £31,236 - £36,636 per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full time, 35hrs per week, fixed-term (12 months)

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About Our Team

The Research Development Team provides an essential, high-quality, pre-award service for academic colleagues applying for externally funded research including, but not limited to: identifying funding sources, preparing proposals, costing, pricing and submitting funding proposals, dealing with project finance, reporting to funders, advising on research impact, knowledge exchange, technology transfer, research strategy and policy, ethics and governance, information systems and audit.

Purpose of Role

Exciting opportunity for a Research Development Officer to join the Research Development Team in providing an essential, high-quality, pre-award service for academic colleagues applying for externally funded research including, but not limited to: identifying funding sources, preparing proposals, costing, pricing and submitting funding proposals, dealing with project finance, reporting to funders, advising on research impact, knowledge exchange, technology transfer, research strategy and policy, ethics and governance, information systems and audit.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide support to Principal Investigators for research grant proposals, to include checking research proposals and costing for accuracy and compliance with university and funder regulations; tracking the process through to outcome and award set up; providing training to staff on research proposal costing, completion of on-line grant submission systems.
• Provide data reports and statistical analysis, on request, to staff, such as members of the School Management Groups, Directors of Research and other Research Engagement teams.
• Provide support to the School’s Research Institutes, to include maintaining research data and identifying and disseminating relevant funding news and opportunities to staff.
• Provide support for inductions and Workforce training.
• Provide support for the operation of Research Policies (such as Peer Review, Ethics and Data Management)
• Responsibility for maintenance and data integrity of university research management systems
• Liaise with external partners, such as research funders and other universities.
• Liaise with the Research Grants Office and School Finance teams to ensure that pre-award finance information and/or data provided to staff is accurate.
• Liaise with the other University departments such as Research Engagement, Finance, HR, etc. to ensure the smooth running of proposals submission and project set-up.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of improvements to the working practices, services provided, and the administrative systems of the Research Development Team
• To undertake other activities as agreed with the Research Development Manager

Person Specification

These are the criteria on which the short‑listing and recruitment selection will be made.

Essential

1. Educated to honours degree level or equivalent.
2. Excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to produce high quality written work independently.
3. Experience of working on their own initiative, and proactively in their approach to managing day‑to‑day affairs in the office.
4. A flexible and adaptable approach, coupled with the ability to prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
5. Good all round organisational and forward planning abilities. The post‑holder will be expected to work under pressure and handle changing priorities effectively and, at any one time, balance a varied group of concurrent projects and activities.
6. A strong customer focus and experience of developing a service to meet customers’ needs.
7. A high degree of attention to detail and accuracy of working in all areas relating to the post.
8. Experience of team working and effectiveness as a good team player.
9. Able to apply a working knowledge of theory and practice, sharing this knowledge with others as appropriate

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt online recruitment system: Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; Full CV.

Applications can be submitted until 23:55 on Thursday 21st May 2026.

EEO Statement

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award‑winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part‑time working and job share options.

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