Job Description

Ref Number

B09-01245

Professional Expertise

Administration and Business Support

Department

Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) (B09)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

43,374 51,860

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

10-Aug-2025

About us

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UCL is a world-leading research-intensive university, consistently ranked among the top ten globally, with an annual turnover exceeding 1 billion. Our research and innovation activities continue to grow in scale and complexity, with record levels of funding and impact achieved. Home to more than 50,000 students and 18,000 staff from over 150 countries, UCL is defined by its progressive approach to teaching and research. Our world-class academics, curious students, and dedicated professional staff work together to pursue excellence, challenge boundaries, and solve real-world problems.



UCL Grand Challenges is one of the university's longest-running strategic initiatives, designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration on the world's most pressing issues. Hosted within the Research, Innovation & Global Engagement (RIGE) portfolio and guided by the Vice-Provost (RIGE), the programme connects research, education, and institutional operations to societal challenges.



Now entering a new phase, Grand Challenges is expanding to influence UCL's education mission, enhance the student experience with a challenge-led, interdisciplinary approach, and strengthen the university's engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our goal is to empower UCL's academic community and its students to co-create solutions with real-world impact - locally, nationally and globally.

About the role

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This is an exciting opportunity to join the Grand Challenges team at a time of strategic transformation, with the chance to help shape its new Education workstream. The successful candidate will lead the coordination and delivery of educational initiatives and student engagement activity related to the Grand Challenges and the SDGs, working across UCL to embed these themes in both curricular and extra-curricular learning contexts.



In this role, you will be responsible for managing projects that support institutional priorities in sustainability and cross-disciplinary education, including the delivery of the Grand Challenges Innovation Laboratories and its collaboration with UCL ChangeMakers. It will involve working with students and staff to co-create new initiatives, delivering funding calls and events, and coordinating communications to promote this work across the UCL community. You will also support the collection and communication of evidence of the extent and impact of UCL's activity relating to the SDGs, including annual reporting and contribution to external sustainability rankings.



This is a varied, high-profile role that requires strong planning, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, as well as a solid understanding of UCL's educational landscape and a strong interest in the role of universities in tackling global challenges.


We will be holding interviews in person on 18th August.

About you

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To be successful in this role, you will have a clear understanding of how large and complex institutions operate, with the confidence and credibility to influence change across academic and professional services teams. You will have experience of managing collaborative projects, ideally within a higher education setting, and be able to demonstrate a track record of delivering education or engagement initiatives that span disciplines or sectors.



You will bring excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively to a range of audiences. Strong planning, administrative and organisational skills are essential, as is the ability to work independently while building productive working relationships.



A sound knowledge of the UN SDGs and a commitment to embedding them meaningfully within education and institutional activity will be key to your success in this role.

What we offer

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As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:


41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan On-Site nursery On-site gym Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.



We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.



You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/