Research Coordinator

Vice-Chancellor's Office
Do you want to work in an inspiring environment and contribute to strengthening support for research and internationalisation at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)? We at SLU’s Grants Office are searching for an experienced and enthusiastic Research Coordinator who is self-motivated, knowledgeable about external funding, and keen to make a positive difference for researchers across the university.
SLU’s Grants Office is a unit within the Vice Chancellor’s Office. We provide expertise, support, advice and information on external funding issues to researchers, administrators and university leadership. Our friendly, helpful, and professional team has a wide range of experience and expertise, enabling us to provide strategic and operational support both pre- and post-award. The focus of our work is on proposal writing support and constructive feedback, budgeting, administration and project management, although we also work with information and capacity building. We are currently based at three of SLU’s main campuses – Alnarp, Ultuna and Umeå – but our whole team works to support the entire university. Read more about the SLU Grants Office at https://internt.slu.se/grantsoffice/

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Duties:
As our new Research Coordinator, you will primarily work with researchers who are applying for ‘excellence’ grants such as the European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions, and the Wallenberg Foundations, but should be flexible to support other initiatives. You will provide advice, guidance, and support to researchers during the pre-award stage - identifying funding opportunities, helping applicants develop suitable concepts, reviewing proposal texts and suggesting improvements.


• Supporting researchers applying for external funding, primarily by offering constructive feedback on proposal drafts and helping them compose a clear and persuasive narrative
• Disseminating information on future funding opportunities, pro-actively identifying prospective applicants, and encouraging them to apply
• Designing and delivering seminars and workshops for grant applicants, focusing on funders, funding opportunities and proposal writing
• Collaborating with SLU’s Postdoc Association, PhD schools, and other networks to develop capacity amongst early career researchers to apply for and win grants
• Providing input to external funding strategies, including presentations to SLU’s Strategic External Funding Team
• Representing the Grants Office and SLU at internal and external networks
• Contributing to SLU Grants Office communication efforts, including a monthly newsletter and web pages
• This list is not exhaustive and may change depending on the needs of the university. Depending on your personal competencies and interests, there is also scope to suggest new initiatives and ways of working.

Qualifications:
Please use your application to show us how you meet the essential and advantageous (if relevant) criteria below. We will place great emphasis on personal suitability for the position.

Essential


• An undergraduate degree in any subject
• The ability to understand complex funding calls/applications and offer clear advice and guidance to academic colleagues
• Knowledge and understanding of national and international funding sources, including their guidelines and mechanisms
• Experience writing large research grant applications
• An excellent communicator, expressing yourself well in both writing and speech
• Confidence and flexibility of approach with the ability to work independently
• The ability to prioritise your own workload under pressure and meet set deadlines whilst maintaining a high degree of accuracy
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop professional relationships and networks at all levels within and outwith the university
• Very good level of English language, written and spoken

Meritorious


• Postgraduate education
• Previous experience with the European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions, and the Wallenberg Foundations funding programmes
• Previous experience within research support in higher education or research institutes
• Previous experience within research funding agencies or working as an expert evaluator for proposals or projects
• Knowledge of the Swedish language, written and spoken (SLU’s language guidelines require staff to be able to understand information in Swedish after 4 years as an employee)

Place of work:
Alnarp, Ultuna, or Umeå. The position requires occasional domestic and international travel.

Form of employment:
Permanent employment. SLU uses probationary employment.

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
According to agreement. 

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 6/11/2023, please use the button below.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.