Research and Impact Manager

Department:
Research, Enterprise and Scholarship

Closing Date: 23 August 2026

Weekly

Working Hours:

37

Contract Type:
Fixed Term Contract

Fixed Term

Contract:

End Date: 30 November 2027

Welsh Language:
Not Applicable

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to You Tube by clicking this link).

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the academic support team in the new Centre funded through Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England Fund (E3) and work alongside the Centre Director and a multidisciplinary and cross-faculty research team.

The Centre for Protecting Women Online is based at the Open University’s Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) and it builds on the existing expertise and research excellence at the OU to respond to modern challenges facing online spaces – specifically those related to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The aim of the research team is to develop the Centre’s staff, foster an inclusive and collaborative working culture and, by welcoming UK and international visiting fellows into the Centre, build capacity in England to tackle and reduce online violence against women and girls.

The Centre is committed to capacity building to enable its long-term sustainability, fulfil its strategic research and impact agenda, diversify income and future research funding. It will work with local partners to achieve local and regional impacts by co-designing outputs and interventions that combine research and practice to overcome barriers to tackling online VAWG.

The Research and Impact Manager will support and work with other staff members (academic and academic support) in the delivery of Centre’s objectives. They will manage the Centre’s research, Knowledge Exchange (KE) and impact activities, liaise with network of partners, internal and external stakeholders and support development of the Centre’s engagement activities.

The key focus of the team is to support the growth of research, knowledge exchange, scholarship and commercial activity as well as partnership building initiatives to diversify income, provide effective service to academics and enhance reputation.

What we can offer:

• Opportunity to be a part of a new initiative committed to developing research and impact agenda and partnership building.
• Opportunity to manage centre’s core activities as part of the team that helps researchers deliver ground-breaking research, impact of which can be seen across different sectors and disciplines.
• Work alongside the centre’s academic research leads and professional services staff across the faculty, university and beyond.
• Training and development relevant to the role.
• Involvement in a community that takes pride in the development and implementation of the Open University’s Social Mission.
• Contribute to the delivery of the OU Research Plan
• Training and development relevant to the role.

Research Management

• Manage the Centre’s income generation activities.
• Support bidding for external funding (pre and post award) including horizon scanning of funding opportunities, costing/pricing, approvals, development etc.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders effectively (Finance, Legal, Research, Enterprise and Scholarship, Business Development Unit, Development Office, Learner and Discovery Services).
• Manage the Centre's Knowledge Exchange (KE) and impact activities and processes, including collation of evidence and preparation of reports.
• Support Senior Manager in financial monitoring and reporting on internally and externally funded projects.
• Support Director and Senior Centre Development Manager in reporting on Centre's and projects’ milestones.
• Carry out administrative tasks associated with the role, such as attending group management meetings, governance and reporting on activities.
• Deputise for the Senior Centre Development Manager (as appropriate) and provide…