COMPAS Business Manager

School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME) Grade 7 About the Role

The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) is seeking a Business Manager to support and strengthen its funding activity across a diverse portfolio of research grants, charitable funding, philanthropic donations, and policy-focused projects. This new 12-month role will provide specialist pre- and post-award support, helping researchers identify funding opportunities, develop competitive applications, manage awards, and ensure compliance with University and funder requirements.

Working closely with academic staff, research support colleagues, and finance teams, you will play a key role in securing and managing funding that supports COMPAS’ long-term research sustainability. The role offers a varied and rewarding opportunity to engage with a complex funding landscape and contribute directly to the success of a world-leading research centre.

The role could be offered as a secondment opportunity for someone within the University.

You will be educated to degree level or possess equivalent professional experience, with a strong background in research grant administration within higher education or a comparable environment. You will have experience of financial administration, interpreting complex guidance and regulations, and working accurately with detailed financial and narrative information.

A proactive and highly organised individual, you will possess excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to act with diplomacy and work collaboratively across a wide range of stakeholders. You will be comfortable managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines, and using your initiative to solve problems. Experience of research funding applications, Full Economic Costing (FEC), and research costing tools would be advantageous.

The School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography (SAME) is a leading academic department delivering world-class teaching and research across anthropology, archaeology, museum ethnography, and human sciences. The School supports a diverse and international community of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research students and is committed to providing an outstanding student experience.

The University of Oxford is a stimulating work environment, internationally recognised as a world-class centre of excellence. Its research and teaching play a leading role in addressing global challenges and shaping the future through innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence.

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs