Main Purpose of the Job

To coordinate and support the development, submission, and monitoring of grant applications across the organisation, helping to maximise research income and success rates. The role will maintain oversight of funding opportunities and application pipelines, track outcomes and income performance, and provide practical support to researchers through planning workshops and partnership-building activities. By strengthening coordination, insight, and collaboration, the postholder will enable a more strategic and effective approach to securing external funding.

Key Relationships

The postholder will work closely with:
• The Directorate Manager, Chief Scientific Officer and other senior leadership to align funding activity with organisational priorities and track performance of the Institutes funding pipeline.
• Group leaders, fellows and other project leads to support the development and submission of high-quality grant applications.
• The NBIP Research Grants and Contracts team regarding grant submissions and in monitoring grant income, budgets, and reporting requirements.
• They will also develop and maintain external relationships with:
• Funding bodies and programme managers to stay informed of opportunities and priorities.
• Academic, clinical, and industry partners to support collaborative bids and partnership development.
• Professional networks and sector peers to share best practice and intelligence on funding opportunities.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Grant development and coordination
• Coordinate the development and submission of grant applications, ensuring timelines, requirements, and internal approvals are met.
• Maintain an overview of QIB’s funding pipeline, tracking applications from concept through to submission.
• Facilitate collaboration across teams and with external partners to support high-quality, competitive bids.
• Act as a central point of contact for grant-related queries and coordination.
• Support the drafting of grant support letters.
• Coordination of pre-sift/sift processes with the Chair of the Grants Facilitation Process group.
• Supporting the Directorate Manager in providing supporting information for additional grant sections such as TRI and EDI.

30

Monitoring and evaluation
• Collaborate with NBIP Research Grants & Contracts to track and maintain accurate records of grant applications, outcomes, and associated income.
• Coordinate feedback from grant committees to gain awareness of trends and feedback.
• Analyse success rates, funding trends, and performance against organisational targets.
• Produce regular reports and insights for senior leadership to inform decision-making.
• Support evaluation of funding strategies and internal processes to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ensure data is captured consistently to support reporting requirements and organisational learning.

30

Strategic workshops and other development activities
• Plan and deliver grant development workshops, sandpits, and information sessions.
• Support internal funding calls or pump-priming schemes where relevant.
• Facilitate networking and partnership-building events to stimulate collaboration.
• Provide tailored support for priority bids, including coordination of planning meetings and timelines.
• Contribute to building a strong organisational culture around funding development and collaboration.

20

Horizon Scanning
• Identify and disseminate relevant funding opportunities aligned with organisational priorities.
• Monitor funder strategies, policy developments, and emerging trends in the external funding landscape.
• Provide timely intelligence and briefings to researchers and leadership to inform funding decisions.
• Maintain systems or tools for sharing opportunities and tracking engagement.

10

Knowledge and influencing
• Build strong internal networks to promote awareness of funding opportunities and support available.
• Develop guidance materials, templates, and best practice resources for applicants.
• Share insights and lessons learned from funding outcomes to improve future applications.
• Engage with external stakeholders and professional networks to represent the organisation and enhance its visibility.

10

As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post, for example, contributing to the work of Institute committees.

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

Educated to a degree level or equivalent in the biological sciences

Essential

A PhD in a relevant area

Desirable

Project management qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Broad scientific awareness across subjects and disciplines relevant to the work of QIB

Essential

A broad understanding of the funding landscape and the processes, policies and implication for institute funding

Essential

Ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of sources

Essential

Ability to deliver to tight deadlines

Essential

Ability to interpret funder guidance and communicate requirements clearly

Essential

Project management experience

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Understanding of research and innovation strategies in the UK and beyond

Essential

Experience of creating processes to improve efficiency

Essential

Experience of organising events, workshops, or collaborative activities

Essential

Proven ability to convey complex ideas with clarity

Essential

Experience of working across diverse research fields and in interdisciplinary research with the ability to understand a diverse range of science

Desirable

Existing contacts with national and international funding agencies

Desirable

Experience of preparing policies or training guidance

Desirable

Experience of working in a research institute or similar academic environment

Desirable

Direct experience supporting grant applications or research development activities

Desirable

Experience facilitating partnerships or collaborative initiatives

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders and staff at all levels

Essential

Excellent planning and organisational skills with demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities/deadlines

Essential

High level of work organisation and self-motivation, with proven ability to work on own initiative, engaging others at the right stages

Essential

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work well in a team and build good working relationships with colleagues

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate

Essential

Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute

Essential

Comfortable working flexibly and at pace in a rapidly changing environment

Essential

Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of Quadram Institute Bioscience, ensuring it is a great place to work

Essential

Quadram Institute Bioscience

The Quadram Institute is at the forefront of a new interface between food science, gut biology and health, developing solutions to worldwide challenges in food-related disease and human health.

We are engaged in fundamental and translational food and health research, alongside clinical studies, endoscopy and industry, working together to become a leading international hub for food and health research, combining scientific excellence and clinical expertise, delivering impacts on patient care and accelerating innovation.

The Quadram Institute is a diverse and multicultural scientific community. We thrive on our international and European links, appointing staff from across the world. Any candidate who would like further information on current or anticipated immigration requirements can contact the HR Team on +44 (0)1603 450888 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk.

For more information about working at Quadram Institute Bioscience, please click here.

Department

Directorate

Group Details

The post holder will be in the Directorate team as part of the Frontier Science pillar. This team is responsible for implementation and reporting relating to all QIB research (non-commercial) funding.

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Grants Coordination Officer

Quadram Institute Bioscience is seeking an enthusiastic and highly organised Grants Coordination Officer to support our researchers in securing external funding for internationally recognised bioscience research.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with experience in research development, grant coordination or project management who enjoys collaboration, building relationships and helping others succeed.

Working closely with scientific leaders, researchers and professional services teams, you will support coordination of high-quality grant applications, identify funding opportunities, monitor the funding pipeline and support activities that strengthen our research culture and funding success.

Background:

Help shape the future of world-leading bioscience.

The Grants Coordination Officer will support the development and growth of research activity across the Institute by coordinating funding applications, identifying funding opportunities, and providing high-quality administrative and project support to researchers and collaborators.

Working closely with academic and professional services colleagues, you'll coordinate grant development activities, workshops and networking events, support the preparation and submission of competitive funding proposals, and maintain records of funding opportunities, applications, outcomes and research income. You'll also produce reports, guidance and resources, provide timely updates on emerging funding opportunities, and contribute to the continuous improvement of research development processes and practices.

The ideal candidate:

Applicants should be educated to degree level in biological sciences or a related discipline or possess equivalent relevant experience. They should have excellent organisational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and support complex initiatives effectively.

Previous experience of coordinating projects, improving processes, or supporting research development activities is required, along with strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels. Applicants should also be able to interpret complex guidance and communicate it clearly, and understand the UK research funding landscape and research development processes.

Experience of working within a research institute, university or similar environment, particularly in supporting grant applications or research development, would be advantageous.

Additional information:

This is a part-time post (18.5 hours) typically worked over 2.5 days per week, with around two days on-site and flexibility to support individual and team needs. There is a contract end date of 31 March 2028.

Salary on appointment will be within the range £38,000 to £42,150, pro rata, per annum depending on qualifications and experience.

Please note, this post does not meet UKVI requirements to provide visa sponsorship.

We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and welcome applications from all sectors of society. The institute values of People-Centred Impact, Inclusive Excellence, Trusted Integrity, Collaborative Spirit and Agile Innovation are at the heart of all we do, and we expect all employees to share and display these values. To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

About the Quadram Institute:

The Quadram Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease. Our vision is Healthy living by design: promoting lifelong health by decoding the interactions between food science, nutrition, microbes, microbiomes and human physiology, and transforming this knowledge into innovative solutions for society.

A partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and BBSRC, The Quadram Institute brings together scientists and clinicians in a state-of-the-art building on the Norwich Research Park. This is one of Europe’s largest centres of life sciences and home of the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute. (https://quadram.ac.uk/).

The closing date for applications will be 28 August 2026.

The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.