Research Project Manager

Research Project Manager
Time Commitment: Full Time or Part Time, 3 Year fixed contract
Based at: MQ Office, London, EC1Y with high levels of remote and flexible working available
Reporting to: Growing Talent Programme Lead
Salary: £35k per annum

At MQ, we champion and fund world-class research to transform the lives of everyone affected by a mental health condition. We strive to create a world where mental illness is better understood, diagnosed, treated and, hopefully someday, prevented. Research is the first step towards making that a reality.

It is believed that while we have an IQ (intelligence quotient) and an EQ (emotional quotient), we also have an MQ (mental quotient) but our knowledge of MQ is way behind compared to what we know about IQ and even EQ these days. At MQ Mental Health Research Charity, we connect scientists with supporters, people with lived experience of mental health illnesses, policymakers, and practitioners, so together we strive to understand mental health, improve treatments and prevent mental illnesses.

Job Purpose Summary:

We are looking to appoint an experienced Project Manager to join the dynamic research team at MQ to provide professional project management in the day-to-day running of multiple projects. Initiating projects and managing through the entire lifecycle to deliver within budget, timescales, and quality constraints.

The projects and activities managed by this post include but are not limited to:

(i) a recently funded international consortium delivering a living evidence synthesis and research priority-setting to inform mental health science. The post-holder will be project-managing three aspects of this consortium work: involving Lived Experience Experts; executing research priority-setting exercises; and disseminating the results. This will require working closely with the consortium partners, the internal and external marketing teams, and the wider stakeholders.

(ii) managing organisation of events in the field of mental health research. The events could be virtual, in-person, or hybrid and can have a wide range of speakers and audience. Administrative support will be provided to ensure the post holder will have capacity for high-quality execution of their tasks.

This role entails significant amount of written and oral communication both with other teams at MQ, e.g. Marketing, Fundraising, and Finance teams, and with a wide range of external stakeholders, e.g. academics, community organisations and people with lived experience of mental illnesses, web developers and digital content creators.

The role will suit a driven project manager passionate about improving mental health for all, interested in managing cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary projects, with a proven track record of managing complex projects, experienced in liaising, and developing trust with large extended teams to deliver projects in partnership with multiple stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supporting new research initiatives as a project manager working in collaboration with internal colleagues and external partners to ensure high quality execution of projects
• Leading the development of a project plan including objectives, activities, timeline, stakeholders, and monitoring and evaluation
• Provide day-to-day support for MQ's research portfolio and support the Research team in delivering projects to time and target
• Providing direct support and preparation of materials and reports for Lived Experience Experts collaborating on MQ projects
• Delivering projects' launch events, workshops, and other engagement events
• Collecting input via surveys/focus groups from a wide range of stakeholders, organising and summarising the collected information
• Writing reports for internal and external stakeholders and presenting them as needed
• Developing guidance and briefs for speakers, panellists, and panel Chairs of MQ events
• Liaising with the Programme Leads in the research team to develop agenda of meetings and events and communicating with the invitees - most communications are via email and should be done to the best practice standards
• Serving as the point of contact between the organisation and external collaborators for projects and events
• Updating contact lists and following data management protocols and GDPR while handling data
• Updating colleagues within MQ on the progress of projects and events planning

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post-holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Person specification: Skills, Knowledge, Experience

Essential criteria

• Strong project management skills with a proven track record of coordinating complex projects involving diverse stakeholders, including the design and implementation of project plans and timetables
• Relevant project management training and experience, with a good understanding of the complexities of scientific research projects
• Educated to an undergraduate level in an area relevant to mental health, policy, or international development or equivalent experience
• Ability to communicate effectively to a high standard orally and in writing, and ability to handle enquiries in a professional and courteous manner
• Ability and willingness to work independently, and to work effectively as part of a cross-functional team
• Intermediate computer skills, particularly experienced user of Microsoft Office package
• Previous experience in organising large events, online and/or in-person
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work closely and effectively with a wide range of people.
• Experienced in professional use of virtual communication platforms and collaborating on shared online files, e.g. Google documents, Shared Word or Excel documents
• Excellent organisational skills, diligent at keeping an accurate record of the communications and updates on actions, and excellent attention to detail

Desirable criteria

• A postgraduate degree in a relevant field
• Track record of managing complex, large-scale projects with multiple components and individuals involved
• Previous background in scientific research or in monitoring and evaluation programmes
• Previous project management experience in higher education or similar environment
• Previous work experience in mental health or in health-related charities
• International work background
• Previous experience in organising scientific events, conferences
• Project management qualifications (e.g. Prince 2, Agile)

Closing Date: 9th January 2023 at 1.00 pm
Interviews: 17th - 19th January 2023

Interested?

Please click the apply button and attach your C.V. and covering letter, explaining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for this post, it will be sent automatically to us.

No agencies please.