Location
Royal College of Art, South West London

Hours
Full-time (0.8 FTE considered to enable research 0.2 FTE)

Salary
£50,000 per annum

About the Role
The Royal College of Art, the world’s leading university for art and design, is seeking a dynamic and experienced Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Manager to join our Research & Innovation team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in enhancing the RCA’s research performance and increasing income from external research and knowledge exchange (KE) funding. You will work closely with the Head of Research Development and Head of Knowledge Exchange to support and drive high-quality funding applications, foster collaborations, and build strong relationships across the academic community and with key funders.

You will act as a first point of contact for academic colleagues seeking external research and KE funding. Your responsibilities will include advising academics on developing research ideas and framing them for funders; identifying and promoting suitable funding opportunities across UK, EU, and international schemes; supporting bid development including project scoping, budgeting, and draft feedback; running internal peer review and funding processes; supporting RCA’s strategic research and KE ambitions through pipeline development and proposal quality; facilitating collaborations with academic and business partners; and monitoring funded projects to ensure compliance and support impact reporting.

You will work collaboratively across professional services including Finance and IT, and contribute to training, research strategy, internal reporting, and REF preparation.

Experience
- Proven track record in supporting successful research and/or knowledge exchange bids in higher education or research environments.
- Excellent knowledge of research and KE funding in the UK and internationally.
- Familiarity with systems such as Je-S, ResearchFish, and internal university funding pipelines.

About you
- Confident communicator with high-level organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
- Collaborative approach with the ability to build strong working relationships with academic and professional colleagues.
- Strategic mindset with a passion for helping world-class researchers realise their ideas.
- Experience in the arts, humanities, or design sectors is desirable but not essential.
- Ability to translate complex funding requirements into clear, actionable advice and help shape successful research projects.

Qualifications
Not explicitly stated; relevant experience and skills are essential.