Research Manager - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

Research Manager - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

About us

The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) is the leading civilian UK centre of excellence for military health research and independent of the UK Ministry of Defence. The Centres’ work has helped shape government policy towards military personnel. KCMHR sits within the Department of Psychological Medicine. It launched in 2004 and is directed by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Nicola Fear, CBE. For more information, please see

KCMHR in partnership with RAND Europe runs the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community, funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) The Centre aims to ensure that research evidence is at the heart of decision making to enable a thriving Armed Forces Community, which it aims to achieve by several mechanisms including via evidence synthesis, provision of an online searchable repository of published research and policy, regular topical news articles, stakeholder engagement and advice, and an annual conference, to name a few.

The Centre is Led by co-directors Ruth Harris (RAND Europe) and Professor Nicola Fear, CBE (KCMHR), supported by Deputy Director Dr Mary Keeling (RAND Europe), and included governance advisors (Professor Neil Greenberg and Professor Sir Simon Wessely) to provide strategic direction.

About the role

We are looking to appoint a Research Manager to support the delivery of the Centre focussing on issues relating to the Armed Forces Community, including ex-Serving personnel, and their families. The successful candidate will work closely with the Deputy Director and be accountable for managing a broad team on a day-to-day basis, project management of the various Centre outputs, managing Centre social media, awareness and engagement raising, developing and maintaining a broad network of collaborators particularly within research, policy and practice, pertaining to the Armed Forces Community, and measuring metrics and impact of the Centre. The post holder will lead on the annual Research Centre Conference including planning and delivery.

The Centre is now in its last 18months of its current five-year funding from FiMT with the Centre team working to secure future funding from new sources. The post holder will therefore be expected to contribute to the sustainability work to secure future sustained funding for the Centre – this is an exciting opportunity to drive the future of the Centre!

This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract until 31st August 2027.

We would be open to exploring this opportunity as a job share arrangement.

The post is based at King’s College London, Denmark Hill Campus for 2-3 days a week with the option to work from home for part of the week.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in relevant subject area OR significant relevant work experience (candidates with excellent project management and leadership skills) 
2. Experienced in delivering project management/research projects/knowledge translation
3. Evidence of sustaining effective working relationships with stakeholders in the public or private sector
4. Demonstrates an understanding and reflection of inclusive research practices
5. Highly organized and proactive, able to multi-task and delegate effectively, with excellent verbal and written communication skills 
6. Commitment to integrity in research practices/processes with attention to detail and diligence 
7.  Experience in communicating to raise awareness and engagement including via social media channels
8. Able to build relationships at senior levels, facilitate joint decision making, develop innovative ways of working, and put strategies into action (Grade 7)

Desirable criteria

1.  Interest in working in research, policy, and practice within the Armed Forces Community 
2.  Experience in research or Project Management within the Armed Forces Community 
3. Experience in planning research events such as conferences and symposiums 
4. Experience in grant development/funding acquisition 
5.  Experience in measuring and reporting on impact (Grade 7)

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.