Compliance and Assurance Officer

About this role

Ref Number

B09-01416

Professional Expertise

Research and Research Support

Department

Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) (B09)

Working Pattern

Full time

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

About us

UCL is London’s Global University and a world-leading research-intensive institution, consistently ranked amongst the top universities globally. With an annual turnover of over £1 billion and a diverse, internationally connected research portfolio, UCL’s research and innovation activity continues to grow in scale, ambition and complexity.

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) provides professional expertise and support across the full research and innovation lifecycle. The directorate comprises Award Services, Contract Services, Planning, Insight and Improvement, and Compliance and Assurance. Together, these teams work in partnership with academic colleagues to support the development, governance and successful delivery of UCL’s externally funded research portfolio.

Compliance & Assurance plays a central role in strengthening governance, risk management and regulatory compliance across research and innovation. The team provides expert advice that enables UCL’s academic mission while protecting the institution from legal, reputational and financial risk.

Reporting to the International Risk and Partnerships Manager, the Compliance & Assurance Officer will support the operational delivery of key governance and assurance processes.

The postholder holds responsibility for maintaining an efficient, effective service and management of key Compliance and Assurance processes (e.g. due diligence, export controls and national security). In addition to supporting the broader Compliance & Assurance remit, this post will have a specific focus on conducting due diligence on ad hoc contractual and commercial relationships between UCL and third parties. This will include undertaking financial and organisational due diligence, reviewing corporate structures and ownership, assessing financial standing and creditworthiness, and identifying legal, reputational, financial and national security risks associated with proposed relationships. The postholder will work closely with UCL Finance, including the Accounts Receivable and Revenue Recognition service, to provide due diligence advice and risk assessments to support these processes.

The role requires sound judgement, discretion and the ability to assess and mitigate risk in situations where information may be incomplete or complex.

About you

You will bring experience of supporting research compliance or assurance activity within a higher education environment, with a strong understanding of research administration processes, policies and governance requirements.

Comfortable working in a complex organisation, you will have experience of maintaining systems and records, responding to operational queries and supporting research management processes. An understanding of financial due diligence would be advantageous.

You are analytical and solutions-focused, able to interpret complex issues and present clear, balanced recommendations. You are confident handling sensitive and confidential information, and you demonstrate excellent judgement and professionalism in your approach.

With strong written and verbal communication skills, you are able to work collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, providing a responsive and helpful service while maintaining high standards of accuracy and integrity.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

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