Project Coordinator

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer.

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.

The Department

Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and student employability. The department is committed to creating and maintaining a research environment that spans the entire breadth of psychology. Currently the department’s research falls within three groupings: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Social Psychology.

The department is extremely well-equipped for research, including facilities for fMRI, TMS, tDCS, EEG/ERP, VR, eye movement tracking, and biophysiological recording. The department also has a motion capture lab for analysis of visuomotor action and experiments in immersive VR, a ‘bar’ lab for naturalistic studies in health psychology, and setups for psychophysics including an echo-attenuated chamber.

In 2022, the Department received its third Athena SWAN Silver Award recognising our commitment to advancing women's careers in STEM academia and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the Department.

The successful candidate will join the vibrant Developmental Psychology Group and Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre who host regular meetings and activities, as well as have the opportunity to join a host of exciting inter-disciplinary networks in the University such as those supporting early career researchers. The successful candidate will gain opportunities to learn about different research methodologies and technologies utilised by the faculty in the department and adopt best practices to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and replicability.

The Role

The fixed-term Project Coordinator position is available 2.5 days per week (50% FTE) in the Department of Psychology at Durham University until 30 September 2027 – with the possibility of an extension until January 2027. The successful candidate will join the research project “Learning to Innovate: Development and Diversity” led by Dr Bruce Rawlings, in collaboration with Professor Cristine Legare (University of Texas at Austin). The aim of the project is to understand how educational experiences (going to school) impacts children’s ability to be innovative and creative around the world, and will study children in eight countries. The successful candidate will be based in Durham (UK). Data collection will be conducted by a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA), students, and Research Assistants (RAs), and the successful candidate will help coordinate data collection by helping recruit participants, organising team meetings, organising data, helping with administration/paperwork, training students/RAs, ordering and organising task materials, and liaising with international collaborators. You will be supported closely by Dr. Bruce Rawlings and the PDRA, Dr Charlotte Wilks.

The successful candidate will ideally start in October 2026, but this can be flexible and discussed. This post is fixed term until September 30, 2027, with the possibility of an extension until January 2027.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You’ll receive 27 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days.
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
• Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference to the local community.
• Our family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• If you are keen on advancing in your role or career, we have a genuine passion for developing our colleagues from qualifications to IT skills, courses and apprenticeships.
• We offer generous pension schemes with varying contribution amounts to help you plan for your future.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1. Five GCSEs at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.

2. Experience of working in a busy office environment delivering front line administrative services to a high standard.

3. Experience of managing time to meet deadlines and working under pressure without compromising on quality.

4. Experience organising data/paperwork electronically

5. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.

6. Experience of supervising a team

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

7. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

8. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including [digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems].

9. Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.

10. Committed to continuing professional development.

11. Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.

Desirable Criteria

12. An undergraduate degree in psychology, anthropology, education, or a related field.

13. Working with children/families.

14. Working with international collaborators.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Dr Bruce Rawlings would be happy to speak to you: bruce.rawlings@durham.ac.uk

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery

• Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s values.
• Work alongside team members to coordinate data collection and organisation.
• Ensure that relevant regulatory and professional standards are being used within services being delivered by your team.
• Supervise the implementation of changes to policies and procedures relating to your service area.
• Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Ensure that processes and business systems effectively support the services being delivered by the team by helping organise recruitment, organising and order task materials, data collection and data organisation.
• Monitor and analyse the use of equipment and resources to ensure efficiency and report your findings to senior colleagues.
• Ensure that data is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
• Use digital media e.g. SharePoint, OneDrive, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Social Media to update team members and colleagues, students and external contacts.
• Prepare reports for senior managers.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise own workload and the activities of other team members to deliver the role.
• Recruit and schedule children/families for experimental testing (mostly through telephone and email
• Organise and schedule assigned resources, data collection, activities and events.
• Contribute to planning the operational priorities of your team and make suggestions to senior colleagues on how to improve the service.
• Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.

Teamwork and Team Development

• Supervise and delegate tasks to other members of the team and make sure that they are completed
• Explain systems and procedures to new started and provide specialist advice and guidance (including any training) to help less experienced team members carry out their role
• Contribute to performance review processed by providing feedback on individual and team objectives and expectations and considering any development needs.
• Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other team members.
• Identify opportunities and contribute to discussions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.

Communications/Liaison

• Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
• Create good working relationships with other team members, including international collaborators and research assistants, local families and schools, and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.
• Liaise with staff in other areas, professional organisations and agencies]to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
• Create good working relationships with internal and external partners, including international collaborators and local families, and suppliers to work together on joint activities.
• Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.
• Liaise with external suppliers, contractors, specialists and service providers to plan the delivery of services and events.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas