Suzanne Pemberton
Leeds
Summary
Research Management professional with over twenty years' experience in a wide variety of HEI research support roles across three academic disciplines, and a solid background in NHS and HEI financial services
Overview
37
37
years of professional experience
Work History
Faculty Research and Innovation Manager
University of Leeds, Faculty of Social Sciences
06.2018 - Current
- Management and leadership of the Faculty Research and Innovation Office team
- Ensuring the provision of a pre- and post-award research support service to support the Facuty's academic colleagues, and internal and external partners
- Building and maintaining good, effective working relationships with research academic leadership in the Faculty in order to optimise research activity and financial performance
- Being proactively involved in horizon-scanning for research funding opportunities, staying up to date with developments in the wider research funding landscape, and partnering with research development and academic colleagues to maximise opportunities
- Partnering and working closely with academic colleagues to understand their research activity and consequently best align the University to achieve its research strategy, e.g. by co-running the Pro-Dean for Research monthly 'surgery'
- Allying with academic leadership in the Faculty to implement, develop and adapt the peer review process, ensuring rigorous assessment of the quality of grant applications with a view to increasing grant capture and maximising research income
- Overseeing compliance with a wide range of regulations, policies and procedures, internally and externally
- Taking a lead on the delivery of the Faculty's annual financial Integrated Planning Exercise for research, including in-depth analysis of financial performance against KPIs, and collaboration with senior leaders to establish a financial plan which aligns with research strategy and long term financial sustainability
- Overseeing the in-year forecasting for research income and net recoveries; in collaboration with the Head of Finance, advising academic colleagues on the Faculty's projected research financial position
- Overseeing the preparation of regular statistics for research, monitoring these against plan and working closely with Finance and Academic colleagues to analyse performance and act accordingly; also producing bespoke, specific financial management information as required
- Producing and disseminating financial and other information across the Faculty, to inform academic colleagues on relevant subjects, for example research grant finances, funding landscape, and grant management; this is in the form of workshops, presentations at management meetings, and written guidance documents, e.g. co-presenting the Faculty's suite of research funding workshops, and publishing the 'post-award handbook'
- Providing expert financial advice on all aspects of research funding
- Participating in committees, working groups and any other meetings to help improve all aspects of research support delivery
- Representing the Faculty and University at local and national events, e.g. ARMA workshops, funder study tours
- Undertaking relevant Continuing Professional Development to best inform and benefit the Faculty and University
Research Support Officer
University of Bradford, Faculty of Health
12.2016 - 06.2018
- Pre-award support to the Faculty of Health
- Partnering with academic colleagues to enhance and develop research grant bidding activity
- Preparation of costings, and submission, to a variety of funders for research grant applications
- Enhancing colleagues' understanding of the research funding landscape and funding opportunities by way of running workshops, presenting at departmental meetings, and 1-1 bespoke assistance
- Assisting with raising the quality of research grant applications through lay review of applications
- Participation in horizon-scanning and funder outreach in order to best align the University's research capability with funder requirements
- Working closely with the Faculty's academic leadership to promote research activity and increase grant capture
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of Arts & Humanities
06.2008 - 12.2016
- Pro-actively managed a portfolio of research grants, including some high-value and complex projects
- Assisted, and eventually led the post-award team in the provision of a quality post-award service for the Faculty's research grants
- Full range of post-award support across grant set up, management, closing and audit
- Responsibility for managing day-to-day aspects of post-award processes
- Working closely with Principal Investigators and other project staff, to best support the running of their projects
- Close liaison and collaboration with a wide range of colleagues and external partners
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of Medicine & Health
12.2005 - 06.2008
- Setting up and assisting with the financial aspects of research grant management for the Faculty from a variety of funders
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of ESSL
09.2004 - 04.2005
- Costing and pricing of research grant applications to a variety of funders for the Faculty
Finance Officer
University of Leeds, Nuffield Institute for Health
04.1997 - 09.2004
- Supervision of the Institute's Finance Office, including: accounts payable and receivable, preparation of costings for teaching, consultancy and research, financial record keeping, processing of cash and cheque receipts, line management of the Finance Clerk
Management Accounts Assistant
St James University Hospital
Leeds
04.1991 - 04.1997
- Preparation of monthly management accounts for a variety of hospital departments including: running of reports, analysis of variances, preparation of financial reports for departmental managers, and liaison and discussion with managers regarding the financial position and actions to be taken, follow-up adjustments including journal posting and budget adjustments
- Annual budget setting
Trainee Accountant
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
Leeds
09.1989 - 09.1991
- Training role based across all hospitals in the Leeds West district, assisting in a full range of financial support roles including: cash/bank reconciliations, raising sales invoices, general ledger entries and maintenance, journal entries, accounts payable, credit control, in-patient bank facility, banking of cash/cheque receipts
Education
A-Levels -
Lawnswood School
Leeds1989
GCSEs -
Lawnswood High School
Leeds1987
Skills
- Research funding
- Financial planning
- Compliance oversight
- Grant management
- Performance analysis
- Strategic partnership
- Data analysis
- Horizon scanning
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
- Workshop facilitation
- Risk assessment
- Problem solving
Accomplishments
- Successfully completed the ARMA Certificate in Research Administration
- Co-presented the national ARMA 'Post-award Finance Induction' workshop
- The pre-award team, under my leadership, has been nominated several times by academic colleagues, both individually and collectively, for University-wide 'Professional Services Staff Member or Team of the Year' awards
Timeline
Faculty Research and Innovation Manager
University of Leeds, Faculty of Social Sciences
06.2018 - Current
Research Support Officer
University of Bradford, Faculty of Health
12.2016 - 06.2018
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of Arts & Humanities
06.2008 - 12.2016
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of Medicine & Health
12.2005 - 06.2008
Research Support Officer
University of Leeds, Faculty of ESSL
09.2004 - 04.2005
Finance Officer
University of Leeds, Nuffield Institute for Health
04.1997 - 09.2004
Management Accounts Assistant
St James University Hospital
04.1991 - 04.1997
Trainee Accountant
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
09.1989 - 09.1991
A-Levels -
Lawnswood School
GCSEs -
Lawnswood High School