Operations Manager - SOFAIR Lab (Part-Time 0.5fte)

Ref Number

B04-07623

Professional Expertise

Administration and Business Support

Department

UCL BEAMS (B04)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Part time

Salary

£54,931-£64,644

Contract Type

Fixed-term

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

Yes

Closing Date

30-Jul-2026

About us

UCL Computer Science is a global leader in research, teaching and innovation in computer science. Home to some of the world’s most influential and creative researchers, the department is at the forefront of tackling society’s most complex challenges while educating the next generation of computer scientists.

We are the highest-ranked department in England and second in the UK for computer science research power in the most recent REF, reflecting the real-world impact and excellence of our work. Our teaching is equally distinguished, with a top 5 UK ranking in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2026.

We are equally proud of our work in EDI and outreach, promoting equity, diversity and inclusion across our community and aiming to inspire, empower and engage people from all backgrounds. As the first computer science department in the UK to receive an Athena Swan Gold Award, we are committed to creating a fair, inclusive and supportive environment for all staff and students. Our impact extends beyond academia through strong partnerships with industry and a track record of innovation, including over $5 billion in combined company value created by UCL Computer Science academics over the past decade.

SOFAIR (Science of Fundamental AI Research) Lab. The SOFAIR Lab will unite interdisciplinary academic expertise to pursue fundamentally new AI architectures, moving beyond incremental refinement of existing models. By advancing open, distributed, and trustworthy AI systems, SOFAIR will reduce national dependency, extend the UK LLM initiative, stimulate innovation and spin outs, and position the UK at the centre of global efforts to shape the future of open AI.

This role is offered on a part-time contract (0.5 FTE). The full-time equivalent annual salary is £54,931–£62,903, pro rata, inclusive of the London Allowance.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the newly created SOFAIR Lab. The successful applicant will implement the KPIs for each SOFAIR Lab area of activity, will assist with the day-to-day staff activities and collaborate regularly with the SOFAIR Lab Director & Lab Manager. In particular they will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of all Lab activities reflected in regular reports to DSIT/UKRI/EPSRC and collaborators.

They will play a leading role in the management and administration of Lab finance that will require project and budget management, business planning, reporting and networking with internal and external current and potential project stakeholders. This will require close working relationships with Finance Managers across the CS Department, Faculty of Engineering and UCL.

This is role is open to internal candidates on a secondment basis, as well as external candidates.

This role is available until 31st December 2027 in the first instance.

About you

Educated to degree level or have significant relevant experience, you will be able to network effectively with a wide range of people, often at senior levels. You will have marketing and promotion experience within an HE or related Industry setting and demonstrable experience of effective budgetary management.

You will possess excellent IT skills and the ability to organise and prioritise a varied and demanding workload.

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