Core Competencies

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Core Competencies

The ARMA Professional Development framework is a rich resource, designed to support individuals, teams and team managers. Depending on where you are in your career journey, the Framework can be used in a variety of ways.

A helpful starting point is the ‘How to use’ section of the PDF, which provides an overview of the full framework, its structure and sections.

Individuals

Fundamental research staff core competencies and knowledge

The following skills and knowledge are inherent in working in research and underpin the daily work of operational, managerial and leadership staff.
These skills are embedded in daily work:

Interpersonal

Networking

Communication

Analytical
Self-management
Equality, diversity and inclusion

These underpinning skills can be remembered by the acronym IINCASE

Transferable (generic) competencies and knowledge

Many transferable skills cross-cut job function, pathway, and task.

These skills may not be deployed daily, nor be equally abundant in each pathway, but they are substantive skills that are developed through all careers in research:

Training & development

Networking

Negotiation

Numeracy

Project Management

Marketing/PR

Creativity

Influencing

Problem solving

Transferable competencies by job family

There are numerous transferable skills that are more specific to the job family, as detailed below:

Operational

Administrative
Information search
Self-management
People management
Assertiveness
Information management
Accuracy
Sales
Constructive feedback
Customer service
Financial
Team building

Managerial

Administrative
Information search
Self-management
People management
Accountancy
Strategic Thinking

Leadership

Change Management
Horizon Scanning
Marketing / PR
Decision Making
Sales
Strategic Thinking

Research administration specific competencies: Researcher Culture and Development

Embed the principles of positive research culture across the organisation

Operational

Inclusive behaviours and inclusive communication
Effective cross-team collaboration
Critical analysis

Managerial

Enable cross-function collaboration
Grow diverse talent
Seek and enable growth opportunities for staff working in research enabling functions

Leadership

Build strong multi-function teams
Forge strong strategic collaborations
Design effective processes to embed research culture principles in team operations

Support Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers

Operational

Support the admissions, recruitment and progression process for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers
Inclusive communication and inclusive behaviours
Support reporting and returns (HESA; REF)

Managerial

Ensure compliance with institutional regulations, QAA and Research Council guidance
Manage large doctoral training awards (financial and student management)
Oversee preparation of large institutional doctoral training applications

Leadership

Develop partnerships with other institutions for recruitment and programme delivery
Lead Research Council bids
Ensure the strategic direction of PGR programmes is aligned with the organisation’s vision and plans

Research administration specific competencies: Research Strategy and Planning

Contributing to research policy and strategy

Operational

Disseminate expertise on the research policy and funding landscape throughout the institution
Collate information for external assessments, reviews and consultations
Coordinate the TRAC process and calculate internal payment rates

Managerial

Develop an operational plan for implementing local and external policy and strategy
Ensure internal processes can deliver data required by external bodies on-time and in the correct format
Develop robust policy, informed by a wide-range of stakeholders

Leadership

Develop institutional policy and strategy and ensure it is current and satisfies both internal and external needs
Champion policy and strategy and ensure buy-in across the institution

Identifying funding sources and customers

Operational

Strong understanding of funding trends and opportunities
Disseminate information on funding opportunities via appropriate communications
Develop and uphold strong relations with funders and researchers

Managerial

Become an authority on institutional excellence and strategic priorities
Develop strategic funding plans
Ensure effective communications systems are in-place to capitalise on opportunities

Leadership

Embed strategies and practices that enable the institution’s strategic research aims
Promote cross-disciplinary working and break down barriers

Research administration specific competencies: Research Systems and Technology

Working with Management Information Systems

Operational

Collect and collate data on research proposals, awards, outputs, impact
Collect and collate data relevant to Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers
Monitor and measure success by category, for example, funder, department, faculty
Carry out sector benchmarking

Managerial

Evaluate current and new management information systems and processes
Design new management information system processes when needed
Train users on the corporate reporting tool
Manage projects to implement management information systems

Leadership

Formulate information systems strategy
Align information systems with institutional strategy
Ensure integration with other corporate systems and information

Making Statutory Returns

Operational

Disseminate guidelines (such as HESA, HEBIS, REF, RAS) researchers and colleagues
Draft a timetable for submission
Capture, verify and follow-up on relevant return data at local and central level

Managerial

Develop systems and processes to capture, store and analyse data; and to report on the basis required for the return
Monitor systems and processes for data accuracy
Employ appropriate strategies to ensure that researchers and colleagues meet deadlines

Leadership

Develop new processes to reflect changing external requirements
Make decisions on the basis of management information collected for the return
Stay abreast of the digital shift and emerging technological trends, to ensure the vision and strategic plans are future-proof, agile and sustainable

Research administration specific competencies: Research Funding & Development

Preparing proposals

Operational

Advise staff on proposal requirements and collate information
Contribute to training and development delivery
Facilitate discussions between potential co-applicants

Managerial

Develop and embed effective processes for preparing proposals 
Develop strategies that enhance funding success
Develop data driven approaches to improve success, analysing funding data

Leadership

Provide strategic direction for maximising funding success
Facilitate cross-discipline proposal development
Provide an institutional-wide portfolio overview and report to senior management

Costing, pricing and submitting funding proposals

Operational

Provide accurate and realistic costings for proposals
Assist with developing and review of proposals
Upload (or assist with) the proposal to funder site and log information locally

Managerial

Ensure sufficient resource and optimal allocation to proposals
Oversee the financial implications for individual and portfolio-wide proposals for the institution
Quality control applications

Leadership

Support large funding calls (e.g., units, centres, multi-partner)
Ensure a well functioning support service with appropriate tools and systems to support high-quality proposals
Adopt an institution-wide approach to support innovation and creativity, effective resource allocation, and optimal service

Research administration specific competencies: Research Governance and Compliance

Supporting research ethics and governance

Operational

Research ethics and governance
Process research ethics applications (including quality control)
Committees and Group administrative support, including ethics, audit and misconduct

Managerial

Advanced knowledge/oversight of research governance and ethics
Translate complex information into digestible and usable material (policies, best practice, templates)
Develop ethics and governance training and development
Process review and development for audit, governance and ethics

Leadership

Robust process and system development for ethics, governance, monitoring, and reporting
Act as the institutional champion for good research conduct
Develop and promote cultural change, where individuals constructively challenge others and report inappropriate research activity

Trusted research

Operational

Conduct due diligence on prospective international partners/countries 
Provide guidance on compliant data storage/sharing techniques
Understand and guide on export controls

Managerial

Ensure strict adherence to complex legislation
Compile data repository on international collaborations
Advise on compliant data storage and sharing

Leadership

Develop robust policy to protect data and IP
Enable secure international collaborations
Coordinate institutional responses to evolving international situations

Responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Operational

Event coordination and marketing
Ensure compliance and provide guidance to toolkits
Translation of feedback into enhancements

Managerial

Develop RRI training package
Convince management to embed behaviour change
Embed monitoring and evaluation framework

Leadership

Embed a culture of critical reflection in research
Showcase institutional work externally

Research administration specific competencies: Research Projects and Income

Drafting, negotiating and accepting contracts

Operational

Contract negotiation
Conflict resolution
Accurate technical administration

Managerial

Regulatory, ethical and legal contractual considerations
Ensure clarity in contractual roles and responsibilities 
Decisive and assertive communication

Leadership

Risk reduction via contract development
Statutory obligations
Technical and legal implications

Dealing with project finances

Operational

Compliant administrative support (differentiated by funder)
Communicate finance information and concepts
Support funder and institutional financial process

Managerial

Ensure appropriate financial support systems
Management accounting
Ensure training and development opportunities reflect operational need and systems

Leadership

Project finance regulations and requirements
Risk management and escalation
Accounting structures

Employing staff on research contracts

Operational

Support the end-to-end recruitment cycle 
Assist with development of job descriptions/ further particulars
Champion EDI in advertising, role description, and panel membership

Managerial

Implement systems to ensure continuity in recruitment
Act as a conduit between different areas of the institution
Ensure recruitment plans and conditions comply with funder, institutional and regulatory policies

Leadership

Establish training and development provision
Concordats and directives
EDI and balanced working arrangements

Reports for funders

Operational

Interpret guidance and seek clarity from funders
Influencing skills to aid timely report completion
Assist with report submission and necessary data retention

Managerial

Provide clarity around roles and responsibilities
Strategize to expedite report development, review and submission 
Build strong working relations between project and support staff to enable optimal working

Leadership

Resource allocation
TRAC expertise
Contribute to national discussion
KTP and business development pathway creation

Research administration specific competencies: Research Impact and Engagement

Dissemination and Public Engagement

Operational

Produce reports and case study materials on research outputs for internal/external use, including REF
Understand funders’ terms and conditions with respect to dissemination of research outputs (including IP) and public engagement
Deliver training on sustainable research, impact and engagement

Managerial

Ensure that researchers comply with funders’ and the institution’s requirements, with respect to dissemination/Open Access/public engagement/ archiving
Promote, and maximising use of, budgets provided for research outputs dissemination and public engagement
Develop and deliver training on impact, sustainable research and public engagement

Leadership

Develop and maintain an Open Access policy for the institution
Identify and meet researcher training needs in relation to dissemination and public engagement
Contribute to national policy consultations, e.g. dissemination/Open Access/public engagement

Knowledge Exchange and Business Development

Operational

Collaborate with researchers to develop KE/KT and translational research proposals
Broker relationships between researchers and external partners
Identify and addressing common challenges and needs shared by customers and partners

Managerial

Manage the KE/KT function, ensuring quality of interactions with partners/customers
Account manage key clients (e.g. partners/ customers)
Develop institutional and faculty procedures to support business development for KE/KT (e.g. Finance, legal, insurance)

Leadership

Lead institutional KE/KT policy and strategy
Contribute to the institution’s research and commercialisation strategies (including consultancy)
Ensure policies, plans and practices are informed by the connectivity between KE/KT, REF and research impact

Technology Transfer

Operational

Seek technology transfer opportunities that support institutional priorities
Protect IP, including instructing and liaising with IP professionals such as patent agents and legal advisors
Define, negotiating, and successfully closing license and related agreements

Managerial

Account manage key clients
Monitor legal and regulatory requirements in relation to technology transfer
Develop procedures to support technology transfer in relevant forms e.g. licensing of copyrighted materials

Leadership

Set the technology transfer vision for the institution, or supporting and contributing to this vision
Contribute to regional/national technology transfer networks, policies and initiatives
Ensure working practices are informed by the connectivity between technology transfer, sustainability and impact

Supporting CPD Courses

Operational

Identify and respond to external training needs that match institutional priorities
Plan and coordinate the delivery of CPD programmes
Budget

Managerial

Assure programme quality – institutional/Professional Body/other processes
Account manage a portfolio of customers/partners
Develop procedures to support course development

Leadership

Lead institutional policy and strategy on CPD course provision
Develop an appropriate support infrastructure to support CPD course provision; 
Ensure the alignment between CPD provision, REF and other strategic priorities

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