Research Ethics Facilitator

Research Ethics Facilitator

Department: Research Governance, Ethics & Integrity

About us

Research and innovation are at the heart of King’s College London’s mission to make a positive difference in the world. The Research Management & Innovation Directorate (RMID) leads this ambition by shaping and enabling the university’s research and innovation agenda, ensuring an environment in which our researchers, professional staff and doctoral students can excel. This work is guided by King’s Strategy 2030, which emphasises academic excellence, real‑world impact, and a culture where research and innovation can truly thrive.

The Department of Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity (RGEI) plays a critical role in safeguarding the quality and credibility of King’s research. The department ensures that all research conducted across the university is safe, ethical, lawful and carried out to the highest standards of integrity and rigour. Our teams develop and deliver policies, systems, guidance, training and initiatives that support researchers in navigating ethical and regulatory requirements, enabling them to conduct high‑quality research with confidence while feeling supported and valued.

About the role

As a member of the Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity Department, the successful applicant will support the delivery of the College's research ethics review processes and provide high quality administrative and operational support to the Research Ethics Office.

The role will involve supporting staff and students in considering the ethical implications of their research and facilitating the ethical review of healthy volunteer human participant research projects through the College Research Ethics Committee. The post holder will work closely with academic and professional services colleagues across the university, building effective relationships with departments to promote awareness of research ethics requirements and ensure that ethics processes are accessible, proportionate and reflective of the diverse research undertaken across the Faculties.

Acting as a first point of contact for the Research Ethics Office, the post holder will provide clear and accurate advice, respond to enquiries, and support researchers through the ethical review process. The role also includes leading and delivering research ethics training, contributing to the development and implementation of policies, procedures and guidance, and supporting continuous improvement activities across the service.

This is a busy and varied role requiring excellent organisational, communication and problem solving skills. The post holder will be expected to work independently, exercise sound judgement, manage competing priorities and maintain a high level of accuracy while working to deadlines in a complex and sometimes challenging environment.

The Research Ethics team currently consists of four Research Ethics Facilitators, each reporting to the Research Ethics Manager.

This full-time position (35 hours per week), based at our Lavington Street campus when office work is required, adheres to the university’s hybrid working model.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Experience working in an administrative or operational role, taking responsibility for managing processes, resolving issues and determining appropriate actions, using initiative and working independently where appropriate.
2. Experience managing a varied workload involving competing priorities and deadlines, with the ability to adapt to changing demands and maintain effective service delivery.
3. Experience interpreting and applying policies, procedures or guidance, and explaining these clearly and consistently to a range of audiences.
4. Experience providing professional, customer focused support and handling complex enquiries from a range of stakeholders, using established procedures, guidance and personal judgement to determine appropriate actions.
5. Strong critical thinking skills, with the ability to assess information, consider context and apply policies proportionately and flexibly to real world scenarios.
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally.
7. Accuracy and attention to detail, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
8. Good digital literacy, including experience using Microsoft 365 applications and other digital tools to manage information, maintain accurate records, support reporting activities, and develop guidance, training materials or other user resources.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of working in the area of Research Ethics and Research Governance in a HEI, NHS organisation or similar setting.
2. Experience of applying risk based or proportionate decision making within a regulatory, governance, compliance or policy based environment, including situations that are complex, varied or ambiguous.
3. Experience of delivering training, presentations or guidance sessions to a range of audiences.
4. Experience of administering and maintaining databases, case management systems or other digital platforms, including contributing to the development and improvement of workflows, application forms, reporting processes and service delivery.
5. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with staff and students, and respond patiently and professionally to individuals who may be frustrated, anxious or managing competing priorities.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Grade and Salary: £39,076 - £42,819 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance

Job ID: 160946

Post Date: 19-Oct-2026

Close Date: 02-Nov-2026

Contact Person: Laura Stackpole

Contact Details: laura.stackpoole@kcl.ac.uk