THE MAGDALEN COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
37,174 - 51,039 per year
Magdalen College, Oxford
Full-time
24th October 2025
MAGDALEN COLLEGE, OXFORD Assistant Director and Postdoctoral Researcher (3 year Fixed-Term Position) Further Particulars Job Summary The position of Assistant Director and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Calleva Research Centre at Magdalen College (whose formal name is ‘The College of St Mary Magdalen in the University of Oxford’), is available with effect from 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. This role presents an exciting career development opportunity within a growing, multidisciplinary centre for research excellence. The post comprises an administrative and strategic responsibility with respect to the management of the Calleva Research Centre (hereafter ‘Calleva Centre’) (0.2 FTE) and a responsibility to engage in independent academic research (0.8 FTE). In their administrative responsibility, the Assistant Director and Postdoctoral Researcher is responsible to the Director and Management Committee of the Calleva Centre. This is a three-year fixed-term position that is not subject to renewal. This post is intended to be taken up by an early-career researcher who has recently completed their doctoral studies and is keen to develop both their research agenda and their skills in managing academic programmes. Duties In their work as a researcher (0.8 FTE), the successful candidate will be expected to: • Propose, plan, and manage a high-quality programme of original research; • Publicise the outcomes of that research through the presentation of papers and internationally-recognised publications; • Work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines; • Work with other team members such as DPhil and project students; • Contribute ideas for new research projects and develop ideas for taking their own research programme forward to the next stage. In their work as an administrator (0.2 FTE), the duties of the successful candidate will include: • Supporting the Director of the Centre in the day-to-day administrative and strategic management of the Centre, including through providing written and oral briefings to the Director, building stakeholder relationships across College, and implementing the decisions of the Centre’s Management Committee; • Servicing the Centre’s Management Committee, both termly and extraordinary meetings, including briefing the Management Committee about the day-to-day administration of the Centre, and contributing to strategic discussions in the Management Committee as a non-voting member; • Delivering, end to end, the annual meetings of the Centre’s Advisory Board, including briefing the Advisory Board about the strategic direction of the Centre; • Managing finances of the grants awarded by the Centre, with support of the Magdalen College Accounts Office, to include invoice management, review of monthly and annual ledgers of transactions, and contribution to the financial planning of the Centre with respect to making grants; • Administrative leadership on the delivery of the Centre’s grant-making process, from advertising through assessment of grant applications, to communicating awards and funding set up – again in partnership with the College’s Accounts Office. • Designing and fully delivering the public lecture programme of the Centre in College each academic year; • Supporting the maintenance of a public brand for the Centre, including through managing the Centre website; and • Depositing materials relating to the administration of the Centre with the Magdalen College Archive. The successful applicant may engage in teaching and, if teaching, would normally be expected to give priority to the College’s own teaching needs. They must obtain permission from the Director of the Centre to engage in a substantial amount of teaching for other Colleges or institutions. Like other postdoctoral researchers of the Calleva Centre, the successful applicant will be required to prepare and submit an annual report to the Centre’s Management Committee. The report should describe research progress for the academic year, including any publications and conference presentations. Eligibility requirements • Candidates should hold, or be close to completion of, a doctorate within a (i) relevant field of research: the Centre prioritises funding which is interdisciplinary, (ii) addresses grand challenges for humanity and (iii) has significant potential for public engagement and/or impact beyond the discipline itself. If a candidate has not formally submitted their doctoral thesis at the time of application, they will be expected to do so before taking up the post. All successful candidates will already have demonstrated outstanding promise in their research. • Work experience with the administration or management of an organisation or large team, in a paid or voluntary capacity, is highly desirable. Please provide a 500-word personal statement describing your experience with administrative, managerial and/or organisational work. • Those who formally submitted their doctoral thesis for viva voce examination before 1 July 2024 are not eligible unless they have since had a career break (e.g. a period of parental leave, family commitments, or illness) or there are other exceptional circumstances. No applicant who has been appointed to a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in their career will be eligible. • All elements of the employment are subject to the right to work in the UK. Benefits • The salary for the post will be on the scale £37,174 – £51,039 per annum (equivalent to Grade 7 of the Magdalen College Pay Scale), depending on skills and experience, plus £1,500 per annum (Oxford Location Allowance). • Five free meals (lunch or dinner) in College, each week that the kitchen is open. • A generous annual research allowance to cover the reimbursement of expenses. The Centre’s Management Committee is currently in the position to award an allowance of up to £6,000 per annum to the postholder, or £10,000 per annum if they primarily undertake laboratory research. They will not be eligible for applying to the Centre’s termly competition for small grant funds, which is open to all other researchers affiliated with the College, but they will be able to apply to the Centre’s Management Committee for comparable funding where they believe a strong case can be made. • Entitlement to apply for additional research funds through the Calleva Centre’s termly competition for small grant funds, which is open to all researchers affiliated with the College. • Membership of the USS contributory pension scheme. • Flexible working conditions, by agreement with the Centre Director. • All employees of the College are entitled to the College’s enhanced benefits for Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental and Paternity Leave from day one of employment with no qualifying period. The College provides for maternity leave on a basis that exceeds the statutory provisions: women are eligible for 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of leave on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Similar arrangements are available for Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave. Paternity Leave is also available. Magdalen College has a priority claim on four places in the University nurseries. Applications • Please send your CV to human.resources@magd.ox.ac.uk by UK Time 12.00 noon on Monday, 20 October 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. • A research proposal of maximum 2,000 words must be submitted as part of the application. It should outline the research the applicant has completed or is currently completing, explain why this research is original and important, and describe the research they propose to undertake if chosen for the position. In line with the mission of the Calleva Centre, research agendas of an interdisciplinary nature will be favoured. • Please provide a 500-word personal statement describing your experience with administrative, managerial and/or organisational work. • Three referees' reports must be sent to human.resources@magd.ox.ac.uk by UK Time 12.00 noon on Friday, 24 October 2025. Two referees should primarily attest to the applicant’s academic excellence, and one referee should primarily attest to the applicant’s administrative or organisational experience. • A Recruitment Monitoring Form can be completed on our website at http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/job-vacancies/. It will form no part whatever of the selection process. • The appointment will be subject to proof of the candidate’s highest qualification achieved evidenced by the original degree certificate. • Following the initial offer of the position, appointment will be subject to proof of • the right to work in the UK. If the chosen candidate requires a UK visa, HR and the University Staff Immigration Team will discuss visa routes and will provide advice and assistance with an application. • Candidates in science subjects who require laboratory facilities must ensure that these would be available to them in Oxford during the period of the tenure of the Assistant Director position. They must have the written approval of the Head of Department for the University laboratory in which they need to work before the closing date for applications. Any candidate who may require substantial access • • to the central University computing services will also require the approval of the Director of Computing Services. If the chosen candidate requires any workplace adjustments, this would be brought to the attention of Human Resources through completion of a new starter Occupational Health Services Declaration. If the person appointed to the post is a migrant sponsored under the UK's points- based migration system, we are required to retain the applications for all shortlisted candidates until six months after we have ceased sponsoring the migrant in question. Data Protection All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post, and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protection Policy, which can be found at https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/other-policies/data-protection/. Applications are encouraged from candidates from all countries and all universities. Applications are particularly welcome from women and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford. Magdalen College is an Equal Opportunities Employer.