Research Finance Business Partner
Location: SAMS, Oban
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time - 37 hours per week – Monday to Friday
Salary : £27,644 - £30,805 per annum
Closing date: 10th July 2026
The Role :
The Research Contracts team manages a diverse portfolio of collaborative scientific research projects. This role provides high-quality administrative support to the team and is based in Oban. The post-holder will work closely with project managers and colleagues across the organisation, as well as external stakeholders including funders, universities, research partners and auditors.
The Research Finance Business Partner will provide comprehensive administrative and financial support across a range of research projects, working with internal departments and external partners to ensure the effective delivery of project activities. Responsibilities include responding to enquiries, gathering and organising information, maintaining project documentation, preparing and distributing reports, supporting financial administration, and assisting with audit preparation.
Our Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be highly organised, proactive and detail-oriented, with excellent communication skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively. A customer-focused approach, strong administrative skills, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team are essential.
You will have experience of monitoring and tracking budgets, together with previous experience of working in a busy office environment. Knowledge of research funding processes and experience within a research administration setting would be advantageous.
Employee Benefits
Our relatively small, caring community is an ideal environment for making friends, forming collaborations, and supporting each other to do the work that we really care about. Oban and surrounding areas provide a fantastic base to live and work, and we offer a wide range of employee benefits, support and inclusive culture, making SAMS a great place to work.
Our employees are the heart of our business. Recruiting and retaining the right people is the key to our success. Rewarding our employees is therefore an important component of our employment package and we have a wide range of benefits on offer to staff to support your work and lifestyle.
We are proud to provide a wide variety of benefits year-round, offering options to best support our staff, such as: flexible & hybrid working options, purchase of additional annual leave, shopping discounts, Cycle 2 Work scheme, purchases of technology through salary sacrifice, Payroll Giving, Pensions Plus, access to portals to support health and wellbeing, a sabbatical scheme, free car parking with access to electronic charging points as well as access to a number of training & development courses.
Additionally, SAMS encourages and recognises excellence among staff through various recognition and reward arrangements. We are striving to constantly develop and expand the benefits and offers for our colleagues.
Interested?
We would love to hear from you. If you have queries on the job and would like to talk these through before applying, please email these through, in the first instance, to people@sams.ac.uk
Applications must include CV and Cover Letter and should be sent electronically to recruitment@sams.ac.uk quoting Job Ref. ‘S05/26.GML’ in the subject heading.
Closing date for application is 10 July 2026
Full details can be found here:
Research Finance Business Partner - Job Description.pdf
Research Finance Business Partner - JD Accessible Format.pdf
Please find further information below on how we can help you apply:
We are a Disability Confident Employer. Where a candidate requires reasonable adjustments as part of the application process, we encourage you to let us know. Where applicants with a disability meet the essential criteria for the job, you will be given the opportunity to demonstrate your skills, talent and abilities at interview.
SAMS’ commitment to gender equality has been recognised, as our institute was presented with an Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) Bronze Award and is currently working towards Investors in Diversity accreditation.
SAMS follows Fair Work Practices.
SAMS Group is committed to being an equal and open organisation. Diversity and inclusion are important to us, and we strive to remove any barriers that may prevent people from applying to join us. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, and from all who share our values and can help us to broaden our knowledge and range of ideas.