Compiler Lab · University of Cambridge
Research Programme Manager¶
Build communities that change the world! Help a growing research lab and its international ARIA project run smoothly and reach further. You will plan and track our research programme and its budget, organise events that bring people together, connect us with partners and funders, and help turn our research into funding and spin-outs. You will be a core member of the team, working side by side with Tobias.
Whether you already manage research or come from a charity, a festival, a start-up, or open source: great candidates take many paths to this role. See who we have in mind.
Photo: Christian Richardt, CC BY 2.5, sky extended
Salary
£35,608 – £46,049
Closing date
31 October 2026
Contract
Fixed term, 2 years
Start
From December 2026
Hours
Full-time, or part-time from 40% FTE
Location
West Cambridge
Who we are looking for¶
You bring curiosity, care for people, and structure to ambitious goals. No background in compilers is needed.
Somewhere along the line, you may have been told that research management is only for people with the "right" CV. It isn't. Your experience matters, and so does how you connect with people, take ownership, and get things done in a down-to-earth way. Great candidates come from many walks of life, and few will tick every box. You might be:
- someone who keeps a charity, a festival, or a community project running, and quietly makes everyone around you better
- a research coordinator who wants to take ownership of a programme, not just support it
- a project manager in industry or open source who is curious about where new ideas come from
- a former researcher who found out that you love helping others shine
- a teacher, organiser, or operations lead who turns chaos into calm
- someone who builds honest, genuine relationships and says openly what is really going on
The formal selection criteria
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills to inspire collaboration among faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students
- Strong written and verbal communication for a wide range of audiences
- Experience delivering engagement and communication activities, events, and workshops
- Evidence of embedding equity and inclusion into professional practice
- Competence in planning, monitoring, and evaluating large-scale projects with measurable outcomes
- Experience leading interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder projects to time and budget
- Proactive problem-solving: you work independently, set goals, address risks, and manage competing priorities
- Experience in research administration, including setting up governance and monitoring systems
- Experience with budget preparation, expenditure tracking, and reporting, and a good standard of numeracy
- A degree, a level 6 vocational qualification, or equivalent experience
Nice to have
- Experience managing research-based programmes
- Proficiency with project management tools and collaborative platforms
- Experience providing administrative support in a busy office
What you will do¶
- Run the programme: plan and track our research programme, manage priorities and risks, and keep budgets and reporting in line with University and funder policies.
- Build systems that scale: set up the workflows that let students, postdocs, and partners contribute effectively, including smart use of AI and automation.
- Bring people together: organise conferences, workshops, and our community events, from Compiler Socials to activities away from the screen.
- Connect and share: build relationships with industry, funders, and policymakers, help our work reach new audiences, and handle the logistics of publishing, from open-access requirements to conference travel.
- Grow our impact: spot funding opportunities, support applications, and help create spin-outs, both for-profit and as Community Interest Companies.
- Keep things running: support the head of the group with meetings, travel, and expenses.
About us¶
We are a team of six PhD students, four postdocs, and visitors. We build compilers, the software that makes messaging apps secure, AI fast, and climate models practical, by combining strong mathematical theory with production-level engineering. Our work is open source and developed with the LLVM and Lean communities. As part of ARIA's Safeguarded AI programme, we lead AI-Scale Protocol Verification in LLVM/MLIR with partners at the University of Bristol, INESC-ID, and the University of Utah.
I believe that a research group does its best work when people enjoy working together. That is why we make time for things that have nothing to do with computers, like our sketching workshop, and why we invest in community: our Compiler Socials bring together compiler enthusiasts from across Cambridge. A happy group is a productive group, and as our Research Programme Manager, you will help shape that culture with us. — Tobias
What Cambridge offers¶
- 41 days of annual leave, including public holidays (pro rata for part-time)
- Flexible and hybrid working: part-time applications from 40% FTE are welcome, and you are invited to discuss flexibility before applying
- Pension through the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)
- Family-friendly policies, including 26 weeks of maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave on full pay, workplace nurseries, and a childcare salary exchange scheme
- Relocation support, including help with accommodation, childcare, schools, and immigration
- Development and benefits: training, reduced fees for Cambridge graduate courses, and CAMbens employee benefits
How to apply¶
Apply online by 31 October 2026 with your CV and a covering letter, quoting reference NR51238. The further particulars (PDF) give the full role description and selection criteria. In your covering letter, tell us about the experiences that make you a good fit, whether they come from work, volunteering, or elsewhere. You don't need to tick every box.
Questions? For an informal conversation about the role, email Tobias Grosser. For questions about the application process, contact hr-admin@cst.cam.ac.uk.
The University of Cambridge values diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of society. Appointments are made on merit.