UK

United Kingdom · Research and development · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Research Liaison Coordinator

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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  • Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toResearch Liaison Specialist
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as R&D Project Support Assistant · Research Operations Administrator · Innovation Support Coordinator

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Further Learning and Employment (RQF) Open Awards · Level 2 · covers 4 of 10 standards
Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Care Professions (RQF) Open Awards · Level 2 · covers 2 of 10 standards
Focus Awards Level 2 Diploma in Care (RQF) Focus Awards Limited · Level 2 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IAO Level 2 Diploma in Care Innovate Awarding · Level 2 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Research Skills Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Further Learning and Employment (RQF)
Research skills for health and social care NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care
Assist the practitioner to carry out health care activities Focus Awards Level 2 Diploma in Care (RQF)

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Research Liaison Coordinator

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Research Skills Open Awards · covers 4 of 10 standards Level 2
  2. Research skills for health and social care NCFE · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 3
  3. Assist the practitioner to carry out health care activities Focus Awards Limited · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 2
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Research Liaison Coordinator?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Assisted Information Synthesis
  • Digital Workflow Automation (No-Code/Low-Code)
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Research Liaison Coordinator plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

A research liaison coordinator keeps research projects organised, connecting scientists with the people who need updates on their work.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) Intermediate

Drafting documents, basic data tracking, creating simple presentations, managing emails and calendars.

Jira & Confluence Intermediate

Updating project tickets, creating basic dashboards from templates, maintaining project documentation spaces and wikis.

SharePoint Intermediate

Uploading and organising documents, managing permissions for specific folders, ensuring version control.

MS Teams / Slack Intermediate

Communicating with teams, setting up channels, using for quick queries and file sharing.

Smartsheet Basic

Updating task lists, tracking simple project timelines, inputting data into existing sheets.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Project Scheduling & Logistics Propose meeting times to manager for approval; execute scheduling once approved. Independently schedule routine project meetings; consult manager on complex cross-functional or external partner schedules. Lead scheduling for major programme reviews; delegate routine scheduling to junior staff; advise on resource conflicts.
Document Management & Filing File documents according to established templates and folder structures; escalate any uncertainty to manager. Take ownership of maintaining specific project documentation sets; propose minor improvements to filing structures. Design and implement new document management taxonomies for workstreams; train team members on best practices.
Communication Content Draft routine internal emails or meeting summaries for manager review and approval before sending. Draft and send routine project updates to internal teams independently; consult manager for external communications. Author and disseminate key project communications to senior stakeholders; provide guidance on messaging for junior staff.
Problem Solving (Operational) Identify operational issues (e.g., conflicting schedules, missing documents) and escalate to manager with proposed solutions. Independently resolve routine operational problems within project guidelines; escalate novel issues. Lead resolution of complex operational challenges across multiple projects; make recommendations for process improvements.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Meeting Minutes & Action Item Accuracy
How accurately and completely you capture meeting discussions and assigned tasks.
Target · 98% accuracy on all recorded minutes and action items.

If you attend 10 project meetings in a month, we'd expect no more than 2 minor errors across all your minutes and action item lists.

Project Documentation Timeliness
Ensuring project reports, updates, and key documents are filed and distributed by their deadlines.
Target · 100% of routine project status reports and documents submitted on time.

All weekly project updates for the 'Quantum Leap' project are posted by Friday 5 PM, every week, without fail.

Administrative Task Reduction for PIs
The amount of time Principal Investigators (our lead scientists) save because you're handling their admin.
Target · Reduce PI administrative burden by 15% (as measured by survey).

PIs report spending 15% less time on scheduling, document filing, and chasing updates after you've taken over these tasks.

Stakeholder Support & Responsiveness
How quickly and effectively you respond to requests from research teams and other internal groups.
  • Feedback from scientists and project managers noting your helpfulness and quick turnaround. You're seen as someone who genuinely makes their lives easier, not just another admin layer. People will say things like, 'Honestly, I just email them and it gets sorted.'
Proactive Information Flow
Your ability to anticipate what information people need before they ask for it, especially for routine updates.
  • You'll often hear, 'Thanks for sending that, I was just about to ask!' or 'That update came at exactly the right time.' This means you're thinking ahead, not just reacting to requests.
Organisational Contribution
Your contribution to keeping our project management and knowledge systems tidy and up-to-date.
  • Our Jira boards are clean, Confluence pages are well-organised, and everyone can find the latest version of a document without a treasure hunt. Your manager won't have to remind you to tidy up project spaces
  • it'll just happen.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Making Things Run Smoothly

You'll feel a real sense of satisfaction when a complex meeting runs without a hitch, or when a project's documentation is perfectly organised and easy for everyone to access. You enjoy being the person who brings order to potential chaos.

You've just set up a new SharePoint folder structure for a tricky project, and a scientist tells you, 'Thank goodness, I can finally find everything!'

Supporting Groundbreaking Work

Even though you're not in the lab, you'll know your administrative support directly enables our scientists to focus on their experiments and discoveries. You're a vital part of the team bringing new ideas to life.

You've helped coordinate a critical material transfer agreement, and now the team can start a key experiment that could lead to a major breakthrough.

Learning and Growing

You'll be exposed to a huge variety of research projects and scientific concepts. If you love learning new things and understanding how complex R&D organisations function, you'll find plenty to soak up here.

You've started to understand the difference between TRL levels and can now anticipate what kind of information a project manager will need at each stage.

What frustrates people
  • Chasing people for information or approvals, especially busy scientists who see admin as a distraction.
  • Dealing with messy or inconsistent documentation from others, then having to tidy it up.
  • Being the 'middle person' for communication, sometimes feeling like a human email forwarder.
  • When an 'urgent' request from a senior leader completely derails your carefully planned day.
  • Seeing a project you've meticulously supported get put on hold or cancelled due to budget shifts.
What this role does not give you
  • Direct hands-on scientific research or lab work.
  • Significant decision-making authority or strategic influence in your first year.
  • A role where every single task is novel and exciting; there's plenty of routine.
  • Immediate opportunities to manage a team or lead large projects independently.

8Who you work with

This role directly supports the efficiency of our R&D pipeline. By keeping project documentation accurate and communication flowing, you're helping us avoid costly delays and ensuring that important research findings reach the right people at the right time. Essentially, you're helping us get our innovations to market quicker and more effectively.

Inside the business
  • Research Scientists and Principal Investigators (PIs)
  • R&D Project Managers
  • Legal Department (for agreements)
  • Finance Team (for grant tracking)
Outside the business
  • University Research Partners (for scheduling)
  • Vendor Representatives (for material transfers)
  • Grant Funding Bodies (for document submission)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Strong organisational skills; you can manage multiple tasks and deadlines without things falling through the cracks.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; you can articulate clearly and draft professional emails.
  • Proficiency with standard office software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook).
  • A genuine interest in science, research, or technology, even if your background isn't purely scientific.
  • The ability to work effectively as part of a team and take direction from more senior colleagues.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Project Management Tool Configuration

You'll move beyond just updating tickets to understanding how to set up new project boards, customise workflows, and build more complex reports within tools like Jira or Smartsheet. This allows you to tailor the tools to specific project needs.

Workflow Customisation · Reporting & Dashboard Building · User Permissions & Security

  • This quarter: Ask your manager to shadow them when they're setting up a new project in Jira or Smartsheet.
  • Next 6 months: Volunteer to take on more complex administration tasks within these tools, like cleaning up old projects or archiving data.
  • Within a year: Take an online course on advanced Jira administration or Smartsheet functionality.
  • Ongoing: Read the release notes for these tools to stay updated on new features.

Quick win: Offer to help your manager organise an existing messy project board in Jira; it's a great way to learn the ropes.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Attend internal R&D 'lunch and learn' sessions to learn about ongoing research projects.
  • Take online courses on scientific writing or technical communication to improve your ability to summarise complex information.
  • Shadow a Research Liaison Specialist to understand their day-to-day activities and challenges.
  • Participate in any internal training programmes on our project management software (Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet).

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Assisted Information Synthesis

AI tools are getting incredibly good at summarising vast amounts of text and extracting key information. This means less time spent manually sifting through documents and more time understanding what really matters.

  • Large Language Models (LLMs)
  • Prompt Engineering Basics
  • Fact-Checking AI Outputs

Digital Workflow Automation (No-Code/Low-Code)

Many repetitive administrative tasks can be automated without needing to write complex code. Tools like Zapier or Microsoft Power Automate can connect different apps and save hours of manual work, making you much more efficient.

  • If-Then Logic
  • API Integrations (Conceptual)
  • Process Mapping

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Awareness
  • Stage-Gate Process Familiarity
  • Basic IP Concepts
  • Data Organisation & Integrity

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Administrative Assistant / Executive Assistant

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Organisation, scheduling, professional communication, document management, basic office software proficiency.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're the go-to person for keeping things organised in your current role.
    • You've shown initiative in improving administrative processes.
    • You can manage multiple priorities without dropping the ball.
    • You've worked with different teams and adapted your communication style.
  2. 2

    Junior Project Coordinator (Non-R&D)

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Project documentation, tracking action items, basic project scheduling, stakeholder communication, using project management tools.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You understand basic project lifecycles and terminology.
    • You're comfortable using tools like Jira or Asana.
    • You've supported a project manager and understand their needs.
    • You can identify and flag potential project risks or issues.
  3. 3

    Recent Science Graduate (with Admin Experience)

    0-1 year

    Skills to master

    • Practical application of administrative skills in a professional setting, understanding business processes, professional communication norms.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You have a degree in a scientific field but also held a part-time admin role or volunteered in an organised capacity.
    • You're eager to apply your scientific understanding in an operational context.
    • You can demonstrate strong organisational skills from academic projects or extracurricular activities.
    • You're a quick learner and can pick up new software and processes rapidly.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to managing R&D programmes and partnerships, or into a director role setting strategy for research partnerships.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Research Liaison Coordinator is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • Research Liaison Specialist

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Research Skills, worked against Research Liaison Coordinator.

Research Skills Level 2

Applied to your work in Research Liaison Coordinator

The objective of this unit is to enable learners to develop essential research skills. Learners will understand various research methods, learn how to plan and execute a research project, and gain the ability to report on and evaluate research findings effectively, considering validity, reliability, and ethical implications.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Research Liaison Coordinator
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Awareness
  • Stage-Gate Process Familiarity
  • Basic IP Concepts
  • Data Organisation & Integrity
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Research Liaison Coordinator is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Research Liaison Specialist

    2-3 years

    From L1 to L2

    • Full ownership of liaison activities for 1-3 specific R&D projects, including managing their Stage-Gate process.
    • Conducting preliminary IP searches or freedom-to-operate analysis (with guidance).
    • Building and maintaining custom R&D dashboards in Tableau or Power BI.
    • Facilitating small group meetings or workshops independently.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a lot of the 'busy work' in R&D liaison can be handled by smart tools. Imagine spending less time on tedious admin and more time actually understanding the science or connecting with people. That's where AI comes in. We're building an AI Productivity Hub specifically for our R&D team, and you'll be one of the first to use it.

For a Research Liaison Coordinator, AI isn't about replacing you; it's about making you incredibly efficient. It'll take care of the repetitive tasks that eat up your day, freeing you up to focus on the more interesting, human-centric parts of your role. Think of it as having a super-fast, tireless assistant.

Automated Meeting Summaries

Forget frantically typing notes. Our AI tools can listen to meeting recordings (with consent, of course!), transcribe them, and then summarise the key decisions, action items, and next steps. You'll just need to review and tidy up, not write from scratch. This means you can actually participate in the discussion, not just document it.

Smart Document Organisation

Imagine uploading a new research report, and AI automatically tags it with relevant keywords, identifies key researchers, and suggests the correct folder in SharePoint. This ensures everything is where it should be, making it easier for everyone to find information later. No more manual metadata entry for every single document.

Rapid Research Abstracting

Got a dense scientific paper or grant proposal you need to understand quickly? Feed it into an LLM and get a concise abstract of the main findings, methodology, and implications. This helps you grasp the core of the research much faster, so you're better prepared for meetings and discussions.

Drafting Routine Communications

Need to send a standard email reminder about an upcoming deadline or a routine project update? AI can draft it for you based on a few bullet points. You'll still add your personal touch and review for accuracy, but it cuts down on the initial writing time significantly. This helps you keep everyone informed without it eating into your day.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Research Liaison Coordinator?

Common routes in include Administrative Assistant / Executive Assistant (1-2 years), Junior Project Coordinator (Non-R&D) (1-2 years) and Recent Science Graduate (with Admin Experience) (0-1 year). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Research Liaison Coordinator progress to?

This role can lead on to Research Liaison Specialist (2-3 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Research Liaison Coordinator?

Increasingly, AI-Assisted Information Synthesis and Digital Workflow Automation (No-Code/Low-Code). These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in research and development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills built here, project coordination, stakeholder communication, reading technical information and managing processes, transfer well to other settings. This can lead to project management in other technical industries, operations management, or roles in grant management or technology transfer at academic institutions.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.