Deputy Director for Corporate Strategy, Planning and Performance, UKRI

UKRI; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 91,000 - 110,000

Job description

UK Research and Innovation

Salary: from £91,943 per annum (dependent on skills and experience) - final salary will be awarded in line with UKRI pay principles.
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire with hybrid-working with regular travel to London (Note: a London location is available to UKRI employees on existing London-based contracts).

Context

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the UK’s main research and innovation agency. As the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK, we are a strategic partner to Government, and foster the thriving research and innovation ecosystem needed for effective investment from a wide range of other funders. We are unique globally in bringing together all research disciplines, a national innovation agency, and university research and knowledge exchange into a single funding body.

We maximise value from the UK Government’s investment in research and innovation, investing nearly £9bn per annum into a diverse and dynamic portfolio in people and careers, places and infrastructure, and ideas and innovation. We target key priorities to deliver impact, collaborating and partnering with others across government, and investing more through programmes on behalf of Departments. An organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, both to government and internationally, and an expert, innovative funder, UKRI is supported and challenged by an independent Chair and Board. UKRI is sponsored by, and funded through, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Following the establishment of DSIT as a relatively new Department, the recent appointment of new DSIT Ministers, and looking ahead to a new CEO joining UKRI later this year, this is an exciting time to join UKRI. The role forms part of the wider Investment Planning and Strategy Group (IPS) which also includes the central analytic function and investment planning. This role makes a major contribution to the whole of UKRI and, in turn, a significant impact, through research and innovation, on citizens’ lives, national prosperity, and the environment.

Role Purpose

The Deputy Director for Strategy, Governance and Performance role is an integral part of UKRI’s senior leadership team which currently has overall responsibility for drawing up UKRI’s corporate strategy and annual plans (the current strategic plan runs until 2027 and work on the new one will commence in late 2025), overseeing our sponsorship relationship with DSIT, developing our planning and performance frameworks, and providing leadership to key wider corporate support functions including CEO’s office and the main secretariat. The post holder will work closely with the senior team across UKRI, including the CEO, members of the Organisational Leadership Team (OLT) and Research Councils’ Executive Chairs, as well as with DSIT, cross-Whitehall officials and Ministers on behalf of UKRI. Reporting directly to the Chief of Investment Planning and Strategy, the Deputy Director will play a key role in helping to lead the Investment Planning and Strategy Group (IPS) as we move through the cycle of fiscal events, and to support the new Government’s priorities and plans for change. The role holder will have overall responsibility for UKRI’s corporate strategy, planning and performance, our sponsorship relationship with DSIT and key corporate support functions.

Key Responsibilities

The role provides leadership to around 34 FTE, and currently comprises the following responsibilities (which may evolve in light of changing requirements):

Strategic planning and performance

• Supporting, with other teams in IPS, the development and delivery of UKRI’s strategic plan; working across IPS and UKRI and with external partners to align objectives to define and deliver UKRI’s mission
• Ensuring a robust and aligned suite of Council Strategic Delivery Plans and UKRI’s annual Corporate Plan to ensure delivery of UKRI’s objectives
• Development and oversight of UKRI’s performance management framework, including quarterly reporting, annual balanced scorecard (working collaboratively with analytical colleagues)
• Responsibility for the Performance section of UKRI’s Annual Report and Accounts; working across UKRI to identify key performance highlights

UKRI sponsorship relationship with DSIT

• Lead the management of UKRI’s relationship with the DSIT sponsorship function, including oversight of UKRI’s Framework document, corporate objectives and indicators, quarterly Planning and Performance meetings, Governance and Assurance meetings, and Collaboration Board meetings
• Nurture our sponsorship relationship with UKRI, ensuring a strong and collaborative partnership based on coherence and consistency
• Responsibility for UKRI’s Parliamentary Questions hub, working collaboratively with colleagues in UKRI, DSIT and other government departments and offices, and drawing upon the wealth of knowledge of subject matter experts from across UKRI
• Responsibility for IPS’s briefing hub, supporting key briefings for UKRI’s Chair and CEO in their engagements with Minister Vallance and other DSIT stakeholders, including support and briefing for OLT as part of UKRI’s formal sponsorship meetings with DSIT

UKRI CEO office

• Oversight and management of the UKRI CEO office, the primary interface between the CEO and the organisation and stakeholders, including the communities we serve and Government. Ensuring coordinated, joined-up decision-making that supports the delivery of our organisational objectives, and provision of a high-quality service to the CEO

UKRI Integrative Secretariat Function

• Oversight and management of the new Integrative Secretariat Function. A new forward-leaning nature of the Secretariat function will enable strategic forward planning and oversight across and between committees, to support complementary and collective decision making

IPS business planning

• Oversight of IPS business planning and operations, ensuring IPS operates effectively and efficiently within its delegated limits (FTE and financial limits). Support the Chief of IPS regarding IPS design, ways-of-working, planning and key areas of focus, for example people action plan, wellbeing, L&D and talent
• Oversight of IPS’s executive support function – ensuring high-quality service for IPS senior management
• Represent IPS at senior UKRI governance committees, including the People, Finance and Operations Committee, Workforce and Financial Planning Committee and Organisational Change Board

You will need to provide visible leadership across UKRI, acting as a role model, inspiring teams and creating a culture of professional excellence, collaboration, inclusion, innovation and flexibility.

Other Key information

• Budget: Accountable for budget of up to £3m
• Reporting to: The UKRI Chief of Investment Planning and Strategy
• Management: Direct line management of five Band G colleagues, with a team of up to 35 staff

Person Specification

Candidates will be assessed against the following criteria throughout the recruitment process:

Essential

• Strategic thinking and analysis - ability to see the bigger picture and develop high-impact strategies that align to organisational objectives and national policy priorities
• Significant senior leadership experience with a proven ability to lead, develop, engage and inspire diverse teams through change
• Resilience and flexibility to thrive in complex changing environments, and to act decisively under pressure
• Able to generate trusted relationships and achieve buy-in at all levels with a diverse range of stakeholders across sectors and organisational boundaries
• Politically astute with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and maintain relationships at an organisational and Whitehall level
• Confidence to challenge the status quo, develop innovative solutions and model curiosity and thought leadership, with a “can-do” attitude

Desirable

• An understanding of the research and innovation sector and of central government
• Experience of leading corporate strategy, performance management and governance in a large and complex organisation

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit How we support EDI in the workforce.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded.

Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter/statement of suitability and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application/the careers portal.

Should you have any problem with submitting your application via the UKRI Careers Portal, please do send an email to [e-mail] and a member of our team will then be in touch.

Please note, to apply via the UKRI Careers Portal you will receive a notification confirming your profile has successfully been created (if you have not previously set up an account) and a second notification confirming your application for this role has been submitted. If you do not receive the second notification confirming your application for this role has been submitted, please contact [e-mail], so we can ensure your application has been received.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.