Operations Lead

Operations Lead - UKRI Talent

Salary: £36,650 per annum
Band: UKRI D
Team: UKRI Talent and Skills
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Fixed Term (12 months)
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire (hybrid working options available)

About the role

We are recruiting an Operations Lead within the UKRI Talent team, who will support the delivery of UKRI Talent programmes, including the Policy Fellowships and the Future Leaders Fellowships, by leading the operational processes associated with delivery of peer review and/or assessment panels. The role will also contribute to the strategic development of UKRI Talent in the context of the recently published People and Culture Strategy, which prioritises renewing the UK’s position as a global leader in R&D by attracting, retaining and developing talented people.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading the operational delivery of UKRI Talent programmes to ensure the effective delivery of peer review and/or assessment panels.
• Promoting consistency and quality in the mechanisms supporting funding decisions, by ensuring that areas of improvement for operational delivery are recorded and progressed.
• Reporting and analysing information to build progress updates and inform decision making.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including working collaboratively across UKRI and its Councils/Innovate UK and Government Departments.
• Ensuring clear communication with the community, via maintenance of call information / guidance, webinars, website content and responding to external queries.
• Effectively managing team-member delivery & performance - implementing training programmes for staff to ensure long-term capability within the team.
• Line management of up to four of direct reports, with a commitment to supporting and developing staff.
• Carry out any other duties / projects that may be required of the post across UKRI Talent.

Person requirements

Qualifications:

Essential:

• Educated to degree-level or demonstrable equivalent experience.

Knowledge and experience:

Essential:

• Experience of working in a research and/or innovation environment, with a clear understanding of the assessment process of funding applications.
• Excellent communication skills; experience of presenting information persuasively and succinctly and negotiating effectively with others.
• Excellent organisational skills, including the ability to manage changing and / or conflicting priorities and time optimally.
• Ability to work with ambiguity and respond to difficult situations by showing initiative and judgement in an evolving environment.
• Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to demonstrate experience of establishing and maintaining effective working relationships, both internally and externally and at all levels of seniority.
• Experience of operational task management - specifically supporting delivery of operational activities through delegation.

Desirable:

• Experience of line management, including people development and experience with performance management.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office products: Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion practices and implementation.

Additional information:

• The post holder will be based primarily in Swindon (hybrid working options available) but may be required to attend meetings/workshops in other UK locations.

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package! We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

A list of benefits below:

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

How to apply:

For full details, please visit our careers site. Please submit an application including your CV and a Cover Letter that showcases how your skills and experience align to the requirements of the role.

A well thought through application providing evidence and examples of how you meet the advertised essential and desirable criteria for the post will be considered far more favourably than a generic covering letter and CV.

About the Medical Research Council (MRC)

Within UKRI, the MRC seeks to improve human health through world-class research. With an annual budget of over £800 m, MRC provides support both to individuals, through fellowships and grants, and to institutions, such as the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology and the Francis Crick Institute. The outcomes of our research span discovery science, improvements in public health and the development of new treatments for common diseases.

For more information about MRC, please visit https://mrc.ukri.org.

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

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 and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

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.