Policy Implementation Manager and Grants Operations Manager

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UK Research & Innovation

Salary : £34,905
Hours: Full Time / Part Time (Min 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Open Ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid Working - Flexible)

Closing Date: Sunday 28 April 2024

Click link below giving a detailed insight of a day in the life of this role and why you should join UKRI

(1) UKRI's Horizon Europe guarantee team is hiring | LinkedIn

Job Overview:

Roles and exact portfolios will be allocated based on the skills and experience of the appointees. Applicants are encouraged to state, at the application stage, if they have a preference.

UKRI is delivering the Horizon Guarantee on behalf of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as a managed programme. The advertised roles are located within UKRI International, which is responsible for overall management of the Guarantee and delivery of Guarantee grants for MSCA and ERC schemes. The roles will be expected to work closely with other teams delivering the Guarantee within UKRI, including in Innovate UK and the Funding Service.

Reporting to a Senior Manager , the post-holders will support delivery of the Horizon Europe Guarantee. This will include identifying process improvements, policy gaps and areas for policy improvement, undertaking options appraisal and making the case for change; providing timely advice and information to colleagues, across UKRI, and key stakeholders; engaging with the UK research community; leading/supporting project sprints; and supporting the wider team to ensure overall effective delivery of the Horizon Europe Guarantee.

These roles will work across the breadth of the Horizon Europe Guarantee, but each role will have a focus on a sub section. For example, European Research Council (ERC) or Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) sub-programmes, grant processing, community building, or operational assurance. The post-holders will collaborate within the Guarantee Team and across UKRI to deliver flexibly and at pace. The role requires a proactive approach as well as excellent planning, engagement, and communication skills. The role holders will need to build positive relationships and work effectively across UKRI and with external stakeholders, including internationally.

Horizon Guarantee Policy Implementation Manger x 2

As one of three Policy Implementation Managers in the Horizon Europe Guarantee team, the job holder will lead a portfolio of work and provide support to the Senior Policy Implementation Managers and the Team Head.

Each Policy Implementation Manager will have responsibility for one sub-section of grant types, area of external engagement, and a crosscutting policy area; for example, prestige and branding, non-financial support for award holders, stakeholder management.

Horizon Guarantee Grants and Operations Manager x 1

As one of two Grants and Operations Managers in the Horizon Europe Guarantee team, the job holder will lead a portfolio of work and provide support to the Senior Governance and Operations Managers and the Team Head.

One Grants and Operations Manager will have responsibility for grant processing and query management, the other will have responsibility for operational assurance. Both will have an area of external engagement, and a crosscutting policy area within their remit; for example, prestige and branding, non-financial support for award holders, stakeholder management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Developing policy recommendations for the Horizon Europe Guarantee across the team remit
• Support the implementation of new policies across UKRI, drafting briefing documents and guidance as required
• Develop resources and guidance material for areas within your portfolio that 1) help enable the UK research community to understand the Horizon Europe Guarantee fund, and 2) support UKRI colleagues in their role delivering the guarantee
• To work collaboratively with teams across UKRI to understand emerging policy issues, identify standard Horizon Europe and UKRI policies and processes, conduct an options appraisal, and present recommendations
• Working with the Horizon Europe Guarantee team to triage and escalate any complex queries and issues as required
• Supporting UKRI engagement with the UK research and innovation community via the team mailbox, and in-person and virtual meetings
• Supporting activities to ensure awareness of the Horizon Europe Guarantee, internally and externally
• Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including working collaboratively across UKRI
• Contribute to ongoing fund management activities (e.g., working with colleagues in the International and central UKRI evaluation teams)
• Leading/supporting on project sprints as team workload and priorities dictate
• Contribute to committees and working parties across UKRI, including preparing for and participating in meetings, and proactively identifying opportunities for communicating with colleagues across UKRI
• Support the wider activities of UKRI International, taking on ad hoc activities as need to deliver the objectives of the wider team
• Exemplify and promote the values of UKRI International
• Deputising for Senior Managers as required

Please note, these are not exhaustive lists and postholders might be expected to undertake any other duties, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of the roles, for which the postholders have the necessary experience and/or training.

Person Specification:

Please ensure your application addresses the shortlisting criteria with examples.

Please submit a CV and covering letter to the attachments section which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for the role. You can ignore free textbox for cover letter under 'Experience' section.

Essential

• Educated to degree-level or demonstrable equivalent experience.
• Ability to communicate clearly with effective written and oral communication skills, and the ability to tailor information to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to develop specialised knowledge quickly and become a reliable and trusted point of contact across the organisation and with the community.
• Effective collaborator and team member, actively establishing excellent working relationships and networks with people at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Ability to multi-task, work flexibly and to plan, prioritise manage and deliver a diverse portfolio of projects and activities, working individually and as part of a team.
• Ability to take accountability and proactively deliver objectives and outcomes of own work (supporting the wider team) with minimum supervision.
• Able to work under pressure in a fast paced, high profile, and ambiguous project.
• Ability to solve problems and make decisions by choosing between a variety of options, which may be complex and conflicting.
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and SharePoint.
• Excellent organisational skills.

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification e.g., Master's degree, PhD.
• Knowledge of international research policy and the Horizon Europe Guarantee.
• Knowledge of UKRI funding policy.
• Experience of working in a research and / or innovation environment.

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 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 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.