Manager - Impact Evidence

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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

MANAGER - IMPACT EVIDENCE

Salary: £34,905per annum

Band: UKRI Band D

Contract Type: Open-ended

Hours: Full Time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Closing date: 28 April 2024

Background

Every year, BBSRC (part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI) invests around £450 million in world-class bioscience. Impact can arise from everything BBSRC invests in, from research addressing strategic challenges, curiosity-driven frontier bioscience, and the development of transformative technologies pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery.

BBSRC is seeking an Impact Evidence Manager. You will form part of the Strategic Planning, Evidence & Engagement domain (SPEE) developing a robust evidence base to showcase the impacts arising from BBSRC research and innovation investments. The impact stories you identify, research and write will complement other forms of evidence generated by the wider team, including portfolio analysis, evaluation and economic analysis - all of which form an integrated evidence base for BBSRC.

Your case studies will be published on the BBSRC impact pages of the UKRI website and also celebrating the impacts and successes arising from BBSRC investments through the publication of an annual Impact Showcase . Visit the BBSRC Research Outcomes and Impacts section of the UKRI website to find out more about recent bioscience impacts.

About you

With experience in the biosciences or a related subject, the successful candidate will have a genuine interest in communicating the impacts of bioscience research and innovation. W ith excellent written and oral communication skills and with strong editorial judgement, the successful candidate will be able to present complex information confidently and concisely.

The Impact Evidence Manager will often be required to work at pace with a capacity to grasp complex information and turn it into a coherent impact narrative. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Impact Evidence, you will be an experienced storyteller who can bring examples of the BBSRC's research and innovation activities to life for a range of audiences (government, industry, public, academic) through diverse and engaging case studies and other content

A proactive and enthusiastic team player, you will work closely with colleagues across BBSRC to ensure a balanced portfolio of impact evidence across the themes set out in the BBSRC Strategic Delivery Plan. You will have effective interpersonal skills, able to build strong working relationships, communicating confidently, tactfully, and diplomatically with people. You will be resilient, flexible, proactive, and creative and able to work on your own initiative to find effective solutions.

Main job activities

• Identify and collate ideas for suitable impact evidence, drawing on BBSRC information databases, news sources, and by communicating and engaging with subject matter experts across BBSRC.
• Source and write powerful and engaging impact narratives and case studies which span the full breadth of UKRI-BBSRC remit, working with subject matter experts within BBSRC to identify the very best impacts arising from our research and innovation investments and communicating and engaging with the researchers to develop this content.
• Lead on producing specific impact case studies aligned to the themes set out in the BBSRC Strategic Delivery Plan ; including background research, interviewing researchers and publication of the content.
• Develop other forms of impact evidence as required. These could include timelines, impact summaries or slides, as well as in-depth analyses of internal and/or external data.
• As part of the impact team, develop a corporate perspective on BBSRC's impact evidence base and provide a central point of contact for impact evidence within BBSRC.
• Support the impact evidence activities across the organisation, ensuring appropriate capture, synthesis, and management of impact evidence for bioscience to support BBSRC's corporate aims and information needs.
• Promote existing impact evidence resources within BBSRC to ensure they are accessible to and being used by BBSRC colleagues and provide advice to colleagues to enable and support impact evidence/case study production throughout BBSRC.
• Manage the internal communication of all impact case studies produced by the impact evidence team including maintaining the internal database for impact evidence and assist colleagues with finding relevant material as needed.
• Work closely with the BBSRC Communications Business Partner and the UKRI Content Team to ensure effective dissemination of impact evidence, providing a regular supply of interesting, engaging content which communicates BBSRC key messages effectively.
• Contribute to group and office wide activities, for example, attending BBSRC, Cross-Council and external meetings and deputising for colleagues within the team

Selection criteria - these will be assessed at Shortlisting (S) Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential:

• Degree in a biological or related subject, and/or previous relevant experience. (S)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to present complex information confidently and concisely under tight deadlines. (S&I)
• Strong research skills, able to understand complex ideas and qualitative and quantitative data, identifying, connecting, and synthesising relevant information and summarising effectively. (S&I)
• Strong editorial judgement with experience of writing and editing scientific content with excellent attention to detail. (S&I)
• An understanding of how to communicate impact in a research context and across a range of different channels to multiple audiences (e.g., researchers, funders, policy makers and the public). (S&I)
• Effective interpersonal skills (including liaison, networking, negotiation), with experience of quickly building effective working relationships, communicating confidently, tactfully, and diplomatically with people at all levels, both within the organisation and externally. (S&I).
• A team player, with good organisational skills, able to plan and prioritise own work and the work of others, contributing to wider team activities and priorities as required. (S&I)
• Resilient, flexible, proactive, creative - able to work on your own initiative to find effective solutions to problems as they arise. (S&I)
• Understanding the aims and objectives of BBSRC. (I)
• Willingness to travel in UK and abroad, including occasional overnight (or longer) absences. (I)

Desirable:

• Master's degree or PhD in a biological or related subject, and/or previous relevant professional experience. (S)
• Formal training in Science Communication. (S)

About The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

The BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. We are the UK's largest public funder of research of the non-medical biosciences. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Funded by Government, we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. The research and the people that we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact, see: https://bbsrc.ukri.org/

For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes, see https://bbsrc.ukri.org/research/institutes/strategically-funded-institutes/

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.

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.