Senior Secretariat Manager

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UK Research and Innovation

Salary: £43,116 per annum (dependent on skills and experience).
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Fixed Term (Until 1st February 2025).
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire.

Closing Date Tuesday 17th September 2024

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.

We are recruiting a Senior Secretariat Manager, to provide 4 month cover for a team member's career break, to work as an integral part of the business-critical UKRI Governance and Secretariat team.

This role provides a valuable opportunity for a motivated and organised individual to:

• Widen and deepen their experience of working directly with UKRI Board and Executive Committees and senior leaders across UKRI
• See how UKRI senior leadership team decision taking is orchestrated
• Better understand through practice how the senior leader committees are facilitated

The successful applicant will achieve:

• A better understanding of the governance and decision-making of UKRI
• A stronger knowledge base on which to develop their career
• Awareness of the priorities and requirements of senior leaders across UKRI

Working collaboratively with the Secretariat Lead and team colleagues, the Senior Secretariat Manager will be responsible for providing responsive and effective secretariat and administrative support to a portfolio of UKRI's Board and Executive committees and a wide range of senior internal and external stakeholders.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide a full range of secretariat support for a portfolio of UKRI Board and ExCo committees
• Schedule and oversee meeting arrangements ensuring a planned programme of meeting dates and venues, coordination of presenters and appropriate attendance
• Commission, manage and quality assure committee papers and reports, prepare agendas, and schedule engagement with other UKRI committees and networks as necessary
• Draft committee briefings, produce accurate and succinct minutes, update Forward Schedules, monitor Action Logs and maintain records
• Drive the annual reporting cycle, respond to information requests and actively engage with functional leads and subject matter experts
• Build and maintain trusted and purposeful relationships with related stakeholders, including with non-executive committee members
• W ork with private office colleagues, diary managers and other key enabling teams to align senior stakeholder and committee requirements
• Manage the governance arrangements for allocated committees, drafting, reviewing, updating and agreeing Terms of Reference, and ensuring adherence to UKRI policies and governance frameworks
• Evaluate committee effectiveness, collate and share findings, and draft and maintain momentum of committee development plans
• Maintain high awareness of key strategic issues across UKRI, dealing with sensitive issues discreetly and professionally
• Take an active role in core Secretariat Team activity and continuous improvement initiatives, in line with achieving organisational objectives

Person Criteria

Essential:

• Clear, concise written and verbal communication
• Excellent attention to detail
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and the ability to maintain positive, effective and trusted working relationships at all levels
• Demonstrable ability to work at pace to deliver competing priorities
• Ability to understand and engage with complex information across a variety of strategic and operational areas with discretion

Desirable:

• Experience working in a governance, secretariat, private-office role or similar
• Interest and understanding of the mission and aims of UKRI, knowledge of research and innovation policy/strategy and the funding landscape

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 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.