Talent and Skills Policy Engagement Senior Manager

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

UK Research & Innovation

Salary : £43,116
Hours: Full Time / Part Time (Min 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract - 18 Months #Location: Polaris House, Swindon

Grade: UKRI Band E

Closing Date: Tuesday 30 th April 2024 at 23:59

Interview Date: Wednesday 15 th May 2024

# For any employees applying for a fixed-term assignment (level transfer or temporary promotion), we recommend you discuss the implications on your current role with your line manager. Fixed-term assignments of twelve months or less will normally only be backfilled temporarily, after which time the employee should expect to revert to their substantive role. For assignments longer than this, or where it is assessed as business critical to backfill the releasing role, entering a fixed-term assignment may result in you not returning to your current role or Council. Instead, you would move into the UKRI Redeployment Pool (on your substantive band if temporarily promoted) towards the end of the assignment, where you will be supported in finding a suitable alternative role within the organisation.

Job Overview:

To support the development, implementation, and communication of UKRI Talent and Skills Policy. The role will be based in the central UKRI Talent and Skills Team which leads on the development of cross UKRI talent and skills policy (across PhD training grants to universities and other ROs, fellowships and research grants), and the delivery of central UKRI talent programmes. The work of the team is focused on UKRI's role as a funder in supporting talent and skills capability and capacity in the research and innovation. This is not an HR role.

The postholder will be expected to quickly build up knowledge of relevant policy areas, develop and inform new content and the streamlining of existing content. The postholder will make it easier for UKRI stakeholders (such as internal colleagues, grant holders, doctoral students and the wider research and innovation community) to understand and apply our policies. The types of material will range from internally focused briefings, guidance, and resource packs, to externally facing content. The postholder will also be expected to work closely with the UKRI Communications teams to ensure that content is shared as necessary across relevant communication channels.

The role will support the implementation of Talent-related policy, cutting across a range of areas. These include UKRI's contributions to the New Deal for Postgraduate Research, the development and implementation of the Collective Talent Funding Programme, the support provided by UKRI for cross-sector mobility, and the implementation of the UKRI People and Teams Action Plan. The range of activities will support UKRI to meet its published commitments regarding the transition to greater collective working of UKRI's nine councils on talent and will facilitate the Talent and Skills Strategic Leadership team and the Investment Strategy Team in their planning for the government's next spending review.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supporting the development and delivery of the communication and engagement strategy for talent and skills; taking forward projects within this strategy, with a particular focus on supporting the transition from policy design to delivery, establishing cross UKRI Talent and Skills project delivery teams where needed
• Working with others to identify opportunities to improve and simplify communications relating to talent policy, to develop and analyse appropriate options for communicating with our audiences, and evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches taken where appropriate
• To consider information from across the breadth of the team's remit to inform effective communication, drawing on specialists where required
• Working closely with the UKRI Communications team to support and manage the development and implementation of communication materials across a range of talent and skills areas and in doing so, supporting the introduction and adoption of changes to talent-related policy
• Engaging and influencing both internal and external stakeholders; this will include colleagues within council talent teams, across UKRI more broadly, and with representatives from external organisations
• Carrying out any other duties/projects that may be required of the post across the UKRI Talent and Skills Team

Person Specification:

Essential

• Educated to degree-level or equivalent experience
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex issues simply, both in writing and orally, and engaging with stakeholders at a variety of levels to ensure knowledge and understanding
• Ability to manage complex workloads with multiple deadlines and priorities, with the ability to reprioritise and meet new or short deadlines when required
• Effective collaborator and team member, able to build effective working relationships and networks with stakeholders at varying seniority levels to enhance work output
• Experience of managing projects effectively

Desirable

• Experience of assimilating intelligence or feedback from a range of sources
• Experience of working with stakeholders to resolve or prioritise competing issues, which could include using problem solving and decision-making tools to aid the evaluation of the available options
• An understanding of UKRI's strategic objectives for talented people and teams and how we support them
• An understanding that different roles and job types contribute to Research and Innovation

Additional Information:

The post holder will be based primarily in Swindon but may be required to attend meetings/workshops in other UK locations. The post holder will be able to work remotely but will be required to work in the Swindon office in line with the Talent team's policy.

Application Guidance

How to evidence the criteria:

You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the 'person specification' criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service '.

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

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.