Details Reference number 351105 Salary £38,860 - £42,765 A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27% GBP Job grade Senior Executive Officer Contract type Fixed term Length of employment up to 31/03/2025 Type of role Project Delivery Working pattern Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time Number of jobs available 1 Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Cardiff, Wales, CF10 1EP : Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 8FT : Leicester, East Midlands (England), LE4 5SP : Didcot, South East England, OX11 0QR About the job Job summary Background: The UK Space Agency: The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and provides technical advice on the governments space strategy, supporting the UK space sector to deliver the governments vision. Space is a part of everyday life. Satellites underpin our national economy, from agriculture and banking to aviation and shipping, and support our national security. Space science provides critical data to understand and address global challenges such as climate change, while missions to explore our solar system unite nations and advance humanitys horizons. We support a thriving space sector in the UK, which generates an annual income of £16.5 billion and employs 47,000 people across the country. Through our portfolio of programmes and projects, we encourage the development of national space capabilities and are an early-stage investor in space research and development. We also promote the UK space sectors interests and achievements; make connections to join up industry and academia; and represent the UK in international space programmes. We have a powerful global voice, partnering with institutions across the world, including the European Space Agency. More information about the Agency is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency To discover more please watch this film https://www.youtube.com/watch?vZbZZ-o0IkVU Our Inclusive Environment We have an inclusive culture to make UK Space Agency a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions. We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive. We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) was launched in July 2020 to support the development of innovation in the UK space sector. The programme provides co-funding opportunities that catalyse investment in novel space technologies and services. NSIP runs a wide portfolio of space-related projects across the country, led by a mix of industry, academia and research teams. The NSIP programme consists of three elements; NSIP Kick Starter, focused on supporting low Technology Readiness Level (TRL), lower value projects with an emphasis on developing novel and disruptive outputs; NSIP Major Projects, focused on supporting higher TRL, long term projects with an emphasis on commercialisation and catalysing investment; and NSIP PMO which provides overarching support to the grant funding elements, ensure effective governance, reporting and support for the programme. If successful, the candidate will support the Kick Starter part of the programme, providing grant management oversight to numerous interesting space technology related projects across the UK. Using their skills and experience in project, programme and grant management, the post holder will be responsible for day-to-day oversight and management of NSIP grant funded projects and delivery of the programme. This will involve working closely with the Head of NSIP programme leads and support officers to deliver against the ambitions of the programme. Core activities will include: Stakeholder engagement with internal agency colleagues, particularly in Commercial and Finance teams, project managers from industry, academia or research organisations in receipt of grant funding, and HMG colleagues to promote and raise awareness of the programme. Project progress monitoring and reporting Assurance and governance processes Supporting financial processes Risk and issue management Monitoring and Evaluation of grant funded projects Benefits tracking and development of products and events to showcase successful NSIP projects Task management and guidance for NSIP support officers Support for NSIP business case development To support effective delivery of the role and career development the post holder will be supported to undertake relevant professional learning and development courses. The post holder will report to the NSIP Kick Starter Lead or the NSIP Major Projects Lead depending on team requirements. The post will sit within the UK Space Agencys Investment Directorate. Key responsibilities Stakeholder Engagement: Build relationships with key project teams and stakeholders in space sector, to manage funded projects and maximise impact in the innovation investment. Manage funding calls: Organise and run funding calls to identify innovative and feasible projects that represent good value for money. Work with internal and external experts to assess proposals and ensure their viability and strategic fit with UK Space Agency ambitions. Provide guidance to ensure project teams are familiar with their responsibilities and the requirements of UK Space Agency. Governance: Ensure that governance controls and approvals routes are appropriate, adhered and recorded effectively. Assurance: Working with in-house technical experts, manage reviews of project progress against schedules, milestones, budgets and scope. Where necessary undertake change management processes in line with commercial best practice. Financial: Monitor and report to UK Space Agency management and finance teams, providing information to support payment processes. Risk and issue management: Work closely with the sector and project leads to identify and respond to emerging risks and issues and oversee mitigations. Benefits Management: Work with senior management to design, manage, monitor and report on the benefits of selected investments, utilising a broad range of external and internal expertise available. Produce publishable materials and support the organisation and deliver of showcase events to promote the programme. Contribute to business case development for selected projects. Contribute as required, and on an ad-hoc basis, to Ministerial briefing and engagement with cross-government senior stakeholders and the UK Space Agency Executive in respect of the Programme. Provide task management and task management to NSIP support officers. Person specification Essential criteria Demonstrable experience of: Supporting or managing grant funding processes, or other equivalent commercial/ funding activities. Managing commercial and financial tasks in line with best practice. Leading assurance reviews to monitor project progress against milestones. Financial monitoring and reporting. Risk management. Monitoring and Evaluation and benefits tracking. Strong communication skills and proven ability to navigate and communicate complex issues clearly and concisely. Strong organisational skills and experience managing competing workloads. Confidence in stakeholder engagement and presenting. Managing a quality service in delivery of funded projects and its work packages. The postholder will be expected to be competent in the use of standard MS office IT and project management tools. Desirable criteria Experience of working with the UK space sector, and the benefits of government interventions. Understanding of or interest in space, innovation or technology. Experience of working with Government and public sector bodies. Project Management qualification at foundation or practitioner level, or willingness to undertake relevant training as required in the position. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Seeing the Big Picture Communicating and Influencing Working Together Managing a Quality Service Benefits Alongside your salary of £38,860, UK Space Agency contributes £10,492 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. UK Space Agency offers a competitive mix of benefits including: A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours. Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27% A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30. An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue. Access to a range of retail, travel, and lifestyle employee discounts. A generous maternity/paternity and adoption leave package. This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance of attendance in the workplace (your permanent duty station which is based on business assessment of where the work is best done) and working from home, or elsewhere, as a personal choice (if the role is suitable for this). If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. UK Space Agency is undergoing a transformation programme which may impact your role, line manager and/or location in the future. We will share more details with you as they become known. As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, Personal Statement and Behaviour examples. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to provide details of how you meet the experience and skills outlined in the job description. The CV is for information and will not be scored. The Sift will be assessed on Personal Statement and Behaviours. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour Seeing the Big Picture. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. The Interview will be assessed on Behaviours. The Interview location will be MS Teams. Sift and interview dates Expected timeline subject to change Sift date w/c 13th May 2024 Interview date from 30th May 2024 The Interview location will be MS Teams. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process. Further information This post is advertised as a Fixed Term contract for a period up to 31st March 2025. Civil Servants: Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return. Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). UK Space Agency Employees: You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any non-permanent vacancy, this includes applying for a new post during an existing temporary posting. Please note that if applying for a temporary post within UK Space Agency or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent). Reasonable Adjustment If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via uksarecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out. Any move to UK Space Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ A reserve list will be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checkscabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Infodisclosurescotland.co.uk Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Feedback Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service