AHRC Salary: £30,895 per annum Band: UKRI Band C Contract Type: Fixed Term (9 months). Ends 31 st March 2027. Hours: Full-time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available) Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available Closing Date: 28 June 2026 If Fixed Term: 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. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) supports world-class arts and humanities research. Part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. We fund academic research in over 50 subject areas - from archaeology to linguistics, law to visual arts - as well as supplying to cross-cutting research agendas addressing the major challenges facing the world today, such as climate change, global poverty, gender inequalities and health crises. Research into these areas helps us to understand our experiences, identities, and histories, and question our cultural assumptions. We receive over £100m each year from the UK Government and distribute funding through competitive funding calls that reflect and support the needs of the academic community. We also promote arts and humanities research more widely, showcasing how research has a positive impact on public policy, the economy, society, and culture. About the role A post has become available providing operational and administrative support to a busy team within the AHRC. The Operations Team is looking to recruit one Operations Officer on a fixed term basis (until March 2027) to join the Policy and Process area of the Team. The role is fundamentally an administrative role tasked with the operational delivery of the team's objectives. This exposure to the broad and varied work of the AHRC will provide you with an excellent understanding of the national and international research funding landscape and allow you to develop a long-term career path within grants funding. We may make further appointments to administrative Band C posts in the AHRC Grants Operations Team from this recruitment exercise should roles become available. Your responsibilities: providing general operational and organisational support to the AHRC Grants Operations team including managing shared mailboxes, supporting the implementation of grants policy and process updates, supporting the purchase order process, creating online surveys, processing disabled student allowance claims and supporting the research outcomes reporting process being a first point of call for external enquiries; engaging directly with prospective applicants, grant holders and other external stakeholders in relation to AHRC grants policy, funding provision and processes, and providing answers and guidance in a timely manner engaging with and supporting continuous improvement project work and initiatives, seeking to refine processes, policy, and ways of working within both your team and the wider organisation occasionally you may also support meetings, webinars, and events both internally and externally and both in-person and virtually ; tasks include securing venues (or virtual meeting space), arranging logistics, making travel and accommodation arrangements, and processing expenses claims supporting training and guidance on the systems and processes of AHRC Personal Specification The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I). Essential • You have excellent organisational and administrative skills, and the ability to work flexibly and multi-task with good attention to detail, often at pace (S&I). • You have sound numeric skills, including handling and analysing data sensitively, accurately, and responsibly (S&I). • You have excellent written communication skills and can draft and understand complex written documents and interpret them clearly (S&I). • You can work independently, think creatively, solve problems, and make effective decisions (S&I). • You are a great team player and can provide support to colleagues, sharing knowledge and information, and giving towards the achievements of your team and the wider organisation (S&I). • You are an excellent communicator with good social skills, working effectively with colleagues at different levels both inside and outside the organisation, while being an effective ambassador for the AHRC (S&I). • You have a good working knowledge of IT and programmes (Outlook, MS Word, Excel, MS Teams, etc.) with the ability to quickly learn new software and systems. (S&I). Benefits We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning! A list of benefits below: An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme. 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent). Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities. Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice. Flexible working options. Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance! For further information on our benefits please see: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer. Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org UKRI - UK Research and Innovation 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. 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, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. 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. Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) supports world-class research that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity. It supports research and postgraduate training in a wide range of subject areas, from ancient history and heritage science to modern dance and digital content. Research into these areas helps us to interpret our experiences, probe our identities, interrogate our cultural assumptions and understand our historical, social, economic and political context. It adds to the economic success of the UK, through its contributions to the knowledge economy and innovation agenda. The research we fund can lead to improvements in social and intellectual capital, community identity, learning skills, technological evolution and the quality of life of the nation. Further details about AHRC can be found here