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 30th April 2024 at 23:59 Interview Date: Wednesday 15th May 2024 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. 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'. Sponsorship Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitmentukri.org. 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. Additional Information Organisation: UKRI - Talent, Careers and Reward Centre of Expertise Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract External Closing Date: Mar 2, 2024 Minimum Salary: Pound Sterling (GBP) 43,116 Hours: Full-time / Part-time