Job Description
Economic and Social Research Council
Situational Awareness Lead
Salary: £ 58,589 per annum
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Open-Ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire
Grade: UKRI Band F
Closing Date: Monday 19th January 2026
Context:
This is an exciting opportunity to lead a new Situational Awareness Function (SAF) within the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The SAF is designed to enhance ESRCs understanding of the UKs social science research landscape, providing insight, horizon scanning, and timely intelligence to inform future strategic decision-making. The SAF will deliver broad, up-to-date evidence and analysis across the social science ecosystem, drawing on new and existing data sources, and will communicate its outputs to a range of audiences.
Job Purpose:
As Situational Awareness Lead, you will provide leadership for the operational and strategic development of the SAF. You will set the direction of the SAFs activities, manage its priorities, oversee and produce high-quality outputs which contribute towards ESRCs overall strategic decision-making. You will work collaboratively across ESRC, UKRI, and with the UK Metascience Unit and external partners to build, maintain, and disseminate a comprehensive understanding of t...