Head of DiSSCo UK Salary: £58,589 Per Annum Band: UKRI Band F Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE) Contract Type: 3 years Fixed Term Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire Closing Date: Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period, please refer to the Recruitment Policy and associated guidance 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. About the Role The Distributed System of Scientific Collections UK (DiSSCo UK) is a £155.6 million investment for a national infrastructure programme to digitise 37 million natural science specimens. To deliver this exciting new programme, AHRC, alongside their delivery partner the Natural History Museum (NHM), are developing a DiSSCo UK delivery team to manage the programme on a day-to-day basis. This new team will be based at Swindon (with strong links to London) and will be responsible for managing the contract with the external evaluation supplier, leading on benefits management, engaging with relevant communities, measuring the impacts of the programme, and ensuring that impacts, outputs and outcomes are reflected upon, reported and communicated in a timely and effective manner. Some of the key activities for the team will be supporting grant holders, designing, and delivering future funding opportunities, and capturing programme and project level impacts. As this role will involve interaction with grant holders and stakeholders, as well as attendance at events and conferences, the role will involve UK and international travel, including overnight stays. Your Responsibilities Responsible for the strategic management and alignment / strategic leadership and direction of DiSSCo UK. Manage the relationship between AHRC/UKRI and NHM, providing the essential bridge between funder and delivery partner. Work collaboratively and effectively withDiSSCo UKcolleagues(including those based at the NHM), adapting and communicating to ensure shared goals are met, staff feel supported and delivery objectives are maintained. Work collaboratively with NHM colleagues to support the work of the DiSSCo EU European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Lead on managing the budget and financial reporting for the DiSSCo UK Programme Lead on the delivery of future programme approvals including Gate Reviews. Line management of the senior manager roles. Build strong working relationships to support the delivery of programmes funded by other Research Councils (notably the Natural Environment Research Council and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), and cross-UKRI initiatives, asappropriate. Person Specification The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I). Essential Demonstrable experience in developing, leading and delivering strategic activity, preferably in collections or related fields. Familiarity with mandated approvals and assurance processes would be beneficial. (S,I) Demonstrated ability to lead and manage teams (project & delivery) within complex programmes, ensuring motivation and positive management and development of staff at different levels. (S,I) Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, including working across a variety of disciplines, sectors and professions in support of programme delivery and organisational strategy including academia, government, and industry (S,I) Ability to represent an organisation authoritatively in high-level policy discussions and cross-sector forums. (S, I) Exceptional communication (both written and verbal) and influencing skills, with the ability to articulate complex issues clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences. (S,I) Demonstrable strategic thinking capability, including the ability to formulate and adapt strategy within a dynamic and evolving landscape (S,I) Strong creative problem-solving skills, coupled with a proactive and flexible approach to achieving objectives in challenging contexts. (S,I) To applyyoumust attach your CV(2 pages max.)and a covering letter(2 pages max.), ensuring that your cover letter addresses the essential shortlisting and interview criteria. 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