Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Applications must be submitted by 22-05-2025 Post Award Project Support Officer (Maternity Cover) Working within the Post Award Support & Assurance Team, you will be responsible for providing an account managed customer support service to a portfolio of Innovate UK managed and core funded projects. *Please note this advert will close on the 21st of May 2025 at 23.59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title: Post Award Project Support Officer (Maternity Cover) Band: UKRI Band D (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £36,650 gross per annum Reports to: Line Manager Job Title Location: Swindon (Hybrid Working) Contract: Fixed Term Until (29/05/2026) Maternity Cover 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. Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements. Job Purpose: Working within the Post Award Support & Assurance Team, you will be responsible for providing an account managed customer support service to a portfolio of Innovate UK managed and core funded projects. This will include but not be limited to: Financial validation checking of claims for organisations of varying degrees of risk Communicating effectively with assigned projects and the specific stakeholders involved Providing project stakeholders with support in navigating Innovate UK systems and procedures Adapting to stakeholders needs and concerns and resolving or escalating identified issues Supporting and encouraging timely project administrative process to avoid projects falling behind with their terms. This is a customer-facing role with direct contact with our customers necessary in potentially challenging circumstances. We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Maintain contact with key internal project stakeholders and attend meetings including: An introductory meeting before project(s) go-live A lesson learned meeting following project(s) closure Review meetings during the life of project(s) as required Provide expert advice to projects in navigating Innovate UK’s systems and procedures in line with the terms set out in their funding agreement Responsible for excellence in delivery throughout Post Award, ensure grant payments are delivered on time and to the appropriate monitoring and assurance quality Perform process driven, sample led audits of a series of claims against a variety of project costs. Review project claims within SLA timeframe to verify that: Terms and conditions of the grant have been followed Project costs claimed remain in line with those specified within the application for grant Costs claimed are in line with Innovate UK’s eligible project costs guidance Necessary evidence has been provided to show that the costs claimed have been incurred and defrayed within the project period the claim is being submitted for Support the administrative delivery of any Project Change Requests that arise within SLA timeframe Conduct regular reviews of project’s submission of claims and updating of forecasts to ensure the project information on our systems is kept up to date Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives Forecast and track key account metrics Support FAO and any assigned Monitoring Officers in identifying potential project activity risks. Answer/escalate or redirect questions from project stakeholders within SLA timeframe Identify where grant recovery action is required on a project participant and begin process of recovering those funds Be the first line of defence to support in resolution or workaround of funding platform technical issues This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training. Shortlisting criteria (S) – Assessed at shortlisting (I) – Assessed at interview (S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview Person Specification: Experience & Qualifications: Essential – Relevant academic qualification or equivalent experience Proven hands-on ability to work in a customer facing, customer service centric role (S&I) Experience of managing a large workload and multiple priorities concurrently (S&I) Experience articulating sometimes complex issues to non-experts (I) A strong understanding of our customer’s needs during the life of an Innovate UK funded project (S&I) Desirable – Account or client management experience (S) Experience within Salesforce CRM system (S) Fraud awareness and understanding of potential red flags (S) Knowledge/awareness of State Aid regulations (S) Interest or passion/background/experience in innovation or research, business competitiveness and technology policy or delivery (S) Competencies: All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria’s listed in the person specification. Travel Requirements: Swindon-based: There may be the occasional requirement for national travel. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles. Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required. UK Research and Innovation: Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/. Employee Benefits: We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes. Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Flexible Working: We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. Pre-employment Screening: To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process. 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. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. Applications must be submitted by; 22-05-2025