Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Applications must be submitted by 26-02-2025 Vacancy for Head of Innovation, Ukraine Resilience and Energy Security Program (URES) As part of a broader range of ODA funded programmes within the organization, Innovate UK is participating in an expanding portfolio of work supporting other government departments with initiatives relating to Ukraine’s recovery and the UK’s future partnership with the region. The flagship programme within that activity, Innovate Ukraine is an energy innovation project which supports both UK and Ukrainian innovators to develop solutions which will play a role in Ukraine’s recovery as well as the broader energy transition (URES). Please note this advert will close on the 25th February 2025 at 23.59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title: Head of Innovation, Ukraine Resilience and Energy Security Program (URES) Band: Innovate UK Band 2 (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: From £62,250 gross per annum Reports to: Challenge Director – Low Cost Nuclear Location: Field based Contract: Fixed Term (Until 31st May 2028) Includes up to 15% Performance Related Pay Subject to UKRI Pay & Reward Policy Fixed Term Roles: 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. Context: As part of a broader range of ODA funded programmes within the organization, Innovate UK is participating in an expanding portfolio of work supporting other government departments with initiatives relating to Ukraine’s recovery and the UK’s future partnership with the region. The flagship programme within that activity, Innovate Ukraine is an energy innovation project which supports both UK and Ukrainian innovators to develop solutions which will play a role in Ukraine’s recovery as well as the broader energy transition (URES). This work stream has grown to a point where the need has arisen to expand the team and develop and appropriate delivery structure. This role will lead the delivery of technical scope in support of the Ukraine activity in the current portfolio, known and URES Phase 1, and will be responsible for nurturing developing spin off and future opportunities in this space (URES Phase 2) when required. The role holder will be responsible for managing 2 direct reports as part of their wider duties and ensuring additional resources are engaged through collaborations or sub-contracts as required. We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Job Purpose: The purpose of this role is to drive the successful delivery of the Innovate Ukraine programme and any additional spin off activity which arises. The role will initially report to the LCN Challenge Director in the interim, until organizational structures are developed and will have direct line management responsibility for one Band F / Innovate UK Band 3 Innovation lead and one Band D Project Support Analyst. The post holder will design, develop, lead and deliver the Innovate Ukraine activity and will be responsible for further business development in this space in collaboration with the IUK Global Team who will support the role with allocated resource responsible for partnership management activities. The role will include responsibility for technical and financial management and will support or lead stakeholder liaison as appropriate in addition to ensuring the smooth running of the programme(s) as a whole. The role holder will also be expected to manage and deliver a pre-existing commitment to deliver a nuclear supply chain study analyzing the capabilities of Ukrainian organisations to contribute to domestic and international delivery of future small modular reactors. This is a first spin off occurrence in a potential broader portfolio of future opportunities that the role holder will further develop when appropriate and if approved by IUK ELT. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Lead the delivery of requirements of stakeholders as defined in agreed MOUs’ signed by HMG and IUK Build, motivate and lead a high performing, adaptive and resilient team of with capability to deliver and assure technical innovation and program activities required by URES and associated MOUs’. Recognize and appropriately progress opportunities to leverage wider programs in support of HMG’s policy agenda in support of Ukraine. Develop relationships with a wide range of stakeholders across UKRI and Government colleagues to support an inclusive and joined-up approach to delivering URES. Lead on the delivery and monitoring of the URES program post-awards including development and delivery of any bespoke monitoring framework for the project. Lead on ensuring that the programme technical delivery meets the requirements of UKRI and FCDO as defined in the MOU and as required by subsequent HMG approvals. Ensure financial forecasting and cashflow are within acceptable levels of variance in support of agreed operating parameters (Innovate UK /FCDO) to ensure multi-year budgets are protected as required. Lead development of metrics for the wider assessment of programme delivery and provide continual monitoring of performance against these metric. Develop and utilise any technical function in the program to ensure day to day delivery is derisked and identify issues early. Provision of advice and guidance to the IUK ELT on potential future programmes Project Planning – to provide oversight and leadership on all aspects of project and delivery planning for the Ukraine scope of activities relating to delivery. 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 – Educated to degree-level in a relevant discipline or relevant equivalent experience. Postgraduate and professional qualifications advantageous. (S) Extensive understanding of and experience engaging with central government stakeholders. (S) Appropriate technical understanding of innovative technologies underpinned by relevant academic qualification(S&I) An extensive understanding of the Ukrainian research and development environment, its key stakeholders and current innovation programmes(S&I) Knowledge of UK FCDO and it’s policy in support of Ukraine and experience of working alongside appropriate stakeholders. (S&I) Ability to think strategically and then translate into actionable plans (I) Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders(I) Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding activities and policies (I) Experience of providing professional advice to senior staff, including a willingness to challenge preconception and offer well-reasoned and considered judgements to all levels of stakeholders (I) Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to apply creative solutions (I) The ability to write a range of documents that draw on evidence to set out compelling arguments and justifications for recommendations (suitable for a range of internal and external audiences) (I) Experience of managing and developing staff(I) Highly self-motivated and resilient with the experience of working as an effective member of a team (I) Strong project management and prioritisation skills. (I) Proven ability to build effective working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders and use these relationships to influence, change and impact decisions, whilst acting in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner. (I) The ability to identify, share and promote best practices and lessons learned. (I) Experience of working both on own initiative and as a member of a wider team. (I) Proactive management of own workload and ability to reprioritise with changing demands of the Programme. (I) Desirable – Able to work in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. (I) Experience working as a member of a large or medium complexity project team. (S&I) Knowledge of analytical processes and techniques. (I) 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: Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary 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; 26-02-2025