Economic and Social Research Council
Senior Policy Managers - Research Talent Development
Salary: £45,272 per annum
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Fixed Term (Concluding 31st March 2026 & 2nd March 2026)
Location: Polaris House, Swindon
Grade: UKRI Band E
Positions Available: 2
Closing Date: 04 March 25
About Us
The Research Talent Development (RTD) team is looking to recruit two Senior Policy Managers who will play a key role within ESRC to deliver ESRC’s objective to develop and maintain world-class people and careers. This is achieved through the investment in doctoral training; support for early career researchers; research leadership development; and methodological innovation and training.
Whilst both post holders will be required to work across the range of our portfolio of research talent investments, one post will have a primary focus on doctoral training, and one will have a primary focus on early career researchers. Both roles include contributing to the work associated with UKRI’s collective talent fund.
Both posts will also support the management of the Research Talent Development team and will include line management responsibilities where relevant to the activities being undertaken.
Purpose
Senior policy managers play a meaningful role in the development and delivery of our support for early career researchers and our portfolio of investments in doctoral training. In delivering their responsibilities, they will:
1. work closely with senior managers both within the team and across UKRI, your team head and deputy director to lead and take personal accountability for a select number of projects;
2. form an important link between ESRC and stakeholders from our portfolios to deliver ESRC priorities;
3. ensure that outputs, outcomes and impact are collected and optimised across our portfolio.
Senior policy managers may also contribute to other activities across the team’s portfolio including prioritising ideas, drafting documents, running funding processes, setting up grants, evaluation, and communications management, delivering monitoring reports and governance activities.
Main Outputs And Activities
Key responsibilities – doctoral:
1. Lead responsibility for the ongoing implementation and development of the Doctoral Training Network to ensure it meets the ambitions set out on the Postgraduate Training and Development Guidelines.
2. Lead responsibility for implementing the monitoring framework for our doctoral investments, including the planning and preparation for annual investment meetings; the implementation of a programme of assurance checking activities; initial planning for the mid-term review of our doctoral training partnerships; and monitoring the expenditure of the Doctoral Training Network.
3. Lead responsibility for updating the Postgraduate Funding Guide and ESRC’s webpages associated with research talent.
4. Act as the case officer for a number of Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).
Key responsibilities – early career researchers:
1. Lead responsibility for ESRC’s investment in, and support for, early career researchers including the Postdoctoral Fellowship Development programme and ESRC’s engagement in the UKRI Future Leader Fellowship scheme.
2. Lead responsibility for our investment in the Centre in Doctoral Training Plus in Behavioural Research and member of the ESRC project team supporting ESRC’s investment in building a National Capability in Behavioural Research.
3. Lead responsibility for embedding Research in Practice placements as part of the doctoral experience, and support for the further development and implementation of our national network of investments in doctoral training.
4. Act as the case officer for a number of Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).
We may require you to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.
Shortlisting Criteria
(S) – ASSESSED AT SHORTLISTING
(I) – ASSESSED AT INTERVIEW
(S&I) – ASSESSED AT BOTH SHORTLISTING AND INTERVIEW
Essential:
1. Demonstrable understanding of the importance of developing research talent. (S&I)
2. Planning and organisational skills, including an awareness of project management methods, and the ability to effectively prioritise and manage complex activities with competing workloads and take ownership for delivery of expected outcomes whilst maintaining attention to detail. (I)
3. Ability to work collegiately and flexibly in a team, deliver tasks consistently in a timely manner and to task manage the work of others to overcome challenges and successfully deliver expected outcomes. (S&I)
4. Sophisticated and engaging communication skills, using appropriate styles and methods to maximise impact and understanding. (S)
5. Experience of building effective working relationships with both internal and external collaborators (such as senior academics, policy makers, practitioners, or business partners) at varying seniority levels with the ability to influence and persuade. (S&I)
6. Analytical skills with the ability to evaluate, report, and act on complex information of various forms, including numerical data. (S&I)
Desirable:
1. A degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area or demonstrable equivalent level of knowledge, skills, and experience. (S)
2. Facilitation skills including the ability to create an inclusive environment, encourage others to chip in, consider differing perspectives, guide others to appropriate and useful outcomes. (S)
3. An enthusiasm for economic and social science research and/or the thematic remit of the team, and an understanding of the role it plays within the UK research/innovation system. (S&I)
APPLICATIONS
Online applications only for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for 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 process.
About the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The ESRC is the UK’s largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.
For more information about ESRC, please visit https://esrc.ukri.org/
About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)
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 at UK Research and Innovation (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.
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