Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Applications must be submitted by 26-11-2024 Vacancy for Interim Head of Programme Support Office The post-holder will lead and manage the Programme Support Office team consisting of 6 Portfolio Managers as well as project management, management information and business support professionals who provide support to domains, capability areas, and funding programmes as agreed with the Deputy Director Governance and Assurance. Please note this advert will close on the 25th November 2024 at 23.59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title: Interim Head of Programme Support Office Band: UKRI Band G (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £65,262 gross per annum Reports to: Deputy Director Governance and Assurance Location: Field based Contract: Fixed Term (6 Months) 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: Innovate UK needs to become more effective and efficient, to become more agile to deliver our strategic priorities in an ever-changing environment. In aid of this, we have established a Programme Support Office (PSO) that will: • Ensure a consistent approach to how we manage programmes across Innovate UK • Provide consistent management information to show how we’re doing against our strategic goals both in terms of progress and impact • Provide a home for our programme management professionals, and offer the opportunity to work on different things, a better structure for professional career progression, and less uncertainty than if linked to specific programmes • Provide more flexibility in distribution of work across teams and the ability to focus our people on where they will add most value We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Job Purpose: The post-holder will lead and manage the Programme Support Office team consisting of 6 Portfolio Managers as well as project management, management information and business support professionals who will give support to domains, capability areas, and funding programmes as agreed with the Deputy Director Governance and Assurance. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Lead and develop the Programme Support Office function Working with the Deputy Director Governance and Assurance, SLT, HR and Business Change Teams, to take forward the findings and recommendations of the PSO Phase 1 Review (where these relate directly to the PSO) Responsible for oversight for the entire set of agreed programmes, working with the respective Programme Leads and teams to ensure programmes are on track & delivered, with appropriate governance in place Responsible for resource management that considers capability and capacity requirements. Support portfolio managers in, and be an escalation point for, challenging conversations with senior stakeholders Responsible for the Programme Support Office team of c 50 colleagues (with 6 direct reports) ensuring a co-ordinated approach across the agreed programmes in terms of the usual project/programme management duties but also ensuring a focus on evaluation, finance and communications so there is a consistency of approach Conduct monitoring and evaluation activities with support provided by UKRI central and council analysts to develop appropriate methodologies and outputs ensuring that (i) planned data collection is taking place within each programme, and (ii) bringing data together into a consistent format and holding this centrally Ensure the identification and management of programme risks in a timely and appropriate manner, ensuring these are recognised by senior management with effective mitigations in place, and that risk management is embedded into decision-making Manage the systematic, high quality monitoring processes, in order to assess and report upon the overall performance of Innovate UK programme activity – developing improvements and/or alternatives and the implementation following approval ensure standards are in-line with any UKRI centres of excellence / best practice Responsible for provision of Management Information on agreed programmes to support effective decision-making Support the Senior Leadership Team to deliver the agreed programmes within agreed budget and resourcing targets Provision of programme management support for Missions / Spending Review Management of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and Ministerial queries for Innovate UK, coordinating input and ensuring approval of responses within tight timescales. 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. Person Specification: Qualifications: Qualification(s) in portfolio and/or programme management e.g. Management of Portfolios, Managing Successful Programmes (or equivalent experience) Qualification(s) in project management methodology e.g. Prince2, APMP (or equivalent experience) Desirable: Higher education to bachelor or masters level (or vocational qualification equivalent) Change management and Lean Six Sigma methodologies Experience: Essential – Significant management experience in the effective and efficient leadership of complex and varying programmes Experience working collaboratively with a diverse range of senior leaders across multiple organisations/partners Strong track record in the successful delivery of programmes across different disciplines Demonstrable experience of managing teams – effective line management responsibility and a track record managing and supporting programme/project teams Strong track record in managing and distilling data to support effective decision-making, and dealing with urgent stakeholder information requests Strong track record in demonstrating the impact of programmes and projects to senior stakeholders Strong track record in resource management, working with senior management to prioritise resource utilisation based on business need Proven track record of working with third parties to deliver joint commitments Experience of working effectively in an environment which is subject to rapid change Proven track record of working effectively with a range of diverse stakeholders Desirable – Experience in and/or clear understanding of the technology and innovation landscape Strong track record in management of portfolios or multiple programmes Strong track record in the establishment and development of service functions Strong track record in development of effective management information systems, including practical experience of managing deployment of integrated data capture, information fusion and reporting capabilities Skills: Excellent communication skills, written and verbal Strong stakeholder management skills, demonstrated in previous experience Excellent programme planning and delivery skills Ability to get things done – being solution focussed with a collaborative style Accuracy and attention to detail Strong self-awareness skills and a high level of professionalism Patience and self-motivation Self-assurance and strong resilience Awareness of the political sensitivities and the workings of both Government and its partners and customers 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 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; 26-11-2024