Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Applications must be submitted by 04-04-2025 Programme Manager The Programme Manager will work with all members of the HL&A Domain Team and will be responsible for the effective delivery of Programmes within the HL&A portfolio. Please note this advert will close on the 3rd of April 2025 at 23:59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title: Programme Manager Band: UKRI Band F (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £56,745 gross per annum Reports to: Portfolio Manager – Healthy Living and Agriculture Location: Field based Contract: Permanent Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements. Context: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a governmental organisation with the vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. Innovate UK (IUK) is the UK’s innovation agency and is a partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. The Programme Manager will be part of Innovate UK Programme Support Office (PSO) and will operate within the Healthy Living and Agriculture (HL&A) Domain Team. We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Job Purpose: The Programme Manager will work with all members of the HL&A Domain Team and will be responsible for the effective delivery of Programmes within the HL&A portfolio. Reporting to the Portfolio Manager – Healthy Living and Agriculture the post holder will form part of Innovate UK PSO. The Programme Manager will enable and facilitate the successful delivery of multiple programmes within the HL&A Domain, leading the end-to-end delivery of full lifecycle programmes from planning through requirements and delivery, working closely with project teams and the wider PSO function. The Programme Manager will apply structured management to the programmes within the HLA Domain line with PSO guidance and best practice, and effectively manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The post holder will work closely with Theme Directors to agree priority areas of Programmes delivery and will work with team members to drive progress on activities, identify blockers, facilitate decision making and escalate risks/issues. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Day-to-day management of Programmes; planning, briefing, tracking and reporting on progress of key deliverables, finances and programme risks as well as resolving issues when they arise. Apply appropriate programme and project management functions within each programme, ensuring effective Risk Management, governance, assurance, impact management, etc. in line with PSO guidance and best practice. Develop and maintain strong relationships with primary stakeholders including Theme Directors, Heads of Functions and Deputy Directors, Innovation Leads, government departments, operations, finance, Impact and Performance managers. Represent the team as required at high-profile events and meetings. Leadership and influence of multi-disciplined teams, both internal and external to achieve programme deliverables. Develop and implement programme governance and take ownership of associated documents, including strategies, plans and contractual agreements such as MoUs Assist with managing the programme budget and spend profile, gaining sign off from stakeholders as required Oversee the embedding of monitoring, evaluation and benefits realisation for programmes Organise and chair stakeholder meetings and provide secretariat as required Deliver timely responses to information requests, such as completing reports, tracking coinvestment, answering queries from delivery partners, government departments, etc Share best practice with and manage or mentor other members of HLA PSO team and the broader HL&A domain. Contribute to Innovate UK Programme Support Office (PSO) activities, such as reporting to PSO, reporting to HL&A Domain Boards and other submissions and input requests as appropriate. Line Management of PSO team members as required. Supporting the planning and delivery of activities as part of the Spending Review process, working closely with the Director to assist as required during the process. 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: This effective and proactive individual will be an exceptional and highly experienced programme manager, used to working without close direction and able to manage multiple streams of work with a range of internal and external stakeholders. The post-holder will be highly flexible, capable of identifying the right approach to the task in hand and translating that approach into effective delivery. Ideally the successful applicant will have been exposed to many different project management approaches. The post holder will be a strong team player, and a pro-active self-starter. The post holder will have the ability to form effective relationships and liaise with senior management within the organization. Experience & Qualifications: (S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview Essential – Educated to degree level or with substantial relevant experience Formal project management qualifications Considerable experience of managing multiple projects or programmes and delivering a broad range of benefits, across the Public and Private sectors using the principles of good project management Strong experience of achieving results through influencing skills rather than direct control Experience of complex problem solving involving successfully managing diverse stakeholders with conflicting demands and priorities A clear track record of working within the constraints of time, cost and quality as well as effective management and mitigation of risk. Experience of managing a high-performance team across multiple locations to deliver exceptional results Desirable – An understanding of how grant funding works across Government and ideally within UKRI Experience of managing large national or international programmes involving complex contract agreements and finances Experience working across the UK innovation landscape Skills: (I) – Assessed at interview Ability to thrive in an agile and changing environment. Proven team-working and stakeholder management skills Flexibility and ability to identify the right approach to the task in hand and translating that approach into effective delivery. Excellent forward planning and organisational skills delivered consistently. Self-organisation and ability to manage and prioritise a workload with multiple work streams. Self-awareness, good personal resilience and a high level of professionalism, discretion, and tact Excellent communication skills (both written and oral) and the ability to produce clear, concise reports, presentations, and documents. A willingness to challenge preconceptions and offer well-reasoned and considered judgments to different stakeholders. Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to apply creative solutions. A self-starter, capable of taking own initiative when required but equally able to take instruction and deliver results against a brief and to tight deadlines. High level of IT literacy including managing data, maintaining audit trials and data integrity Experience of MS Project would be desirable. Ability to think strategic but can translate into actionable plans. Developed negotiating skills. 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; 04-04-2025