At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead executive communications and shape public engagement for ARIA's CEO.
- Company: Join ARIA, a pioneering R&D funding agency driving technological breakthroughs.
- Benefits: Enjoy 27 days leave, hybrid work, and a supportive learning environment.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on the future of UK science and technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in executive communications and strong writing skills required.
The predicted salary is between 95000 - 95000 £ per year.
Application Deadline: 4 September 2026
Department: Communications and Engagement
Location: London
Compensation: £95,000 / year
Description Salary: c.£95,000 Bonus: Discretionary Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays-Thursdays - 3 days at HQ, Monday + Friday - anywhere)
Employment Type: Permanent, full time
Closing Date: 04.09.26
About ARIA
ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.
Role Summary
As Head of Executive Engagement, you will shape how ARIA’s CEO and broader executive team are heard, seen, and positioned in the public domain. You will ensure ARIA’s leadership communicates with clarity, coherence, and impact across every significant external moment. In practice, the day-to-day centre of gravity will be with the CEO, where you will serve as an external-facing chief of staff: shaping how she communicates the organisation’s mission, setting the strategic direction of her external programme, and being at her side for the moments that matter - providing real-time counsel, triage, and follow-through. This is a high-trust, senior advisory role that blends communications strategy with political intelligence and hands-on engagement support. A critical part of the role is ensuring strategic discipline across the CEO’s external activity. You will ensure there is a clear purpose behind every significant commitment of the CEO’s time and visibility, and that her external programme actively supports ARIA’s strategic objectives. The role sits within the Communications & Engagement function and works in close partnership with the Lead EA who supports the Chief Executive.
What You’ll Do
- Lead the development of speeches, keynotes, conference remarks, op-eds, and major presentations for the CEO and other members of the executive team for significant external moments.
- Brief and direct an external agency to support the production of executive communications, ensuring output meets ARIA's standards and is aligned with the exec team’s voice and positioning.
- Design and manage an integrated executive visibility programme - spanning speeches, media, social media, events, video, and thought leadership publishing.
- Build and sustain the CEO's distinctive public voice, helping her articulate ARIA's mission with clarity and conviction across diverse audiences.
- Provide coaching and preparation support for senior spokespeople ahead of high-profile speaking engagements and media appearances.
- Own the strategic direction of the CEO’s public social media presence.
- Develop and maintain reference materials, positioning guides, and self-service resources that equip the executive team to represent ARIA effectively.
- Ensure a consistently high standard across all executive-level external outputs.
R&D ecosystem and policy landscape
- Identify and translate pertinent developments across the UK R&D ecosystem, science funding and the wider policy environment into implications for the CEO's positioning and outputs.
- Provide reputational counsel - identifying risks, surfacing opportunities, and advising on timing and framing.
- Work with the executive team to define their distinct external profiles, areas of emphasis, and target audiences.
- Ensure clarity across the executive team on external roles and responsibilities for major public moments.
- Be the key point of coordination and triage for inbound policy and ecosystem stakeholder requests.
- Lead the CEO's preparation for high-stakes government-facing engagements.
- Draft reactive lines, positioning statements, and public-facing outputs for the CEO as required.
- Collaborate closely with ARIA’s wider communications and engagement team.
Senior engagement leadership
- Develop the framework and criteria for evaluating external engagement opportunities.
- Accompany the CEO to key external events, conferences, and high-level meetings.
- Manage the flow of requests, introductions, and approaches around the CEO.
- Help map, develop, and maintain the CEO’s network across research, policy, government, industry, and media.
- Provide the CEO with ongoing intelligence on the people and dynamics relevant to ARIA’s external position.
- Define success metrics for executive engagement and evaluate the impact of the executive team’s external programme over time.
- Work in close partnership with the Lead EA to ensure joined-up coordination across diary, engagements, and logistics.
Who You Are
You have significant experience in a senior advisory, executive communications, or chief of staff capacity. You are an exceptional writer with a rare ability to inhabit another person's voice. You are policy-literate, with deep familiarity with the UK R&D, science policy, and innovation landscape. You understand how government and public funding operates. You bring strong instincts and networks across the media, research and industry landscape. You have the judgement and discretion to operate as a trusted advisor to a CEO. You are comfortable in high-profile, fast-moving environments. You deliver at pace with composure.
We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Note: A cover letter is required to be considered.
Benefits
- 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
- Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
- Discretionary bonus
- Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
- Enhanced family leave arrangements
- A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
- Life Assurance
- 2 days of paid volunteer days
- 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
- Cycle to Work scheme
- An excellent office location in Kings X, London
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
Head of Executive Engagement employer: Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA)
ARIA is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of Kings Cross, London, where innovation meets purpose. With a strong commitment to employee growth, ARIA provides extensive learning opportunities, a supportive culture, and flexible hybrid working arrangements that promote work-life balance. Employees enjoy generous benefits, including 27 days of annual leave, enhanced family leave, and a focus on ethical and social responsibility, making it a truly rewarding place to contribute to groundbreaking research and development.
Contact Details:
Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) Recruitment Team
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