Competition Manager in Swindon

Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Join a fast-paced team delivering funding mechanisms that support UK organisations. Working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, you'll play a key role in planning and delivering competitions. If you have excellent attention to detail, a strong customer focus, and enjoy balancing teamwork with independent responsibility, this is an exciting opportunity.

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work‑life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

The role holder will operate within the Innovate UK Pre Award team which is part of the Operations directorate.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Competition Lead, you will plan and deliver funding opportunities from inception through to successful project start‑up. Working in a fast‑paced environment, you'll manage multiple priorities while providing excellent customer service and maintaining high standards of quality and accuracy.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Plan and deliver a portfolio of funding opportunities from launch through to project start‑up, ensuring delivery to agreed timelines.
• Work with Innovation Leads and other stakeholders to develop competition briefs, guidance and briefing presentations.
• Ensure all processes are clear, fair, transparent and compliant with audit and governance requirements.
• Manage documentation, version control and change management to maintain high-quality outputs.
• Coordinate stakeholders throughout the competition lifecycle, communicating roles, responsibilities, milestones and key decisions.
• Set up and manage funding opportunities within the Innovation Funding Service, ensuring quality assurance prior to publication.
• Deliver applicant and assessor briefings, providing accurate guidance and responding to process related queries.
• Oversee assessment, moderation and funding decision processes, including analysing scores and managing panel activities.
• Lead competition lessons learned reviews, identify process improvements and contribute to wider business projects as required.
• Maintain excellent customer service and champion the values of UKRI and Innovate UK in all aspects of 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

• Strong communication skills (I)
• Experience of managing projects or operational processes in a fast-paced environment. (S&I)
• Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders and building effective working relationships across all levels. (S&I)
• Experience managing competing priorities, meeting deadlines and maintaining high levels of accuracy and attention to detail. (S&I)
• Experience working within defined processes, governance or regulatory frameworks to ensure fair and transparent outcomes. (S&I)
• Experience communicating complex information clearly through written, verbal and presentation formats. (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 listed in the person specification.

Travel Requirements

Swindon-based: There may be the occasional requirement for national 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, health 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 a 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.

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.

Flexible Working

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

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.