Programme Manager

This is the Internal Only Recruitment Site for UK Research and Innovation staff for roles within Innovate UK (UKRI). Please apply for jobs via this site only if you are employed by UK Research and Innovation. Applications must be submitted by 16 February 2026.

Role summary

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. The post holder will form part of Innovate UK Programme Support Office (PSO) and will operate within the Healthy Living and Agriculture (HL&A) Domain Team. 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 business case development, through planning and delivery, working closely with project teams and the wider PSO function.

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.
• Provide leadership and influence of multi-disciplinary teams, both internal and external to achieve programme deliverables.
• Develop and implement programme governance and take ownership of documents such as strategies, plans and contractual agreements (e.g., 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 co-investment, and answering queries from delivery partners and government departments.
• Share best practice and mentor other members of the HLA PSO team and the broader HL&A domain.
• Contribute to Innovate UK PSO activities, including reporting to PSO and HL&A Domain Boards, and other submissions and input requests.
• Line management of PSO team members as required.
• Support the planning and delivery of activities as part of the Spending Review process, working closely with the Director as required during the process.

This is not an exhaustive list and you may be encouraged to undertake 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

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, with the ability to form effective relationships and liaise with senior management within the organization.

Experience & Qualifications

• 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

• 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 (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 and delivering results against a brief and tight deadlines.
• High level of IT literacy including managing data, maintaining audit trails and data integrity.
• Ability to think strategically but translate into actionable plans.
• Developed negotiating skills.

Competencies

Thinking and Problem Solving, Stakeholder management, Communication skills, Influencing, Self-awareness/self-management, Strategic awareness, Working with others, Project management. Some competencies will be assessed at interview in addition to the criteria listed.

Travel

Field-based: There will be a requirement to travel, mostly national, with some flexibility. Use of telepresence tools to minimise travel whenever possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce and promotes equality, fairness, respect and dignity for all. We encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set out in our role profiles.

UKRI and Employee Benefits

We are an equal opportunities employer. Where required, reasonable adjustments can be requested during recruitment. UKRI is the employer and information about UKRI is available at http://www.ukri.org/. Benefits include 30 days annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, a defined benefit pension scheme, and access to support networks and discount schemes. Flexible working options may be discussed during recruitment. A pre-employment screening process is conducted for successful applicants, including security checks and vetting as required. UKRI supports research in areas aligned with animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health; consider alignment with personal values.