Programme Manager

The University of the West of England (UWE) is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Programme Manager to play a pivotal role in the strategic and operational delivery of DRAGoN’s ambitious programme of data and analytical research. The postholder will support the successful delivery of investments from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). These projects encompass data curation, policy-relevant research, training, and capacity building. A substantial amount of project time is dedicated to engagement with the public and with stakeholders across academia and government.

This role is part of Bristol Business School which is one of the leading post-1992 university centres for research in the fields of business, management and employment. We support a thriving and vibrant research community with over 100 research active academic staff and large numbers of research students. Our research is focused on supporting the future of organisations.

About you

Working across a major multi-institutional partnership, you will provide leadership and coordination across the programme, with responsibility for programme and project management, financial oversight, governance, risk management, reporting and operational delivery. You’ll work closely with academic and professional services colleagues and external partners to ensure that activities, resources, milestones and outputs are effectively coordinated and successfully delivered. We are looking for an organised, proactive and collaborative individual with significant experience of managing complex programmes or projects, excellent stakeholder-management skills and the ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries. This is an exciting opportunity to take a central role in delivering a high-profile research programme with the potential to make a significant contribution to research, policy and practice.

Where you will be working

UWE Bristol is a campus-based University, with vibrant campus communities that are central to student life. In this role, you’ll be based at our modern Frenchay Campus where we’ve invested in state-of-the-art facilities designed to help both staff and students succeed. You’ll spend most of your time on campus, typically 2 days per week, with the opportunity to work from home on the remaining days. We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with 38,000 students and 4,000 staff from right across the globe. Based in vibrant Bristol, our ambitions are to make a positive difference to our planet, transforming futures through actions and solving real world challenges.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits including progressive pay rates, very generous annual leave and career average pension schemes as well as retail savings, onsite nursery and opportunities for training and personal development. We’re part of a vibrant, multicultural city and welcome talented people from all backgrounds. Diversity is our strength, enhancing creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving. Join our supportive community and thrive. We particularly encourage applications from global majority candidates as we are currently under-represented in this area, however all appointments are made strictly on individual merit. As a Disability Confident employer, we encourage applications from disabled or neurodivergent candidates.

Further information

If you would like to speak to us to find out more about this role, please contact Damian Whittard email: Damian2.Whittard@uwe.ac.uk. Interviews are scheduled to take place at our Frenchay Campus on 13 October 2026. This is a fixed term post until 31/03/2031, and is part-time working on a 0.5 FTE contract. Salary offers are made in line with the University’s salary assessment guidelines, reflecting your relevant skills and experience in parity with colleagues.

Right to Work in the UK

If offered a role, you will need to provide valid documentation confirming your right to work in the UK before employment begins. Guidance on acceptable documents is available via the Home Office Right to Work Checklist. Please note that UWE Bristol does not cover any visa or health surcharge costs.