Research Excellence Framework (REF) Programme Manager

Research England Salary: £58,589 per annum | Fixed term until March 2030 | Full-time or part-time | Closing Date: 2nd August 2026

Location: Westward House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8SR (hybrid working available)

Are you looking for a new challenge? An opportunity to work on a major, high-profile project in a close-knit team and a fast-paced environment? Do you want to use your knowledge and skills in an agile way across a broad range of focus areas, learning new things and innovating along the way? Do you want to work with some of the most highly respected people across the UK’s research community? Then this may be the opportunity for you!

About Us

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, with the most recent exercise concluding in 2021. It is a peer review assessment process involving submissions from higher education institutions across the UK. The REF is delivered by Research England on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies (Scottish Funding Council, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department of the Economy (Northern Ireland)). REF is a fast-moving exercise managing a wide range of policy areas, expert panel members that span all research disciplines and types of research outputs. Key to our success will be close team working and supporting each other through peak periods. Joining our team provides a great deal of opportunity to learn and develop.

Research England and the UK’s other funding bodies undertake periodic assessments of research quality to inform their funding allocations and to provide quality assurance as to how these funds are spent.

Overview of duties

• Lead the effective management and co-ordination of the REF programme in a complex and fast-paced environment.
• Project-manage some projects, while also being accountable for co-ordinating planning and processes across the whole programme.
• Lead on governance, risk, procurement and budget within the REF team.
• Work closely and collaboratively with heads of sub-teams and the REF Director, as well as with a variety of stakeholders across Research England and UKRI more widely.
• Experienced project lead who is able to work with autonomy.

Main outputs and activities

• Translate strategy and vision from the REF Director and REF governance structures into programme-level delivery objectives to co-ordinate planning, process mapping and programme management across all sub-teams within the programme.
• Work closely and collaboratively with heads of teams to understand their goals, planning alignment between teams, and providing effective oversight of programme progress.
• Lead on benefits realisation ensuring benefits are identified, understood, measured, tracked and owned, and monitoring longer-term benefits against the REF business case.
• Proactively lead, manage and monitor progress of active projects.
• Lead on setting and maintaining standards for project management and continuous improvement.
• Oversee and manage effective REF 2029 governing structures, including managing relationships, preparing regular budget, risk, resource and progress reports for governance groups, management of colleagues providing secretariat functions, and close liaison with the REF Director.
• Oversee the proactive identification and management of programme and project level risks, ensuring mitigations are in place and resolved through negotiated agreement.
• Manage the REF operating budget, working closely with the REF Director, Heads of Teams and Research England’s Chief Operating Officer to monitor delivery of activity against budget and ensuring value for money at all times.
• Lead procurement activity as required for e.g. REF library and audit functions.
• Delegate, as appropriate, project management functions across governance, risk, budgets and project planning to colleagues at various levels of seniority within the team.
• This role will have line and/or matrix management responsibilities.