Senior Portfolio Manager – Future Communications

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Salary: £46,743 per annum

Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE considered)

Contract type: Fixed Term until 31st March 2030

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Grade: UKRI Band E

Positions available: 1

Closing date: 23:59 on 2nd July 2026

Purpose

As a Senior Portfolio Manager in EPSRC, within 6–12 months, you will have a deep knowledge of your area of responsibility (which could be multiple portfolios or programmes), understanding its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You will use that knowledge to collaborate and lead on defining, influencing, and implementing strategy.

Main outputs and activities

• Contribute to, as well as shape the development and delivery of strategy across one of EPSRC’s themes.
• Deputising for team leads, including in meetings with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Line‑manage and/or project manage colleagues: providing leadership and support for personal development and driving a culture of high‑performance teamwork.
• Building and fostering strong relationships working across EPSRC, UKRI and beyond UKRI, including across the academic community, government, and other stakeholders to ensure that investments are robust, informed, and impactful.
• Providing high quality expertise and advice in your areas of responsibility, informed by evidence and engagement with relevant stakeholders.
• Leading the development and delivery of investment plans, calls and associated peer review processes, and cases for investment, ensuring that these are of a high quality and in line with UKRI values, principles, and practices.
• Contributing to the development of appropriate monitoring, assurance, and evaluation approaches for EPSRC’s investments.

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Knowledge and experience of programme, portfolio and/or project management of research-related or innovation activities, including managing packages of work within projects and programmes.
• Sophisticated analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills, and an ability to think strategically.
• An ability to engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels, and to influence others to achieve outcomes and improve performance.
• An ability to work as part of a team, including leading and developing staff through behaviour and empathy, to achieve organisational goals.
• Strong communication skills (both written and oral) with an ability to produce clear, concise, and accurate presentations and written documentation to successfully inform and influence a wide range of audiences.
• Strong strategic awareness of how the UK research and innovation system operates, and the context and landscape within which EPSRC and UKRI operates.

Desirable

• A graduate (or equivalent experience) who can demonstrate the potential to succeed.

Hybrid Working

These posts are based at our Swindon office, but hybrid working is available with regular office attendance and travel across UKRI offices. This post also requires travel to attend external visits and meetings. We welcome applications from candidates with special requirements.

Benefits

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness, and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

Contact

Further information about the role can be discussed with Lydia Gardner (Joint Head of Quantum Technologies). Email lydia.gardner@epsrc.ukri.org to arrange a mutually convenient time to speak.