Senior Policy Engagement Manager in Manchester

The UKRI Funding Policy and Engagement Team sits within the UKRI Funding Service and leads the development and delivery of consistent funding policy and process across the nine UKRI Councils. We design and maintain the policies and processes that underpin the full funding lifecycle for research, innovation and training awards, governing over £4 billion of investment each year. These policies shape eligibility, application requirements, assessment processes, funding decisions and post-award grant management. While Councils retain control of their strategies and budgets, our team provides the overarching policy framework that simplifies, aligns and improves funding practice based on user needs.

This role is central to the team's mission, contributing to:

• Developing and delivering research and innovation policies across all Councils and cross-cutting funds, balancing harmonisation with targeted interventions.
• Creating and implementing policies critical to the success of the UKRI Funding Service (TFS) and wider organisational priorities, including the UKRI Strategy and government commitments to reduce bureaucracy.
• Connecting policy, operations, strategy, product teams and the research community to ensure a coherent and user-centred funding system.
• Strengthening engagement with the research and innovation community to bring external perspectives into policy development.
• Designing and delivering engagement approaches that support evidence-based policy development and effective implementation of the Funding Service.

Your Responsibilities

• Funding Policy: Support the development, simplification and implementation of UKRI funding policy, using evidence and user insight to shape recommendations. Produce high-quality policy papers, briefings and proposals for senior decision-making forums, ensuring policies are coherent, deliverable and user-centred.
• Engagement & Insight: Design and deliver engagement activities (e.g. workshops, forums, surveys, user testing) to inform policy development and Funding Service improvements, acting as a trusted advisor on user-centred engagement approaches. Analyse engagement feedback and generate clear insights, including You Said, We Did reporting, to influence decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Communications & Content: Produce clear, accessible communications on policy changes, operational improvements and service performance. Develop and maintain guidance, FAQs and digital content for applicants, reviewers and research organisations, ensuring accessibility and consistency.
• Stakeholder & Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships across the nine Councils and with key external stakeholders, representing the Funding Policy and Engagement team at meetings and networks. Regular UK travel should be expected as part of this role, particularly to deliver and support workshops, events, and stakeholder engagement activities across the research and innovation community.
• Monitoring, Reporting & Team Support: Track engagement activity and contribute insights to dashboards, performance reports and impact reviews. Support and deputise for Policy Leads and the Associate Director, confidently facilitating meetings and discussions, challenging assumptions constructively, managing expectations, and ensuring actions are agreed and progressed.

Please note that there will also be occasional travel required as part of this role.

Personal Specification

Essential:

• Proven experience of research administration, policy or strategy development within a research organisation, funder or complex public sector environment, with a strong understanding of the UK research and innovation landscape.
• Strong strategic thinking and judgement, with the ability to analyse complex issues, identify trade-offs, and develop practical, evidence-based solutions that balance policy intent, operational delivery and user impact.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex policy and operational information clearly for a range of audiences, including senior governance forums; experience producing user focused and accessible content.
• Demonstrable ability to influence, negotiate and broker agreement across diverse internal and external stakeholders, securing buy in where there are competing priorities or perspectives.
• Experience leading, designing or advising on engagement activity (e.g. workshops, consultations, surveys, user testing or forums), and using insight from engagement to inform policy development, decision making or service improvement.
• Strong delivery and analytical capability, including planning and prioritising work across multiple workstreams, synthesising evidence from a range of sources, and operating effectively in a changing or ambiguous environment.

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning! A list of benefits below:

• An 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.
• Plus, many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager.