Senior Grants and Community Manager in Swindon

UKRI Salary: £46,743 per annum. Band: UKRI Band E. Contract Type: 3 Year Fixed Term. (With possibility of extension) Hours: Full Time or Part Time. (Minimum 0.8 FTE) Location: While UKRI supports hybrid working, the postholder will be required to attend one in-office team day per week at Polaris House in Swindon, Wiltshire.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Grants and Community Manager to join the UKRI Infrastructure Team and lead delivery of the UK’s contribution to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking on behalf of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). EuroHPC funds supercomputers and runs research grants within the field of high-performance computing. These grants are part funded (up to 50%) by the EU, and part funded by participating states, including the UK.

Our involvement in EuroHPC includes:

• Delivering funding to UK researchers and/or businesses for EuroHPC activities that are jointly funded by DSIT;
• Supporting DSIT in identifying the EuroHPC research and innovation activities that will most strongly contribute to the development of the UK’s research and innovation communities, including the identification of priorities for matched funding;
• Providing UK researchers and businesses with information and support, including direct engagement, events, a dedicated web page and community enquiry inbox;
• Liaising with DSIT and the EuroHPC JU for the purposes of reporting, compliance, assistance with policy development, etc.

You will collaborate across the organisation and externally, engaging with relevant stakeholders in Government Departments, Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs), academia and industry to gather insight and ensure that UKRI’s plans for Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) enable our varied communities to use the most powerful digital tools and techniques.

Your responsibilities

• Working with colleagues across UKRI and DSIT, and engaging with external parties such as technology providers and users of DRI, to synthesise the views of diverse research and innovation communities, raise awareness of and contribute to the development of the UK’s involvement in EuroHPC activities.
• Providing information for prospective applicants and relevant communities of practice, including presentations, direct engagements, and written and web-based materials to raise awareness of, and promote active engagement with EuroHPC activities.
• Providing support and advice for EuroHPC applicants and grant holders.
• Delivering the UK’s contribution to EuroHPC activities through grant making to support match funded initiatives.
• Developing and implementing processes to ensure alignment with UKRI, DSIT and EuroHPC requirements for funding activities, including compliance and financial constraints.
• Develop and monitor critical metrics and highlight areas for continuous improvement.
• Supporting reporting and monitoring of EuroHPC awards, ensuring timely receipt of accurate information and contributing to portfolio reports.
• Supporting the UK’s ongoing contribution to the development of EuroHPC through analysis and assessment of capabilities and complementarity.
• Contributing to strategic projects across the team, as required.

Personal Specification

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

• Degree, or equivalent experience in a relevant subject. (S)
• Awareness of key technical concepts in large-scale advanced computing technologies such as HPC and AI. (S)
• Experience of programme, portfolio and/or project management of research-related or innovation activities. (S&I)
• Experience of facilitating the development of research or innovation communities of practice, consortia, or multi-institution partnerships. (S&I)
• Experience in successfully developing and delivering grant funding, associated compliance and monitoring processes and cases for investment or projects. Alternatively, equivalent experience that demonstrates your strong capacity to learn these skills. (S&I)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to synthesise diverse views, interpret and present complex information to a wide range of audiences in a clear, concise, and accurate way. (S&I)
• Ability to build and sustain productive working interpersonal relationships internally and externally, at all levels of seniority and across academic, policy and private sectors. Able to recognise different motivations and interests. (S&I)
• Sophisticated analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and an ability to gather information, gain insights, and think strategically. (S&I)
• Able to learn new tools, think creatively, and make effective decisions, sometimes in a complex or uncertain environment. (S&I)
• Self-motivated with a proven track record to work effectively both individually and as a member of a team. (I)
• Willing to travel and work away from the office and/or outside normal working hours on an occasional basis, including occasional travel within Europe. (I)

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!

• 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!

For further information on our benefits please see: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer. Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close this vacancy early.

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.