Portfolio Delivery Manager

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Economic and Social Research Council
Portfolio Delivery Manager
Salary: £34,905 per annumHours: Full-time or 0.8 FTE role. ESRC have a wide range of policies to support work/life balance. As such, we welcome full time/part time/compressed hours applications for this role Contract Type: X1 Open Ended (permanent) & X1 Fixed term until 31 March 2025
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire (hybrid working)Grade: UKRI Band D Closing Date: 30th AprilProposed interview date: 22 nd - 24 th May
Hybrid Working
: All posts are based at our Swindon office, but we operate a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home, the office, and occasionally atexternal locations. As we recognise the benefits of in-person working, individual teams have set a minimum expectation that they will work in person together in the Swindon office. On occasions where there is a business need, you may be required to attend the office more than the minimum expectation (e.g., for training, events, or team days). Expectations will be set out at interview and offer, and all working arrangements will be considered.
ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) is looking to recruit managers who are committed to advancing lives through powerful economic and social science research.
Portfolio Delivery Managers sit within the breadth of ESRC teams and play a key role within ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) commissioning exciting new research and innovation, managing our portfolios of high-profile research investments.
Job Purpose
You will form an important link between ESRC and stakeholders from our portfolios of research investments to deliver ESRC priorities.
As part of a lively and dynamic team, committed to supporting academics at the forefront of economic and social research, you will work closely with the senior managers, your team head(s) and deputy directors to lead and take personal accountability for a select number of thematic portfolios. You will take a leading role on the commissioning and oversight of key new high-profile investments. You will ensure that outputs, outcomes, and impact are captured and optimised across portfolios; support senior ESRC staff to engage with a wide range of academic and broader stakeholder communities to catalyse research ideas across the economic and social sciences, and to drive forward their subsequent development and delivery.
You will be involved in prioritising ideas, drafting documents, running funding processes, setting up grants, evaluation, and communications management. Additionally, you will deliver monitoring reports; support governance activities and take responsibility for project management and co-ordination.
Key responsibilities
Managing the commissioning of new investments.
Working across your team to aid the delivery of ESRC's priorities.
Working with ESRC senior staff to establish effective relationships with key strategic partners in your team's area of work.
Investment management of key investments within assigned portfolios, ensuring that outputs, outcomes, and impact reach their full potential by engaging with key collaborators.
Working with the strategic research/portfolio leads and key collaborators to support, develop and prioritise new scientific ideas.
Working closely across ESRC teams, ensuring high quality and timely project management of commissioning and governance activities.
Involvement in the team's corporate responsibilities, such as peer review for funding competitions.
We currently have one vacancy in our Grants Delivery Team ( Open Ended Contract)
and one vacancy in our International Partnerships Team (Fixed Term Contract up to 31 March 2025 , towards the end of the assignment candidates will move into the UKRI redeployment pool and be supported in finding suitable alternative work within the organisation). We may have further opportunities in other teams during the course of this campaign. Please indicate and tailor your cover letter to your preferred team.
For any employees applying for a fixed-term assignment (level transfer or temporary promotion), we recommend you discuss the implications on your current role with your line manager. Fixed-term assignments of twelve months or less will normally only be backfilled temporarily, after which time the employee should expect to revert to their substantive role. For assignments longer than this, or where it is assessed as business critical to backfill the releasing role, entering a fixed-term assignment may result in you not returning to your current role or Council. Instead, you would move into the UKRI Redeployment Pool (on your substantive band if temporarily promoted) towards the end of the assignment, where you will be supported in finding a suitable alternative role within the organisation.
Grants Delivery Team (GDT):
The GDT is a centre of experti se within ESRC for leading commissioning of funding opportunities and grants related processing activity. Working in partnership with all teams across ESRC, and more widely within UKRI, the post-holder will provide specialist advice to support the effective deployment of research and innovation funding for ESRC. Diligent relationship management and the efficient delivery of systems, data, processes, mechanisms, and policy are key aspects of this role. Where capacity allows, there are opportunities to work with broader corporate activities and priorities.
International Partnership Team:
The International Partnerships team leads on the development of ESRC's international strategy and establishes and maintains the international partnerships required to deliver ESRC's strategic goals. The team also supports research and research-related activities relevant to international development. Within these areas, the team is responsible for the embedding and integration of international activity across all of ESRC's programmes and maintaining ESRC's relationships with key international development agencies.
The team manages a portfolio of activities that engages funders and other partners from around the globe including Trans-Atlantic Platform , ORA , NORFACE , Horizon Europe .
As part of our international development activities, we manage a portfolio of collaborative programmes with other funders such as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and cross-council initiatives within UKRI. The majority of these investments are funded via the Overseas Development Assistance ( ODA ) budget which allows our researchers to work with and in Development Assistance Countries ( DAC-list ).
Note that the International Partnership post will require you to support bilateral and multilateral international partnerships; assist in developing and implementing strategy in partnership with a range of stakeholders particularly in uncertain contexts or fast-paced environments; manage new priority activities, including commissioning; undertake investment management activities in international context; and contribute to shaping ESRC's international outlook. You will also be responsible for internal and external reporting and particularly ODA spend. Please makes sure you address these requirements and the key responsibilities in working in the international context in your covering letter.
Person Requirements
We will assess applicants on the criteria stated below. We ask that applicants state how their skills and experiences meet these criteria in a covering letter (maximum 2 pages). We are open to applicants who are currently or have recently finished studying, returning from a career break, or looking for a change of career.
Essential Criteria:
A degree/equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area or demonstrable equivalent level of knowledge, skills, and experience.
Planning and organisational skills, including: an awareness of project management methods, the ability to support the co-ordination of project workstreams, the ability to effectively prioritise and manage complex activities with competing workloads, and taking ownership for delivery of expected outcomes whilst maintaining attention to detail.
Ability to work collegiately and flexibly in a team, delivering a varied portfolio consistently in a timely manner. You will need to be responsive to changes and task manage the work of others to overcome challenges and successfully deliver expected outcomes.
Sophisticated and engaging communication skills, using appropriate styles and methods to maximise impact and understanding.
Experience of building effective working relationships with both internal and external collaborators (such as senior academics, policy makers, practitioners, or business partners) at varying seniority levels with the ability to influence and persuade.
Analytical skills with the ability to evaluate, report, and act on complex information of various forms, including numerical data.
Desirable Criteria:
Facilitation skills including the ability to create an inclusive environment, encourage others to contribute, consider differing perspectives, guide others to appropriate and useful outcomes.
A degree or relevant experience related to the thematic remit of the team where vacancies are available or experience in a research management or related environment.
An enthusiasm for economic and social science research and/or the thematic remit of the team where the vacancies are available, and an understanding of the role it plays within the UK research/innovation system.
Additional information
Developing talent :
We are committed to developing employees in their roles throughout their career. Learning and development plans enable employees to continue their professional development through training and development opportunities such as e-learning, classroom training and on-the-job experiences. We encourage our employees to share their learning across teams and organisations .
Benefits:
UKRI can offer the successful candidate:
Flexible Working
30 days annual leave Public Holidays
Access to Civil Service Pension Scheme
Various everyday discounts through our dedicated provider
About the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The ESRC is the UK's largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science. It supports the development and training of the UK's future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.
For more information about ESRC, please visit
About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.
Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.
More information can be found at www.ukri.org.
Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
How we support EDI in the workforce
At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce' .
Disability Confident Employer
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
How to apply
Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.
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.
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