DiSSCo UK Senior Grants Operations Manager

Job summary

DiSSCo UK Senior Grants Operations Manager

Salary: £46,743
Band: UKRI Band E
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: 3 years Fixed Term
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

CLOSING: 28 June 2026

Job description

About the Role

The Distributed System of Scientific Collections UK (DiSSCo UK) is a £155.6 million investment for a national infrastructure programme to digitise 37 million natural science specimens. To deliver this exciting new programme, AHRC, alongside their delivery partner the Natural History Museum (NHM), are developing a DiSSCo UK delivery team to manage the programme on a day-to-day basis. This new team will be based at Swindon (with strong links to London) and will be responsible for managing the contract with the external evaluation supplier, leading on benefits management, engaging with relevant communities, measuring the impacts of the programme, and ensuring that impacts, outputs and outcomes are reflected upon, reported and communicated in a timely and effective manner. Some of the key activities for the team will be supporting grant holders, designing, and delivering future funding opportunities, and capturing programme and project level impacts.

Purpose

The role will oversee the direct awards to the Natural History Museum for delivering the programme and for the digitisation grants awarded to the wider consortium. The role will report into the DiSSCo UK Team Head and will liaise with all members of the team. The role offers opportunities for travel, professional development, and the chance to build knowledge of stakeholder engagement and programme level communications. As this role will involve interaction with grant holders and stakeholders, as well as attendance at events and conferences, the role will involve regular travel, including overnight and international travel.

Your Responsibilities

The Senior Operations Manager will:

• Oversee the grants funded through the DiSSCo UK funding calls, being the strategic lead for all funding opportunities.
• Support the team head with finance.
• Support the Impact and Engagement Manager with complex grant holder queries.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with DiSSCo UK colleagues at NHM, adapting and communicating to ensure shared goals are met and staff feel supported.
• Manage the DiSSCo UK project risk register, including reporting on risk to the DiSSCo UK Programme Board.
• Develop and maintain close working and strategic relationships with colleagues across AHRC and UKRI to align activities and priorities, and to ensure UKRI financial, grant management and recruitment processes are followed.
• Be involved in cross-team working with delivery partners NHM, and the Research and Innovation Infrastructure Team on related portfolios.
• Work collaboratively with NHM colleagues to support the work of the DiSSCo EU European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).
• Support on the delivery of future programme approvals including Gate Reviews.
• Line management of the Investment Manager, providing line and task management, and supporting their professional development.
• Develop and maintain an overview of developments in the digital research infrastructure and natural science collections landscape, strategic partners, and other funders, relevant to the remit of the role.

Person specification

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

Essential

• Project management skills, including budget and/or financial management. (S&I)
• Good understanding and experience of risk management; identifying, communicating, and mitigating risk in projects. (S&I)
• Experience of using data and evidence to make decisions. (S&I)
• Business Process: Ability to problem solve and find answers to difficult questions, and manage complex workloads with multiple deadlines and priorities. (S&I)
• Experience of leading or managing activities with multiple internal/external partners. Some understanding of commercialisation within research projects and research areas would be helpful. (S&I)
• Strong, collaborative team working skills, including collaborating with colleagues to prioritise tasks and maximise resources. (S&I)
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. (S&I)
• Experience of managing or supervising staff and supporting staff development. (S&I)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,743, UK Research and Innovation contributes £13,541 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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!

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : UKRI Recruitment Team
• Email : Recruitment@ukri.org

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@ukri.org