Investment Manager

Job summary

Investment Manager – Creative Industries Clusters

Salary: £36,650 per annum

Hours: Full time or part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)

Contract: Open Ended

Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid working available)

Grade: UKRI Band D

Closing: 15th July 2026 23:59

Job description

About AHRC & the Creative Industries Team

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, supports world‑leading research into human culture and creativity. The Creative Industries (CI) team delivers a portfolio of programmes across the creative sector, including the Creative Industries Clusters, Immersive Arts, AHTV and TV PhD with the Edinburgh TV Foundation and the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre. We work closely with colleagues across AHRC including Infrastructure, International Partnerships and Engagement and Design, Commercialisation and Innovation.

The Creative Industries Clusters bring together universities, businesses and regional partners to drive innovation and R&D-led economic growth. Following significant investment in both the first and second rounds of Clusters, AHRC is now expanding delivery and support of the growing portfolio.

About the Role

The Investment Manager will provide programme‑wide operational, coordination, and delivery support across the Creative Industries Clusters portfolio. Working closely with a team of Senior Investment Managers (SIMs) who hold strategic responsibility and lead partner relationships, the postholder will take ownership of a range of tasks and processes essential to the smooth running of the programme.

This role will lead on specific operational workstreams such as event coordination, administration, communications support, procurement processes, MEL data coordination, reporting, and risk tracking. The postholder will be a key member of the CI Clusters delivery team, ensuring consistent, high‑quality programme management across a complex and expanding portfolio.

Reports to: Senior Investment Manager (Band E), Creative Industries Clusters.

Main Responsibilities

The postholder will:

1. Provide programme‑wide operational support

• Support the effective delivery of the Clusters portfolio by coordinating day‑to‑day processes, documentation, workflow and team operations.

• Maintain trackers, logs, schedules, and programme information to support oversight by SIMs.

2. Lead delivery‑focused workstreams

• Take forward a defined set of workstreams that underpin smooth delivery across the portfolio, including:

• Event management – planning, logistics, materials, coordination and follow‑up.

• Administration – meeting organisation, inbox management, minutes, scheduling and document handling.

• Communications support – drafting updates, collating content and supporting internal and external communication workflows.

• Procurement and commissioning support – coordinating procurement activity in line with UKRI processes.

• Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) – coordinating data collection and evidence returns; maintaining MEL materials.

• Risk management support – updating risk logs, tracking issues, and raising concerns to SIMs.

• Reporting – gathering portfolio information and preparing summaries for SIM review.

3. Support SIM‑led investment and relationship management

• Coordinate operational communication with award teams in support of SIMs who lead senior relationships.

• Prepare briefing materials, meeting notes, and information summaries to support SIM‑level engagement.

• Ensure follow‑up actions from Cluster‑related meetings are tracked and delivered.

4. Contribute to wider team activity

• Support cross‑AHRC and cross‑UKRI coordination, including information gathering, meeting preparation, and participating in programme‑wide initiatives.

• Collaborate effectively across AHRC directorates and with external collaborators as required.

• Provide flexible delivery support as the Clusters portfolio evolves.

About You

The ideal candidate will have an enthusiasm for the creative industries and a demonstrable understanding of the research funding landscape. You will be a solution-oriented and proactive teammate, with experience delivering and managing funding activities in the research and innovation sector, or in a commercial or policy setting (e.g. Government or Civil Service).

Person specification

Person Specification

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

Essential:

• Experience supporting programmes, projects, or portfolios in a complex environment. (S&I)

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.(I)

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to draft clear documentation and coordinate information. (S&I)

• Ability to gather, organise and analyse information to support reporting, risk tracking, and MEL activities.(S&I)

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collectively across teams and with diverse partners. (S&I)

• High attention to detail and a commitment to delivering a high‑quality service. (S&I)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,650, UK Research and Innovation contributes £10,617 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. 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!

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

Only online applications will be accepted and should be submitted in the form of an up-to-date CV and covering letter each of no more than two sides of A4. The covering letter must clearly outline why you are applying for this post and address in turn how you meet each of the shortlisting and interview criteria described in this advertisement (ideally using each criterion as a sub-heading). Please ensure that the vacancy reference is included in the file name description of each document uploaded. Any applications submitted without a covering letter, or that fail to address the shortlisting criteria points will not be considered further.

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 : recruitment@ukri.org
• Email : recruitment@ukri.org

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukri.org