Operational Safety Assurance Manager (Aviation & Maritime)

Job summary

Operational Safety Assurance Manager (Aviation & Maritime)

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Salary: £46,743 per annum
Band: UKRI Band E
Contract Type: Fixed Term (14 months – Parental leave)
Hours: Full-time/ Part Time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available
Reports to: Associate Director, Corporate Governance and Stewardship
Closing Date: Sunday 15th November 2026

Job description

This role provides an excellent opportunity to support operational safety leadership across UKRI-NERC's aviation and maritime National Capabilities. The postholder will lead the assurance, oversight and monitoring of complex operational safety management systems, providing specialist advice and challenge to operating organisations and supporting assurance reporting to NERC and UKRI senior leadership.

The role sits within the People and Operational Delivery function and plays a key role in ensuring that NERC maintains effective oversight of operational safety risks across its aviation and maritime activities. Working closely with operational safety professionals, NERC Centres, governance teams and UKRI colleagues, the postholder will help establish and mature NERC's operational safety assurance framework and support a culture of continuous improvement.

Operational safety is defined as the absence of unacceptable risk of harm to people, assets or the environment arising from aviation and maritime operations conducted within highly regulated environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead aviation and maritime safety assurance activities across NERC National Capabilities.
• Manage assurance reviews, track actions, and support continuous improvement.
• Produce safety assurance reports, statements, and performance insights for senior governance groups.
• Monitor operational safety risks, review safety cases, and support mitigation activities.
• Act as Secretariat to key aviation and maritime assurance panels and governance forums.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including regulators and delivery partners.
• Develop reporting frameworks, dashboards, and performance metrics to support safety oversight.
• Identify emerging risks, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
• Support audits, inspections, and independent assurance reviews.
• Promote the sharing of lessons learned and best practice across aviation and maritime operations.

Promote the sharing of lessons learned and good practice across aviation and maritime operations.

Person specification

• Experience of assurance, risk management, governance or operational oversight within a complex organisation.
• Experience of delivering assurance, oversight or improvement activities within a complex and/or highly regulated environment.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and present complex information, data and risks to support evidence-based decision making.
• Experience of developing reports, dashboards, management information or assurance reporting for senior audiences.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, influencing and relationship management skills, including working effectively across organisational boundaries.
• Understanding of assurance, governance and risk management principles and their practical application.
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver outcomes to deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to provide clear advice, challenge and recommendations.

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 (opens in a new window).

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 salary 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

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

How to apply:

For full details, please visit our careers site. Please submit an application including your CV and a Cover Letter that showcases how your skills and experience align to the requirements of the role.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

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

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@ukri.org