Programme Coordinator / PA Support - Missions

Job summary

Programme Coordinator / PA Support - Missions

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Salary: £30,895 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band C.
Contract Type: Open-ended.
Hours: Full-time/ Part Time. (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available.

Closing Date: Friday 20 March 2026.

Roles Available: 3

Job description

About Us

The R&D Missions Accelerator Programme represents an exceptional opportunity to create real world impact through R&D investment.

The programme will utilise a £500m budget to bring together the private sector, the third sectors and academia to collaboratively develop innovative solutions to public sector problems, resulting in new technologies, services, IP and more.

The programme has been designed to solve the key problems facing HMG’s five national Missions and enable delivery of the milestones in the Plan for Change.

The Government has identified the key problems faced by the UK, to which the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme has designed Research and Innovation (R&I) Challenges to develop solutions. Importantly, these solutions will then be directly utilised in addressing public sector needs.

The programme is currently developing its approaches across the Missions, and therefore by joining at this stage there’s a significant opportunity to establish and drive the strategic and operational direction of the programme.

Mission Specific Roles

Safer Streets

The Safer Streets Mission is tackling some of the most difficult, enduring and systemic problems in our society. The ambition is to reduce serious harm, and increase public confidence in policing and in the criminal justice system, with a challenging target of halving both knife crime and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade. You will work across multiple government departments and a wide range of stakeholders, seeking solutions which are truly innovative and world leading whilst juggling the need for outcomes to be affordable, scalable and trusted by the public. You will play a key role in building and evaluating local neighbourhood partnerships to deliver well targeted, evidence based and innovative prevention and intervention programmes. You will combine a range of approaches including innovation in technology and data capability, behavioural science focused on prevention and interventions and capability building. You will actively drive collaborative working and investment from industry and key partners.

To find out more and apply, please visit Programme Coordinator / PA Support – Safer Streets (R&D MAP)

Opportunities
The Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission seeks to ensure every child and young person can succeed, regardless of background. It aims to give children the best start in life through high quality early education, childcare and accessible family support services. The mission will help every child thrive at school by improving teaching standards, tackling absence, and supporting those with special educational needs. It will also build skills for opportunity and growth so that every young person can follow the pathway that is right for them. This is an opportunity to work with government departments and a wide range of stakeholders to find innovative solutions to pressing challenges faced by children and young people.

To find out more and apply, please visit Programme Coordinator / PA Support – Opportunities (R&D MAP)

Clean Energy

The Clean Energy Mission is the UK’s world-leading response to climate change with its twin focus on Clean Power by 2030 and accelerating to Net Zero. We're tackling two interconnected challenges that will shape the nation's energy independence, push peaking gas plant off the system and drive down energy bills. You’ll be looking at how new business models and approaches can unlock grid flexibility through AI and digital innovation, and developing new low-cost ultralong-duration energy storage solutions. Working with experts in system change such as the Energy Systems and Digital Catapults, market shapers at NESO and Elexon and leading industry players, you'll be investing in real-world solutions and growing UK-based innovators and skills, right at the forefront of building the flexible, resilient power grid that will deliver our clean energy superpower ambitions.

To find out more and apply, please visit Programme Coordinator / PA Support – Clean Energy (R&D MAP)

Health

The Health Mission is transforming care by reducing pressure on hospitals and improving patient outcomes across key areas. Working closely with DHSC and across the four nations, we're partnering with industry and academia to develop innovations that ensure dementia patients receive earlier diagnosis. We'll also be funding early intervention solutions for children and young people's mental health in community and home settings and developing innovations to help patients with cardiometabolic conditions like diabetes and heart disease manage their care outside hospitals. Through these challenges, you'll work alongside leading organisations including the UK Dementia Research Institute, and major research charities like Alzheimer's Society to oversee innovations that will be adopted across the NHS and wider social care settings.

To find out more and apply, please visit Programme Coordinator / PA Support –Health (R&D MAP)

Economic Growth

The Growth Mission is driving innovation to transform vital sectors of the UK economy. You'll be working with industry leaders, cultural institutions, government, and beyond to build digital marketplaces that revolutionise how we construct homes and infrastructure, and how creative content is shared and monetised. This means collaborating with Catapults and some of the UKs biggest museums to develop breakthrough technologies, business models, and regulatory frameworks. You'll be at the forefront of shaping how construction becomes more efficient and sustainable, whilst helping the UK's world-leading creative sector unlock new revenue streams in the age of AI. This is your opportunity to drive economic growth, support new jobs, and position the UK as a global leader in innovation.

To find out more and apply, please visit Programme Coordinator / PA Support –Economic Growth (R&D MAP)

This is a combined recruitment campaign. In your cover letter, please indicate which role/s you are interested in.

Main Outputs and Activities

To achieve this, you will be responsible for performing activities in the following areas.

Diary management:

You will proactively and effectively manage complex diaries to make the best use of the Challenge Directors’ time and resources. You will act as a ‘gatekeeper’ who advises others of diary priorities and provides advice on availability and logistics as required. You will plan meetings, visits and events, ensuring all details are confirmed and correct and flagging any which are atypical. To achieve all of this you will maintain regular contact across the Challenge teams and will be required to book travel and accommodation (and catering where required).

Meeting preparation:

Ahead of meetings, you will ensure briefing, and diary papers are obtained and presented to the Director in a timely fashion, allowing enough time for reading and preparation. You will anticipate the Directors’ requirements in advance and prepare daily papers and briefing notes for them, clarifying any details with the meeting/event organisers as necessary. If required, you will also translate the Director’s initial document drafts into high-quality meeting materials (such as PowerPoint presentations) in accordance with the house style.

Administrative support:

You will provide effective and flexible administrative support to members of the wider Challenge Teams. This may include management of inboxes and responding to email enquiries, taking accurate meeting notes and minutes, and supporting the organisation of events (including team meetings). This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require that you adapt to, and undertake, other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post (especially while the Challenges are under development).

This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require you to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.

This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require you to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.

Person specification

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

Essential:

• Proven professional experience of providing high-quality support as a Personal Assistant. (S&I)
• Strong communication skills with the ability to write clear and accurate correspondence which is tailored to the audience. (S&I)
• Confidence working effectively, and building relationships with, senior leaders and stakeholders (both remotely and face-to-face) in an approachable manner. (S&I)
• Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail and the ability to manage workloads, resolve competing demands and cope flexibly and proactively with changing priorities. (S&I)
• Ability to show initiative, manage ambiguity, think and adapt quickly, maintain confidentiality and discretion, and work independently when required. (S&I)
• Excellent team-working skills and experience of supporting other team members in an administrative capacity. (S&I)
• High level of ICT skills, proficient in MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. (S)

Please note that some of the roles have additional criteria relating to the role, these can be found on their individual listing on the UKRI Careers Page.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,895, UK Research and Innovation contributes £8,950 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

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. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or 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

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