Job Description

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We have a new opportunity for an Athena Swan Lead to join us. This is an instrumental role in shaping and delivering our gender equality ambitions.

About the role

This is a high-impact, specialist role with responsibility for leading the Institute’s Athena Swan programme and driving forward our ambition to retain a Silver award and beyond.

You’ll operate at both a strategic and delivery level, setting direction, defining priorities and ensuring a robust, evidence-led approach to gender equality across the organisation.

Working with a high degree of autonomy, you’ll lead the Athena Swan submission, develop and deliver the Athena Swan action plan, manage the end-to-end submission process, and embed Athena Swan within our wider Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and Culture agenda.

You’ll also play a key role in engaging stakeholders across the Institute, providing insight to senior leaders, and ensuring strong governance and accountability for delivery.

About you

You’ll bring deep expertise in Athena Swan and a strong track record of delivering successful submissions, ideally at Silver level.

You’re equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up your sleeves to deliver, with the ability to work independently while influencing a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leadership.

You’ll be highly organised, analytical and confident using data to shape decisions, alongside excellent communication skills and a genuine commitment to advancing equality and inclusion.

Essential Skills

• Extensive, demonstrable expertise in the Athena Swan Charter and its application in organisations
• Deep and applied experience in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and organisational culture change
• Proven track record of leading end-to-end Athena Swan submissions, including Silver-level or equivalent
• Excellent working knowledge of the 2021 transformed Athena Swan framework
• Strategic thinking combined with the ability to deliver programmes of work independently
• Strong analytical capability, with experience translating data into insights
• Excellent organisational and programme management skills
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, including at senior leadership level
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including high-level report writing
• Strong commitment to advancing equality and inclusion

Other information

Full job description can be found here

Salary: in the region of £55,000 to £66,000

Contract Type: Fixed Term, 18 months

Application Process:

Please include a cover letter alongside your CV, detailing how you meet the essential criteria listed.

Interviews expected to take place on 10th, 12th June.

Closing date: 31st May

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks: LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability, Gender Equity and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We believe people do their best work when they can be their authentic selves. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.