Job Description

partnersDiSSCo UK Impact and Engagement Manager

DiSSCo UK Impact and Engagement Manager
SALARY: £37,841 Per Annum
HOURS: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
CONTRACT TYPE: 3 years Fixed Term
LOCATION Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period, please refer to the Recruitment Policy and associated guidance for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your line manager and the designated HR team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.

ABOUT US 
 

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 DiSSCo UK Impact and Engagement Manager will ensure AHRC and NHM work closely on the programme to capture and communicate impacts and outcomes. This role will include communication activities and community engagement with both active grant holders and the wider DiSSCo UK consortium. The role also requires support for grant holders who are due to start post-confirmation of the DiSSCo UK Business-Case. There will also be development of the next phase of funding for digitisation activities involving collaboration with the AHRC Operations team to deliver the grants.

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 travel. 

The role also offers opportunities for professional development, and the chance to build knowledge of partner engagement, communications, and evaluation.

Main outputs and activities 

• You will lead on AHRC communications for the DiSSCo UK programme. This will involve working with delivery partner NHM and UKRI central communications to draft news stories, blogs and press releases, and working with funded projects and the Investment Officer to capture impact stories.

• You will support partner engagement, maintaining a good awareness of key funders, organisations, researchers, government bodies and others working within digital research infrastructures and natural science collections.

• You will attend appropriate meetings and conferences, representing AHRC and the DiSSCo UK programme and identify opportunities for involvement. 

• You will lead on the delivery of cohort and community events, such as workshops, visits, and tours.

• You will support the Senior Impact Manager in coordinating the programme level monitoring and evaluation, setting up meetings with the evaluation supplier and other interested parties.
  
• You will work collaboratively and effectively with DiSSCo UK colleagues at NHM, adapting and communicating to ensure shared goals are met and staff feel supported.

• You will be involved in cross-team working with delivery partners NHM, and the AHRC Research and Innovation Infrastructure Team on related portfolios

• You will work with NHM colleagues to support the work of the DiSSCo EU European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).

• You will support on the delivery of future programme approvals including Gate Reviews.

• You will co-manage the Investment Officer, providing line and task management, and support their professional development.

Shortlisting Criteria 

(S) – Assessed at shortlisting  

(I) – Assessed at interview  

(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview  

• Experience of engaging with partners, including identifying the key organisations and contacts for a particular sector or project (S&I).
• Experience of fostering networks, formally or informally between colleagues or other individuals to encourage peer support (S&I). 
• Experience of delivering or supporting events, workshops, or visits online and in person (S&I).
• Ability to collect and present data with accuracy and sensitivity (S&I). 
• Excellent communication skills, including experience of writing for internal and/or external audiences and providing clear written and verbal information (S&I).
• Good team working skills, including collaborating with colleagues to prioritise tasks and maximise resources (S&I).
• An interest in arts and humanities, heritage, natural science, the environment or a related field (S).

To apply you  must attach your CV (2 pages max.)  and a covering letter (2 pages max.), ensuring that your cover letter addresses the essential shortlisting and interview criteria.  

Benefits

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)

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

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

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

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 rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.