Job Description

UK Research & Innovation

Salary: £37,841 per annum

Band: UKRI Band D

Contract Type: Fixed Term (Until 31st March 2028)

Hours: Full-time/ Part Time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire/Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxon - Hybrid working available (Min 2 days per week in the office)

Closing Date: 2nd August 2026

About the role

The role will provide advisory and operational HR support to enable the people‑focused elements of major transformation programmes, coordinating activities, preparing documentation and enabling managers and HR colleagues to deliver people‑related change in line with organisational policies and guidance.

A key part of the role is promoting a people‑centred approach that helps ensure the right skills are in the right place, supports and enables internal movement opportunities, and contributes to protecting employee wellbeing. The postholder will help ensure that any change activity is carried out fairly, transparently and in line with UKRI policies, employment principles and values.

The role will work with stakeholders to gather information, contribute to people and equality impacts, and escalate issues as needed. The postholder will help maintain accurate records, ensure complex processes are followed correctly and contribute to the production, delivery and maintenance of clear, practical materials to enable consistent delivery of change across business teams.

Your responsibilities:

First-line advice and HR Support

• Manage day‑to‑day first‑line queries related to the programme, providing timely, accurate and professional advice to managers and colleagues involved in organisational change activity, escalating more complex issues as appropriate.
• Build effective working relationships across the programme and business areas to ensure managers and staff have a clear, regular and reliable HR point of contact.
• Own employee relations matters arising from the programme, ensuring timely referral to the Employee Relations or HR Operations teams to maintain a consistent and joined‑up HR service.
• Where required, support and enable redeployment activity by coordinating referrals, monitoring progress and ensuring all actions comply with required timescales, policies and guidance.
• Participate in colleague meetings where required, issuing any required template documentation in advance and ensuring completed materials are recorded and stored correctly.
• Ensure relevant processes and documentation is completed for staff moves, contractual changes and associated HR processes, including system updates (e.g., Fusion).
• Support and enable the development and delivery of upskilling activities for managers and HR teams to improve understanding of change, transformation and any organisational change processes including role mapping, job matching and internal movement in line with UKRI’s policies and guidance including organisational change and internal movement guidance.

Documentation, templates and process management

• Prepare and issue standard letters, templates, toolkits and documentation for potential organisational change and redeployment activity, ensuring they align with organisational policy, legislative requirements and approved formats.
• Assist in developing and maintaining shared libraries of templates, guidance materials and toolkits used across the programme.
• Adopt a continuous‑improvement approach by drafting routine documents, identifying areas for refinement and ensuring alignment with policy, guidance and legislation.

Data, Reporting & Coordination

• Schedule and coordinate meetings and briefings, ensuring accurate documentation and records are maintained.
• Maintain programme‑related trackers, logs and databases to ensure accurate and up‑to‑date HR data is captured.
• Gather and input HR data to complete or enable potential organisational change, role mapping, People & Equality Impact Assessments, change‑impact assessments and programme reporting.
• Produce routine reports and summaries for review by Programme HR Business Partners.
• Liaise with external providers (e.g., Capita) as requested.

Personal Specification

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

Essential

• Appropriate CIPD qualified (or equivalent) with current, relevant experience working in an operational HR role providing advice, administrative and coordination support, maintaining accurate records, trackers and confidential information (S/I).
• Ability to interpret and apply organisational policies, HR processes and guidance, escalating issues appropriately when required (S/I).
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple tasks in a fast‑paced environment (S/I).
• Clear and accurate written communication skills, including preparing letters, templates, meeting documentation and reports (S/I).
• Effective verbal communication skills and the ability to build positive working relationships with managers, staff and HR colleagues (I).
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy when inputting, analysing or preparing HR information (S/I).
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information professionally, demonstrating integrity and sound judgement (I).
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to supporting fair and consistent HR processes (S/I).

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

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

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.