Job Description

UKRI International
Salary: £30,895 Per Annum.
Band: UKRI Band C.
Contract Type: Fixed Term (23 Months).
Hours: Full Time (Flexible Working Available).
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire (Hybrid Working Available - Minimum 2 days per week in office).

Closing Date: Monday 31st August 2026.

About the role

Providing comprehensive administrative and PA support to the Deputy/Associate Director team in UKRI International. You will act as an important interface with internal and external colleagues at all levels. The role will be highly visible internally and to UKRI’s external stakeholders and as such you should exemplify the values and behaviours of the wider organisation. All work must be carried out to high professional standards in a timely manner, while maintaining confidentially at all times. You will need to be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, responding to different types of challenges and tasks on a daily basis.

Your Responsibilities

• Proactive PA support to 2-3 UK-Based Deputy/Associate Directors within the International Shared Capability, including diary and inbox management.
• Arrange travel and accommodation for UK visits, and complicated overseas visit programmes, including travel bookings, visa arrangements, coordination of briefings and meeting papers etc. in line with the UKRI travel guidance and policy.
• Management of Deputy/Associate Directors inboxes; ensuring emails are prioritized and dealt with. Including close monitoring when Directors are on leave to ensure correspondence is delegated appropriately.
• Professional approach to communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders using Microsoft packages, Outlook, Word etc.
• Maintaining confidentially of the Deputy/Associate Directors and senior colleagues across UKRI.
• Arranging internal and external meetings (including virtual) and providing support for meetings, including secretariat support for internal management meetings, consisting of coordinating and circulating agendas and papers, note taking and action monitoring.
• General administrative support for Directors, including processing expenses, support for team meetings and team activities for example appraisals and objective setting.
• Ad-hoc administrative support as required for discrete projects and activities.
• Working as part of a PA team, providing reciprocal cover as required, and contributing to team wide projects.
• Occasional travel to meetings as required.

Personal Specification

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

Essential

• Excellent management skills of complex diaries and email accounts (S&I).
• Excellent time management skills with ability to identify, prioritise and plan (I).
• Proactive and forward looking – ability to identify issues and information required for the Director in advance and to develop systems for managing a heavy workflow (S&I).
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with close attention to detail a priority (S&I).
• Good interpersonal and collaborative skills, able to foster productive working relationships with a broad range of internal and external contacts (I).
• Discreet and respectful of confidentiality, able to recognise and deal appropriately with potential sensitive issues (S&I).
• The ability to work flexibly as part of a PA team, demonstrate good teamwork and support for other team members (I).
• Proven administrative skills, with a track record of support to senior level managers (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)

Application Guidance

How to evidence the criteria:

You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the ‘person specification’ criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’.

Applications that do not include a cover letter evidencing each criterion will not be considered.

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

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please note that we may close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore recommend submitting your application at the earliest opportunity.

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y

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.

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.