Job Description

UK Research & Innovation
Salary: £46,743 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band E.
Contract Type: Fixed Term. (12 months)
Hours: Full-time/ Part Time. (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available. (Min 2 days per week in the office)

Closing Date: Sunday 10th May 2026.

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy 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 the role

The HR function in UK Research and Innovation is vital to enabling the achievement of the organisational objectives. It delivers all HR services across a complex organisation working across the nine councils and with a vast array of professional areas and locations with diverse capabilities as part of the wider corporate services structure. HR is critical to ensuring that all people related services are robust, appropriately controlled and create appropriate workplace conditions.

UK Research and Innovation HR includes a Reward Centre of Expertise offering dedicated resource with a deep specialism in specific Reward disciplines at a strategic and operational level.

Purpose of the role:

The Reward Manager plays a pivotal role in shaping, delivering and continuously improving UKRI’s reward framework. They will provide experienced leadership on pay, grading, performance‑related pay and wider reward initiatives, ensuring that reward policies are fair, visible and aligned with organisational strategy.

Acting as a trusted adviser at all levels including Heads of HR, COOs and senior leaders, the postholder will lead complex reward projects, offer authoritative guidance on high‑impact issues, and drive consistent, evidence‑based decision making across the organisation.

The role also guides the effective operation of the reward function, builds strong stakeholder relationships and helps to create a reward environment that supports engagement, performance and organisational success.

Your responsibilities:

• Lead and deliver key reward projects such as Senior Pay, Performance Related Pay (PRP), harmonisation initiatives and wider pay framework development.
• Provide strategic insight into the design and evolution of the total reward package, promoting the value of both tangible and intangible reward elements.
• Act as a senior critical issue point for complex or specialist reward queries, offering experienced advice at all levels including HRBPs, Heads of HR, COOs and ExCo.
• Lead the reward team’s administration and operational delivery, ensuring efficient processes and high-quality outputs.
• Drive reward engagement, developing stakeholder‑focused communication channels to increase visibility and understanding of reward programmes.
• Deliver a high‑quality HR advisory service, providing authoritative guidance on pay, grading, reward, recognition and benefits to UKRI colleagues.
• Collaborate with corporate functions to develop and lead cross‑functional working groups supplying to senior‑level decision making.
• Create and maintain strong internal and external partnerships to share standard methodology, benchmark reward approaches and inform organisational strategy.
• Use reward analytics and workforce data to provide insights, model options and inform recommendations to senior leaders.
• Lead on pay and reward benchmarking activities, analysing market trends to make data-driven recommendations.

Person Specification

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

Essential

• CIPD qualified or equivalent professional experience (S).
• Strong knowledge of reward and pay and grading structures (S&I).
• Strong understanding of performance related pay (PRP) (I).
• Ability to handle opposing priorities and work at pace in a complex organisation (I).
• Presentation skills, including delivering briefings and leading workshops clearly to non‑specialists (S&I).
• Ability to advise senior leaders (Heads of HR, COOs, Directors) and Trade Unions on complex, sensitive and high‑impact reward matters (I).
• Strategic thinking — able to align reward approaches with organisational goals and workforce strategy (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.

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.