Associate Director

UKRI International; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 64,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Discounts

Flexible hours

Pension

Job summary

UKRI - ESRC in Swindon is seeking an Associate Director for Advancing Knowledge in Social Science. You will lead the development and implementation of applicant-led funding strategies, shaping an ambitious portfolio aligned with ESRC and UKRI objectives.

The role requires strong leadership, strategic oversight, and collaboration with senior stakeholders across ESRC and UKRI. You will manage budgets, drive process innovation, and oversee a team responsible for delivering peer review and funding

Qualifications

• Experience leading and delivering complex research and innovation programmes (S/I).
• Strong understanding of the UK social science research funding landscape (S).
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills (S/I).
• People management experience, coaching, and performance management (S/I).
• Experience with commissioning and evaluating research investments and expert review processes (S).
• Strategic judgement to prioritise funding for impact (S/I).
• Willingness to drive innovation in funding processes (S/I).
• Ability to align activity with ESRC/UKRI priorities (S/I).

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for applicant-led investments within ESRC/UKRI.
• Maintain positive relationships with partners including learned societies and government.
• Oversee reform of applicant-led mode processes and implement flexible budgeting.
• Monitor and communicate investment outcomes to key partners including Government.
• Lead and develop high-performing teams within the Advancing Knowledge scope.
• Contribute to ESRC Senior Leadership activities and UKRI initiatives.

Job description

Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Job Info

• Apply Before 10/22/2026, 10:59 PM
• Job Identification 2653
• Posting Date 10/01/2026, 04:53 PM

Job Description

Salary: £70,752 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band G.
Contract Type: 23 Months FTC.
Hours: Full time/ Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE) or job-share.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid Working Available.
Closing Date: 22 October 2026 23:59.

About the role
The Associate Director for Advancing Knowledge in Social Science will provide leadership for ESRC applicant-led investments, supporting the Executive Director for Research and the Chief Operating Officer. You will be responsible for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of ESRC’s applicant-led investment strategy, operating within the context of the ESRC and broader UKRI R&I investment landscape, alongside providing strong organisational and team leadership.
You will provide high-quality evidence and advice to shape the evolving design of a suite of schemes operating within ESRC’s applicant-led funding mode. This will include developing proactive approaches to understanding, delivering, and communicating an outstanding portfolio of social science research aligned with ESRC’s vision and objectives. You will work with senior leaders across ESRC to ensure applicant-led mode is well integrated with mechanisms supporting research translation, data infrastructure, and talent pipelines. You will supervise the development of innovative approaches, best practice, and effective, flexible resource management for the delivery of peer review across applicant-led research investments. You will be expected to collaborate with the UK Metascience Unit in embracing opportunities to deliver experiments on internal processes and identify ways of improving funding delivery.
You will be a member of the ESRC senior leadership team (SLT) and be expected to contribute to ESRC and UKRI leadership activities as requested.
You will be line managed by the Executive Director for Research and Strategy and manage grade F team leaders and other posts as required in the establishment of the new Advancing Knowledge Team.
We are particularly interested in how you work, not just what you have done. We are looking for applicants who demonstrate curiosity, creativity and a strong innovation attitude and who apply what they know in a way that fully aligns with UKRI values.
About the team
Advancing Knowledge is a new team in ESRC which will actively shape and deliver our applicant-led portfolio. Initial goals for the team include:

• LeadESRC’s refreshed applicant-led mode (ALM) strategy and oversee the transition to new schemes.
• Actively shape ESRC's ALM portfolio:
  • Build a strong pipeline of innovative proposals through proactive engagement with the research community.
  • Shape the strategic allocation of funding to ensure ESRC delivers maximum value and impact.
• Manage and improve the ALM portfolio:
  • Actively manage the ALM portfolio, including monitoring performance and supporting grant holders to enhance the impact of their projects.
  • Drive continuous improvement in funding practices, embracing experimentation and the use of emerging evidence on improved ways of delivering research and innovation.
• Drive integration across ESRC and UKRI:
  • Gather and share insight on fields, methods, and partner relationships.
  • Ensure strong collaboration with existing teams to ensure ESRC’s ALM schemes support the delivery of the organisation’s wider vision and objectives.

Key Responsibilities
Portfolio Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction, including developing a strong appreciation of the breadth of the research, partnerships and skills supported by applicant-led mode, and finding opportunities to enhance the quality of investment outcomes. Working with colleagues across ESRC, UKRI, the expert review system and research partners, the post holder will lead teams in the shaping, delivering, and continuously improving ESRC’s applicant-led funding portfolio, ensuring alignment with ESRC priorities and the wider UKRI research and innovation landscape.
• Working with the ESRC Executive Board, ensure ESRC develops and maintains positive relationships with key partners involved in exploratory research. These partners include learned societies, other funders, industry, and government departments. Draw on their expertise and perspectives to support the health of fields. Contribute to UKRI and ESRC strategic objectives and key results, delivery plans, regular reporting and risk management relevant to curiosity driven research investments.
• Support the ESRC research and innovation funding delivery function to deliver the highest quality investment outcomes across applicant-led funding programmes, using appropriate expert review approaches in line with UKRI standard process. Working with the Executive Director of Research, Chief Operating Officer and a broad range of colleagues, be responsible for delivery of a programme of reform of applicant-led mode processes, transitioning to a business-as-usual approach that encourages the development of standard process, adoption of innovative approaches, and continuous improvement. Implement and maintain effective and flexible resource management tools to support these aims.
• Work closely with the ESRC Executive Board, UKRI Finance business partners and other colleagues to manage applicant-led budgets and exercise tight fiscal control, including managing the impacts on budget forecasting and management under evolving funding delivery frameworks.
• Evolve effective monitoring frameworks and evaluation approaches for applicant-led investments and develop approaches to collate and communicate outcomes and impacts to key partners, including Government and the public.
• Supervise the professional development of teams and promote effective, close inter-team/domain working to ensure ESRC benefits from the skills and resources we need to effectively evolve our approach to applicant-led research investments, and to support engaging roles and career development pathways.

Team Responsibilities

• Act as part of the Advancing Knowledge team’s leadership group, including engagement with annual operational expenditure allocation and monitoring.
• Lead team management and development activities as required to develop high-performing teams.
• Deputise for relevant members of the ESRC Executive Board, as vital.
• Act as a role model for team staff, modelling the UKRI people standards and Values.

Other Responsibilities

• Contribute to ESRC Senior Leadership team activities and engage with UKRI teams and initiatives as required.
• Provide inclusive and effective line management, developing individuals to reach their full potential while proactively addressing any sophisticated people and performance issues and supporting people through change.
• Engage in partner relationship management (e.g. boards and formal institutional relationships) as required.
• Identify trends and emerging opportunities with appropriate colleagues across ESRC.

This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require you to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.

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

Essential

• Experience in leadership and delivery of sophisticated research and innovation programmes or portfolios, with a strong track record of translating strategic ambition into effective, joined-up delivery (S&I).
• Strong understanding of the UK social science research and innovation funding landscape (S).
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build trusted, productive relationships both within UKRI and across academia and other relevant sectors, and the communications skills required to do this well (S&I).
• Demonstrable people management experience, including resource planning, performance management, coaching, and conflict resolution, to lead and develop high-performing teams, including matrixed teams where relevant (S&I).
• Experience of commissioning, managing, and evaluating research and innovation investments, including familiarity with expert review processes and ability to delivery at pace (S).
• Strong strategic judgement and analytical capability, with the ability to assess the health of fields, identify emerging research areas, and advise the prioritisation and allocation of funding to maximise impact and value (S&I).
• Willingness to drive innovation in ESRC funding processes, including designing and participating in controlled experiments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ESRC’s investment in curiosity-driven research; with a genuine desire to learn, explore new insights, and question existing approaches (S&I).
• Strong ability to see the bigger picture and deliver against organisational strategy, aligning activity and funding decisions with ESRC’s priorities rather than personal or disciplinary preferences (S&I).

About hybrid working

We support a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home and on‑site in the office and at other UK locations. From the 1 October 2026, you can expect to spend 40 - 60% of your time on‑site, including travel for partner engagement. At times, this may involve overnight stays and/or occasional work outside of standard office hours.

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:

• 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 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-cost sor [e-mail]

About Us

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.

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.

About the Team

The ESRC is the UK’s largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.

The ESRC is the UK’s largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.
For more information about ESRC, click here