Interim Head of Programme Communicaton and Engagement

ARIA; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Hybrid working

Learning & development opportunities

Enhanced family leave

Employee assistance programme

Life assurance

Volunteer days

Smart pension contribution

Cycle to Work

Office in Kings Cross

Job summary

ARIA is seeking an Interim Head of Programme Communication and Engagement to lead the overarching strategy, narrative, and operating model for ARIA's programme portfolio. The role shapes how opportunities are communicated and aligned with ARIA’s mission and institutional goals.

You will supervise a team, set standards, and embedding best practices across channels, ensuring high editorial quality and proactive storytelling in a dynamic, hybrid work environment from London HQ.

Qualifications

• Strategic leadership in programme communications.
• Experience leading comms teams including contractors.
• Senior advisory experience on risk and positioning.
• Ability to work with high autonomy in dynamic settings.
• Strong editorial standards across channels.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Direction & Narrative Architecture: co-develop and evolve ARIA’s programme communications strategy.
• Leadership of the Programme Comms Function: lead a team of four including Programme Communications Managers.
• Editorial & Channel Strategy: shape programme stories across owned and earned channels.
• Reputational Counsel: provide senior communications judgement on sensitivities and risks.
• Programme–Comms Integration: improve collaboration between Communications and Programme teams.
• Institutional Contribution: feed programme insight into ARIA’s broader comms and policy positioning.
• Anchor Programme Leadership & AI in Science: lead the AI in Science communications strategy.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

People Leadership

Reputational Counsel

High Autonomy

Editorial Excellence

Job description

Interim Head of Programme Communication and Engagement

Application Deadline: 16 October 2026

Department: Communications and Engagement

Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract

Location: London

Compensation: £95,000 / year

Description

Salary: £95,000

Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere

Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract (12 Months), full time

Closing Date: 16th October 2026

About ARIA

ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary

Due to internal team shifts to support a maternity leave, this is an interim opportunity to shape and lead ARIA’s programme communications as we scale. Moving beyond day-to-day delivery, you will oversee the overarching strategy, narrative, editorial standards, and operating model for our programme portfolio. Your core objective is to ensure that every opportunity space and programme is not just effectively communicated, but aligned with ARIA’s broader mission and institutional goals.

What you’ll do

• Strategic Direction & Narrative Architecture: Co-develop and evolve ARIA’s programme communications strategy in partnership with the Director of Communications and Engagement. Establish narrative frameworks that connect opportunity spaces to ARIA’s mission and operating model, identify cross-programme themes, ensure coherence and distinctiveness in framing, and embed lessons learned across programmes to continually elevate quality and impact.
• Leadership of the Programme Comms Function: Lead and develop a team of four including Programme Communications Managers and contractors, identifying and onboarding additional resource as necessary. Set standards, processes, and ways of working between Communications and Programme teams, allocate resources effectively, and build capability in narrative development, stakeholder engagement, and reputational judgement.
• Editorial & Channel Strategy: Shape how programme stories extend across owned and earned channels. Ensure programme milestones, launches, and Creator announcements meet a high editorial bar, and drive proactive, forward-looking storytelling in close coordination with the Content & Ecosystem Comms Lead and Content & Brand Manager.
• Reputational Counsel: Provide senior communications judgement on programme-level sensitivities and scrutiny. Advise Programme Directors and leadership on positioning and framing, anticipate risks, and support proactive narrative shaping.
• Programme–Comms Integration: Ensure strong, constructive working relationships between Communications and Programme teams. Develop training, guidance, and materials to improve collaboration and create clarity on roles, expectations, and standards.
• Institutional Contribution: Feed programme insight into ARIA’s broader communications, media, events, and policy positioning, supporting institutional narrative development through programme-level learning.
• Anchor Programme Leadership & AI in Science: Act as the strategic communications lead for one designated programme, serving as the primary communications partner to that Programme Director. Model best practice in narrative development, use insight from this programme to inform broader portfolio strategy, and help shape ARIA’s AI in Science strategy and associated communications as a parallel, organisation-wide priority.

Who you are

A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience:

Essential criteria

• Strategic Leadership & Narrative Architecture: Proven track record in developing programme communications strategies, creating narrative frameworks, and aligning portfolio communications with high-level institutional goals.
• People & Function Leadership: Experience leading, managing, and developing comms teams (including contractors), setting cross-functional operational standards, and managing resources effectively.
• Reputational Counsel & Senior Advisory: Demonstrated senior communications judgement with experience advising C-suite / Programme leadership on complex risks, sensitive topics, and strategic positioning.
• High Autonomy: Ability to operate with high autonomy, proactively identifying challenges and building scalable solutions in a dynamic environment.
• Detail-Obsessed & High Editorial Standards: High editorial bar with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring compelling and error-free storytelling across owned and earned channels.

Desirable criteria

• Relevant Ecosystem Experience: Previous experience in a fast-paced start-up, scale-up, or R&D funding / science and technology ecosystem.
• Systems Thinker: Ability to build scalable operating models, playbooks, and processes across multi-disciplinary programmes.
• Domain Familiarity: Familiarity with the AI in Science landscape or complex, frontier science comms.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry! If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.