Mission Delivery Lead - EPSRC

UKRI; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 57,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Mission Delivery Lead to spearhead innovative projects in the Clean Energy sector. This role involves managing a diverse portfolio, ensuring alignment with governmental missions, and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders. You will leverage your extensive experience in investment delivery and stakeholder engagement to drive impactful research and innovation initiatives. With hybrid working opportunities and a commitment to work-life balance, this position offers a chance to make a significant difference in the UK's energy landscape while enjoying a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

30 days' annual leave

Employee discounts

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Proven track record in managing multi-million investment programmes.
• Experience in the UK R&I ecosystem and grant funding.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the creation and delivery of the Delivery Plan.
• Manage delivery of grant funding programmes for Clean Energy and Growth.

Skills

Investment Delivery

Stakeholder Engagement

Project Management

Analytical Skills

Problem-Solving

Education

Degree in a relevant field

Tools

Agile Methodologies

Waterfall Methodologies

Job description

Mission Delivery Lead

Salary: £56,745 per annum
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 30 hours per week)
Contract Type: Fixed term until 31 March 2028 (with the possibility of a further one-year extension). We have secured funding until 31 March 2026 and during that time we will be bidding for investment until 2030
Reports To: UKRI Mission Development Group Lead - with formal matrix working into the UKRI Research & Development Mission Accelerator Programme (RDMAP) Hub, its Mission Programme Director and wider Mission Programme team
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire – with hybrid working opportunities alongside regular travel to other UKRI locations
Closing Date: 20/05/25

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 and associated guidance Recruitment at UKRI – policy and information (sharepoint.com) 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.

UKRI recognises the importance of work-life balance, and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Context:

The Research & Development Mission Accelerator Programme (RDMAP) is a new, targeted UKRI programme designed to support the Government’s National Missions and support delivery of the milestones in the Government’s Plan for Change. The primary objective of the RDMAP is to fund targeted research and innovation (R&I), including technology development, to solve critical problems unique to each mission to improve people’s lives and create growth. An initial investment of £25 million was announced in the autumn budget, with UKRI leading, in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Government Mission teams, on focussed Research and Innovation (R&I) Challenges to respond to and develop solutions for the Problems in each Mission.

Job Purpose:

EPSRC’s Mission Delivery Lead will primarily support the Clean Energy and Growth Missions and will be responsible for managing and implementing a broad portfolio of projects under the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme. This will require close and effective working with internal and external partners to guarantee alignment with the needs and interests of the various parties whose support will be critical to successful programme delivery.

The role holder:

• Will have significant experience and a proven track record of investment delivery across UKRI and the wider research and innovation system. This will include delivery of complex, cross organisational, multi-million programmes with high commercial awareness, managing contending priorities in a sophisticated partner environment.
• Is highly proactive, professional, and ambitious, always pushing to create, build and deliver the programme’s investment portfolio through a mix of delivery methods and communication channels. They will be confident to operate across a complex, multi-organisation environment, building robust and lasting relationship with senior stakeholders both internal and external.
• Will have experience and understanding of the Energy related UK political/business environment and the science/government policy landscape, as well as the UK research base.

As ESRC is the inaugural host for the RDMAP, we anticipate that the headcount and associated budget will initially sit in ESRC’s back-office systems for HR and Finance accounting purposes. However, day to day, this role holder will be based in EPSRC and their line management, task management and overall delivery of activities will take place within EPSRC.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Accountable to UKRI Mission Development Group Lead for the creation and delivery of the Delivery Plan and related Business Case for the investment(s).
• Responsible for managing delivery of grant funding programmes as part of the Clean Energy and Growth portfolios through the design of funding opportunities, management of competition processes and oversight of delivery.
• Responsible for creating, building, managing, delivering and reporting against a complex programme/its projects, both live and in planning, including programme governance, related Boards and their decisions.
• Responsible for stakeholder engagement - UKRI, cross-Government Mission teams, UK businesses, third sector, academia, civic and local leaders, community organisations, devolved administrations, and other external funding organisations as required.
• Responsible for the management of finances, evaluation design/delivery, lessons learned, controls (risk register/ UKRI Central Governance Register (CGR)) and assurance including the development and execution of Integrated Assurance and Approval Plans (IAAPs), Compliance and Equality Impact Assessment as required.
• Ownership of associated documentation for Clean Energy and Growth programmes, including strategies, business cases, delivery plans and programme plans. In relation to the Business Case, develop and obtain clearance of the business case with the Mission development Group and relevant Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
• Collaborate effectively with the Mission Programme Director and programme peers across the Mission community to share best practice, lessons learned, ensuring alignment of activity, critical intersections including benefits, and their spill-overs.

This is not an exhaustive list and the post-holder might be expected to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training.

Person Specification:

The below criteria will be assessed at Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I)

Essential

• Experience and understanding of the Energy related UK political/business environment and the science/government policy landscape, as well as the UK research base. (S/I)
• Significant experience of ‘at scale’, multi-million delivery from strategic vision translation to robust investment and measurable outcomes, including concurrent management and full lifecycle. (S/I)
• Experience of the UK R&I ecosystem or business innovation from research through to scale up, including innovation and commercialisation. (S/I)
• Deep understanding of both research grant funding in the higher education sector and innovation investment/interventions with experience of developing and delivering investment grants/competitions (and other business support interventions). (S/I)
• Knowledge of cross UKRI working including The Funding Service and/or Innovation Funding System. (S)
• Experience of Benefits and Impacts Management, creation, planning, realisation and execution. (S)
• Significant experience of managing, working with, and rapidly building relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders (UKRI, cross-Government Mission teams, UK businesses/innovators, third sector, academia, civic and local leaders, community). (S/I)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including written/verbal communication and stakeholder/ team management with the ability to understand and communicate details quickly. (S/I)
• Ability to challenge preconceptions and offer well-reasoned and considered judgements to all levels of stakeholders, including executives. (I)
• Demonstrable ability to work flexibly and imaginatively in a time-pressured, fast-paced environment and deliver solutions in periods of rapid change, uncertainty and ambiguity. (I)
• Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to apply solutions. (I)

Desirable

• Experience of innovation and commercialisation delivery, including pre-investment business cases. (S/I)
• Experience of resource management and team management as part of a large scale programme. (S/I)
• Experience of both Agile and Waterfall delivery methodologies, holding a current MSP and/or PRINCE2 Practitioner accreditation or be willing to work towards obtaining these soon after being confirmed in post. (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 [e-mail]

About the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a partner organisation within UKRI, providing essential research and skills for all sectors of the economy, and through this aims to enhance long-term societal well-being and prosperity.

EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding this research and training in engineering and the physical sciences. They invest over £850 million a year in a broad range of subjects from mathematics to materials science and from information technology to structural engineering.

For more information about EPSRC click here:https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

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 at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

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, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. 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.