Operations Officer

UK Research and Innovation; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent research council in Swindon is seeking an Operations Officer (Fixed Term). The role supports essential administrative operations, enhances internal communication, and requires excellent planning skills. A degree or relevant experience is essential. Hybrid working statistics show flexibility, with responsibilities spanning internal campaigns and training support. Competitive salary of £29,923 and fixed term until October 2026.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

Employee shopping/travel discounts

Salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• A degree in a relevant discipline or demonstrable experience of working in a relevant environment or role.
• Planning and organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise and manage multiple or complex activities.
• Quality focused, with demonstrable attention to detail and pride in accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Support activities related to ESRC internal communication channels.
• Support internal campaigns and events that promote engagement.
• Provide interview support activities and manage unexpected on-the-day issues.

Skills

Planning and organisational skills

Quality focused

Effective personal communication

IT competency

Education

Degree in a relevant discipline or demonstrable experience

Tools

Microsoft Office suite

Job description

Economic and Social Research Council

Operations Officer (Fixed Term)

Salary : £29,923

Hours : Full time or Part time (Minimum 0.8 FTE)

Contract Type : Fixed Term until 31 October 2026

Location : Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Grade : UKRI Band C

Closing Date : 25 November 2025

Team Context

The ESRC Operations team is a small and central team within ESRC that brings together corporate operational activities for ESRC and supports the ESRC Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the leadership and delivery of ESRC operational matters. We work closely with key UKRI business partners and provide the critical operational interface with UKRI corporate services.

We have a wide remit of activity and work collaboratively with colleagues across all the teams in ESRC and, where appropriate, offer advice and guidance on a breadth of operational matters.

The team has a varied portfolio of operational activity and together we :

• Manage the ESRC interface with UKRI corporate services, including HR; Finance; Internal Comms; Digital, Data and Technology, etc.
• Provide coherent oversight and coordination of resourcing, recruitment and OpEx budgetary matters across ESRC.
• Oversee and manage ESRC internal comms and employee engagement activities.
• Oversee and manage ESRC local training framework and associated activities.
• Lead and / or support ESRC's operational delivery of specific UKRI change projects which fall within the remit of the operations team.
• Support the delivery of consistent and high-quality line management across ESRC.

Job Purpose

The main purpose of this role is to support a range of activities in ESRC's operations space. The Operations Officer will collaborate closely with team members to provide essential administrative support across the breadth of the team's work, delivering against operational priorities within the COO's remit of activities.

You will provide critical business continuity on key activities such as delivery of internal communications and employee engagement events; supporting recruitment, resourcing, and interviews; and maintaining ESRC's training, learning and development provision.

The role will involve working flexibly across these activities and may also involve supporting strategic operational projects, responding to emerging and changing priorities with clarity of purpose and to tight deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Support activities related to ESRC internal communication channels such as ESRC News (internal) publishing, keeping our intranet content up to date and relevant, and will include writing for internal audiences.
• Support internal campaigns and events that promote engagement with, but not limited to, training, line management, organisational change, and strategy.
• Support activities of the ESRC corporate training programme, including the scheduling of events, internal promotion, managing attendance, and evaluation.
• Provide interview support activities and manage unexpected on-the-day issues.
• Ownership and maintenance of key Operations Team documentation that ensures information is accurate and relevant for its audience.
• Shared mailbox and general query management that draws on operational knowledge of processes and policies and provides a professional service to assist ESRC colleagues.
• Provide secretariat support to groups under the COO's remit, including preparing meeting arrangements, agendas, papers, and minutes.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying issues and trends, collaborating with colleagues across ESRC, UKRI and UK Shared Business Service to develop solutions and support the effective operation of ESRC.
• Provide cover and business continuity for other team members' business-critical activities, when required.
• Undertake the role of Champion, expert guides from across the organisation in a range of functions, such as Purchase Order (PO) champion.

You will be expected to deliver high-quality work, act diligently, and handle sensitive data and situations across all the activities above. As a new ESRC officer you will also be expected to engage in grants processing training to be able to support the core business of ESRC if required.

Skills & Experience

S = Assessed at Shortlisting

I = Assessed at Interview

Essential

• A degree in a relevant discipline, or demonstrable experience of working in a relevant environment or role. (S)
• Planning and organisational skills, including an ability to prioritise and manage multiple or complex activities. (S / I)
• Quality focused, with demonstrable attention to detail and pride in accuracy. (S / I)
• Ability to take a positive approach to solve problems and overcome challenges. (S / I)
• Effective personal communication and interpersonal skills, communicating using the appropriate methods and style for the intended audience. Confident speaking with internal audiences face-to-face and dealing with sensitive issues calmly and professionally. (S / I)
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative and good working relationships with team members, stakeholders, and others at all levels to deliver excellent service and outcomes. (S / I)
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic and possesses flexibility to adapt, change and cope with ambiguity. (S / I)
• IT competency, including Microsoft Office suite. (S)

Additional Information

Hybrid Working: All posts are based at our Swindon office, but we currently operate a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home, the office, and occasionally at external locations. UKRI's hybrid working approach is currently under review and the post-holder must acknowledge that arrangements may change, including expectations around office attendance.

• We reserve the right to close the vacancy once a sufficient number of applications are received.

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, we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who opt into the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. 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.

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.

About ESRC

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