Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

UK Research and Innovation; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking a Project Manager on a maternity cover basis to lead delivery of Life Sciences Programmes across UKRI sites. You will work with Life Sciences teams to ensure timely milestones, manage risks, and support governance and reporting functions.

Reporting to the Portfolio Manager Life Sciences, you will contribute to the PSO and broader Life Sciences Growth Sector, deputising as needed and driving effective change management and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Proven track record as a project manager.
• Experience managing multiple streams of work.
• Ability to work without close direction.
• Familiarity with risk, cost, planning and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Provide project management support for the Programmes' activities, working with relevant delivery teams.
• Support day-to-day delivery of Governance functions and set up assurance.
• Develop governance papers and provide secretariat for meetings.
• deputise for senior delivery members as required.
• Track timelines, finance, risks and impact metrics and generate reports.
• Embed monitoring, evaluation and impact management across projects.
• Maintain programme management products and processes.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Governance

Tools

SharePoint

MS Office

Job description

This is the Internal Only Recruitment Site for UK Research and Innovation Staff for roles within Innovate UK (UKRI).

Vacancy for Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

Title

Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

Band

UKRI Band E (UKRI Ts & Cs)

Salary

£46,743 gross per annum

Reports to

Portfolio Manager Life Sciences

Location

UKRI sites: Swindon, London, Harwell, Daresbury, Keyworth, Cambridge, Edinburgh

Contract

Fixed Term (14 Months)

Applications must be submitted by 09-11-2026

Job Purpose:

The Project Manager will work with all members of the Life Sciences Team and will contribute to the effective delivery of Programmes and strategic priorities within the Life Sciences Portfolio. Reporting to the Portfolio Manager Life Sciences the post holder will form part of the Life Sciences Portfolio Support Office (PSO) team.

The Project Manager will manage the day-to-day delivery of the Programmes, working closely with project teams to ensure timely delivery of key milestones and objectives. The Project Manager will also support the implementation of appropriate programme and project management functions, ensuring effective Risk Management, governance, assurance, impact management, etc. in line with Core PSO guidance and best practice.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Provide project management support for the Programmes' activities, working with relevant delivery teams. Activities include but are not limited to: competitions launch, delivery of events, programme reviews, impact and evaluation frameworks and others as indicated.
• Support the day-to-day delivery of Programme/Life Sciences Portfolio/IUK/UKRI Governance functions, setting up the appropriate project/programme assurance functions.
• Support the development of governance papers and provide secretariat for governance meetings as required.
• Support and deputise for more senior members of the delivery, such as the Programme Manager and Portfolio Manager as required.
• Track and record timelines, finance, risks and impact metrics. Generating and updating management information and reports as required to support effective governance.
• Support the embedding of monitoring, evaluation, and impact management across projects, ensuring impact metrics are identified, understood, measured, tracked, and owned.
• Support the set up and maintenance of Programme management products and processes: RASCI matrix, plans, actions and decisions log, programme update reports, risk registers, communications plans, finance reports, impact dashboards, lessons learnt logs, amongst others.
• Support recording and reporting of all necessary management information.
• Generate and update management information and reports as required to support effective governance.
• Support maintenance of appropriate information management frameworks such as shared inboxes, SharePoint folders.
• Take part in project/programme management meetings and keep track of actions, decisions and communicate those to team members.
• Ensure effective change management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
• Support the management of internal and internal team's stakeholders
• To support knowledge sharing and best practice across the PSO function and wider Life Sciences Growth Sector.

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged 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 key experience and/or training.

Shortlisting criteria

(S) - Assessed at shortlisting

(I) - Assessed at interview

(S&I) - Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Person Specification:

• This focused and highly-effective individual will be an excellent project manager with a proven track‑record, used to working without close direction and able to manage multiple streams of work
• They will be highly flexible, capable of identifying the right approach to the challenge in hand and translating that approach into effective delivery
• They will have been exposed to many different project management approaches and be able to implement project management approaches to risk management, cost management, planning, benefits management and management reporting

Experience & Qualifications:

(S&I) - Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Essential