Project Manager - Maternity Cover

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

Please apply for jobs via this site only if you are employed by UK Research and Innovation (employees with access to Innovate UK's Workday system may apply via the "Careers" application within the system).

If you are not a current UKRI employee you can view vacancies at the externally advertised stage at the links given in the "About Us information on the right". If you wish to apply for the position below, please ensure that you comply with the requirements of the recruitment process by submitting both a full CV and application letter. Ideally, you should also advise your manager of your application.

Applications must be submitted by

09-11-2026

Vacancy for Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

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.

*Please note this advert will close on 23.59 on the 8th November 2026.

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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)

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 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. 

Innovate UK works with businesses and stakeholders across every nation and region of the UK. As part of UKRI, our hybrid working approach is built around one simple principle: time should be spent where it delivers the greatest impact.  

This means working across three settings: UKRI sites, time on the ground with businesses, partners and stakeholders and time working from home. It's an approach designed to support collaboration, connection and impact. 

This role is in Tier 2, with 40-60 % of working time typically spent either at a UKRI site or engaging with external businesses and stakeholders across the UK. Outside of this requirement, you can work from home.  Whilst this role will be formally based at one of the following UKRI sites, it is externally facing, and we expect that there will be requirement to travel around the UK for 2/3 days each week on average. 

Read the full UKRI Hybrid Working Policy Hybrid Working at UKRI

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

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

• ‘A’ levels or relevant equivalent qualification or previous relevant experience (S).
• Considerable experience of providing project management support for large public sector projects (S&I).
• Experience of working in a complex multi-organisation environment with varying cultures (S&I).
• Experience of delivering projects within a programme structure (S&I).
• Experience of monitoring risks and managing risk escalation processes (S&I).
• Experience of creating management reports for a range of internal and external stakeholders, creating governance papers and minutes (S&I).
• Experience of achieving results through influencing skills rather than direct control (S&I).
• Experience of successfully managing multiple stakeholders with conflicting demands and priorities (S&I).

Competencies:

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management 

Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria’s listed in the person specification. 

Travel Requirements:There will be a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel. In general, you will need to work in the Swindon office once a week and may have four to six nights away from home per month on average to attend conferences and events. 

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-costsor contact [email protected].  

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles. 

Equal Opportunities:We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.

 UK Research and Innovation:Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/. 

Employee Benefits:We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes. Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) 

Flexible Working:We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. 

Artificial Intelligence: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. 

Pre-employment Screening:To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process. 

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. 

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Applications must be submitted by;

09-11-2026