Support Officer

Job Description

UK Research & Innovation

Salary: £29,923

Hours: Full Time / Part Time (Min 0.8 FTE)

Contract Type: Open Ended

Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid Working)

Grade: C

Closing Date: Sunday 13 July 2025

We encourage early applications as candidates will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and therefore the role may close earlier then the closing date stated.

Job Overview:

The Horizon Europe Guarantee team manages and coordinates the delivery of the UK Government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT)

A key part of the team’s role is to ensure that the UK Research and Innovation (R&I) sector remains supported via underwrite funding for Horizon Europe calls not covered by the Horizon Europe association deal announced by the UK government on September 7th 2023. This is a live programme with an expansive and diverse portfolio that requires high levels of attention to detail, a proactive nature, and an ability to build collaborative relationships across the organisation.

The Team:

Engages widely to ensure that the Guarantee is understood and trusted by the R&I community, working across UKRI, DSIT, and with partners to deliver proactive communications, including success stories and detailed briefings.

• Coordinates delivery of the Guarantee across UKRI to a high standard, ensuring grant processing times are short and remain so, and that grant holder enquiries are answered in a timely manner.
• Resolve policy questions around the Guarantee in agreement with DSIT and in accordance with the overall goals of the Guarantee.
• Supports UKRI and DSIT engagement and planning for ongoing and future engagement in Europe’s R&I Framework Programmes.

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting to a Programme Manager, the post-holder will support delivery of the Horizon Europe Guarantee. The Support Officer will play a key role in supporting a range of activities across the Horizon Europe Guarantee team’s remit, including administrative tasks and project support. This role will facilitate the bringing together of key stakeholders in the UK and overseas to support both the operational and policy functions of the team.

The role will require a flexible individual capable of supporting the organisation’s emerging priorities, with excellent organisational and communications skills, and the ability to collaborate across various functions.

Administrative and Organisational Support

• Provide administrative support to the Head of Horizon Europe Guarantee and senior team members, managing diaries, scheduling meetings, and preparing relevant materials.
• Support with management of operational risk, maintaining risk registers and liaising with the team to put in place appropriate control measures.
• Managing procurement in line with requirements and UKRI policies.
• Supporting with management of the team mailbox and responding to queries from grant holders.
• Supporting with grant management, such as the processing of additional funding streams.

Communications Support

• Where required, liaise with other teams, Government departments, and external stakeholders to support with the team’s external communications activities.
• Support the coordination of periodic updates to external documentation and the team’s web pages.
• Support with the coordination and running of internal or external meetings, workshops, and events.

Team Working

• Contribute to team activities and organisational objectives, participating in internal meetings and discussions.
• Work flexibly to deliver emerging priorities, supporting a collaborative and collegiate team culture.
• Work as part of a team with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, to ensure a whole-team approach, sharing knowledge, best practice, and skills.

Person Specification:

(S) – Shortlisting Criteria (I) – Interview Criteria (S & I) – Shortlisting Criteria & Interview Criteria

Essential

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to draft correspondence, with close attention to detail. (S & I)
• Proven ability to work flexibly in a team, demonstrate good teamwork and support for other team members. (S & I)
• Good interpersonal and collaborative skills; able to foster productive working relationships with a broad range of internal/external contacts. (S & I)
• Show initiative and flexibility with the ability to think and adapt quickly, escalating as needed and be able to operate independently when required. (S & I)
• Ability to identify opportunities for and implement continuous improvement, ready to learn and develop additional personal effectiveness and skills. (S & I)
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills, ability to plan effectively, multitask and prioritise workloads. (S & I)

Application Guidance:

How to evidence the criteria:

You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the ‘person specification’ criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method jobs-near-me.org National Careers Service’.

About Us

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 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.

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.

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