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SalarySecretariat Manager
Salary: £34,905
Hours: Full-time
Contract Type: Open-ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid working)
Grade: D
Closing Time and Date: 11:59pm on 21 April 2024
Job Overview:
The main leadership bodies of UKRI are the UKRI Board and the Executive Committee . The Board is chaired by Sir Andrew Mackenzie and brings together a broad range of very senior experts and leaders. It is UKRI’s primary governing body and oversees and directs the activities of UKRI, including its strategy for research and innovation. The Executive Committee provides strategic advice to the Board and is the high-level coordinating body for UKRI executive activity.
The UKRI Secretariat Team provides the secretariat function to the Board, Executive Committee and their associated subcommittees. The team plays a critical role in the successful functioning of the leadership bodies and in facilitating the development, management and decision-making of the organisation.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Secretariat Manager to deliver the successful running of the Board and ExCo Secretariat sub-team. This is a varied and challenging role that requires the ability to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and peers, deliver at pace, communicate and collaborate effectively and have excellent attention to detail.
The Secretariat Manager is responsible for leading the provision of secretariat and administrative support to senior leaders and officials, liaising with stakeholders both inside UKRI and wider government. You must be able to react quickly and independently to pan-UKRI secretariat requests, effectively manage inboxes and diaries with the ability to address competing priorities and undertake relevant administrative duties required of a demanding Secretariat function.
The immediate team is based in Swindon. There will be a requirement to work and support meetings both in Swindon and London. Travel and staying away for a short visit will be expected for the occasional meeting.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide secretariat support to the UKRI board, executive committee, and high-level assurance and decision-making committees of UKRI
- Coordinate the effective management of committee Forward Schedules and Action Logs to ensure committees have a strategic and forward-looking linked programme of work
- Lead management of meeting arrangements, securing meeting dates and venues, liaising with private office colleagues of the senior leadership team
- Lead management of committee papers, including drafting agendas, commissioning papers, liaising with paper authors, providing chair’s briefs and drafting meeting minutes
- Attend planning and agenda meetings with members of UKRI’s senior leadership team and other senior stakeholders
- Plan and organise an annual programme of UKRI board outreach visits, away days and focus sessions
- Build and maintain trusted and mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, both within UKRI and externally
- Lead and deliver the logistical and practical arrangements for UKRI board and committee meetings and work with external venues to ensure the committees’ requirements are met
- Manage assigned Secretariat inboxes, respond promptly to queries and be the first point of contact for committee members and stakeholders
- Work pan-UKRI to facilitate planning discussions and manage the information flow between UKRI board, executive team members and other high-level governance committees
- Contribute to the annual cycle of committee effectiveness reviews, terms of reference reviews, Annual Report and Accounts submissions and annual reports to Board and ExCo
- Implement good governance across the functioning of the Board and committees including managing declarations of interest and gifts and hospitality processes
- Ensure records and documentation are created, shared and retained in accordance with UKRI’s regulatory requirements, including but not limited to:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Data Protection Act (DPA)
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- Environmental Information Regulations
- Government Classification Scheme
- Management of information assets
- Support the wider team in delivering UKRI’s strategic objectives
Person Specification:
Applications are welcome both from experienced governance and secretariat professionals and ICSA / CGI qualified individuals.
Essential:
- Knowledge of the essential practical information required to deliver a good governance and secretariat function and the skills required to apply it
- Understanding of legal, regulatory and policy requirements underpinning the governance and secretariat function
- Demonstrable skills and expertise that governance and secretariat professionals practice in their roles
- Ability to act with integrity, independence, and open mindedness in supporting the senior leadership and delivering the team’s responsibilities
Desirable:
- Experience working in a Secretariat team and of line management
- Experience working with an organisation’s senior leadership and across staff at all levels
- Knowledge of UKRI purpose, structure, strategy and leadership
- Knowledge of the research and innovation sector and UKRI external stakeholders
- Demonstrable experience of planning, organising and recording events, including minute taking
- Proven anticipatory, problem solving and organising skills
- Proven ability to balance and manage multiple and changing priorities
- Ability to advise and influence senior leadership and to enable discussion and solutions
- Good communication, judgement and interpersonal skills underpinning an ability to build relationships and to work effectively with diverse stakeholders
- Ability to deliver high standards of written and oral English
- Experience working with and protecting sensitive information
- Flexibility to adapt to a complex, varied, changing and demanding workload
- Comfortable with organisational change
Application Guidance
Applicants are requested to provide a two-page CV and a cover letter by the closing time and date. Applications received after that time cannot be considered.
The cover letter should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). Please use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence the criteria set out in the ‘person specification’ of the job description.
For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’.
Sponsorship is only possible for this role where the candidate meets the New Entrant criteria (see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/when-you-can-be-paid-less) or currently holds a Skilled Worker visa issued before 4 April 2024.
About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and 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.
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.
