Economic and Social Research Council
Programme Officer and Personal Assistant - UKRI Research & Development Missions Accelerator Programme (R&D MAP) Hub
Salary: £29,923
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Open-Ended. We have secured funding until 31 March 2026 and during that time we will be bidding for investment until 2030.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire
Grade: UKRI Band C
Closing: 25th June 2025
Context:
The Research & Development Missions Accelerator Programme (R&D MAP) is a new, targeted UKRI programme designed to support the Government’s National Missions and support delivery of the milestones in the Government’s Plan for Change. The primary objective of the R&D MAP is to fund targeted research and innovation (R&I), including technology development, to solve critical problems unique to each mission to improve people’s lives and create growth. An initial investment of £25 million was announced in the autumn budget, with UKRI leading, in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Government Mission teams, on focussed Research and Innovation (R&I) Challenges to respond to and develop solutions for the Problems in each Mission.
Job Purpose:
ESRC are seeking a Programme Officer and Personal Assistant to support the R&D MAP Hub within UKRI. In this role you will manage the diaries of the Hub’s Senior Leadership Team, enabling them to carry out their roles effectively, while also fulfilling other administrative duties essential to the Hub’s success.
Key Responsibilities:
To achieve this, you will be responsible for performing activities in the following areas.
- Diary management: You will proactively and effectively manage complex diaries to make the best use of the Senior Leadership Team’s time and resources. You will act as a ‘gatekeeper’ who advises others of diary priorities and provides advice on availability and logistics as required. You will plan meetings, visits and events, ensuring all details are confirmed and correct and flagging any which are atypical. To achieve all of this you will maintain regular contact with the Senior Leadership Team and will be required to book travel and accommodation (and catering where required).
- Meeting preparation: Ahead of meetings, you will ensure briefing, and diary papers are obtained and presented to the Senior Leadership Team in a timely fashion, allowing enough time for reading and preparation. You will anticipate the Senior Leaders’ requirements in advance and prepare daily papers and briefing notes for them, clarifying any details with the meeting/event organisers as necessary. If required, you will also translate Senior Leaders’ initial document drafts into high-quality meeting materials (such as PowerPoint presentations) in accordance with the house style.
- Administrative support: You will provide effective and flexible administrative support to all members of the Hub. This may include management of inboxes and responding to email enquiries, taking accurate meeting notes and minutes, and supporting the organisation of events (including team meetings). This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require that you adapt to, and undertake, other duties within the R&D MAP Hub commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post (especially while the Hub is under development).
Shortlisting and Interview Criteria:
Essential
- Proven professional experience of providing high-quality support as a Personal Assistant.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to write clear and accurate correspondence which is tailored to the audience.
- Confidence working effectively, and building relationships with, senior leaders and stakeholders (both remotely and face-to-face) in an approachable manner.
- Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail and the ability to manage workloads, resolve competing demands and cope flexibly and proactively with changing priorities.
- Ability to show initiative, manage ambiguity, think and adapt quickly, maintain confidentiality and discretion, and work independently when required.
- Excellent team-working skills and experience of supporting other team members in an administrative capacity.
- High level of ICT skills, proficient in MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Desirable
- Educated to at least ‘A’ level standard, or equivalent.
- Creative, flexible, and positive approach to problem-solving with the ability to collaborate to achieve results.
