Business Manager

Business Manager

Salary: £37,841 per annum 
Band: UKRI Band D 
Team:  Funding Operations
Positions: 1
Hours: Full time or Part time (at least 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: 12 months fixed term
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire.
 

Closing Date: Tuesday 1st September 2026

We recommend interested individuals apply at their earliest convenience as we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised deadline if we receive sufficient applications for these roles.

About you

As a Business Manager, you will advise on the delivery of Opportunities for funding and support NERC in the analysis and management of our portfolio of research. You will engage with the academic community, to support their applications for research and innovation funding, providing advice and updating guidance as appropriate. Your work will help maintain the UK’s position at the forefront of research and innovation both nationally and internationally. You will be involved in developing and delivering NERC and UKRI investments aligned with the objectives in NERC’s Forward Look (NERC Forward Look – UKRI). You will work with colleagues in other councils across UKRI to facilitate strong partnerships and consistency in our approaches.

You will have strong organisational, team-working and time-management skills, and excellent attention to detail. You will be self-motivated, quick to learn and flexible enough to manage a diverse and rapidly changing portfolio of activities. You will be expected to follow complex processes to deadlines whilst advocating for and promoting good practices and efficient ways of working.

It is essential that you have a demonstrable ability to resolve issues and work independently, whilst showing strong communication skills essential to working as part of a broader team. You will bring good influencing and negotiation skills with an ability to build effective working relationships with representatives within and external to NERC, and across different levels of seniority. Suitable candidates most likely include those who have just completed their first degree, and who have a keen interest in beginning their career at UKRI.

What we offer

In return, this varied role will broaden your skills by giving you the opportunity to manage your own workload, projects and activities. You will play a key role in managing NERC funding operations and liaising across UKRI to structure workflows, set policy, develop training and share ideas in a strongly team-based organisation.

Your role will require you to build trusted relationships across UKRI, with universities, government partners and industry; managing and delivering NERC processes to foster new, innovative, research and innovation programmes. You will be expected to continuously improve activities you are involved in and as part of the Funding Operations team, will liaise with programmes right across NERC head office to promote and advise on consistency. You may report to more than one activity manager for different aspects of the role.

Travel within the UK may be required at times.

Key activities may include but are not limited to:

• Supporting the development, design and management of funding Opportunities and activities within NERC’s priorities.
• Taking active responsibility for the operational delivery of funding within UKRI, by: advising on use of college, facilitating the design of assessment processes, managing expert reviewers and panels members, providing secretariat support for panel meetings, ensuring relevant and timely communications with those involved, promoting good decision making through equality, diversity and fairness in funding opportunities.
• Contributing to the coordination of team activities, providing leadership and support to individuals to help achieve NERC’s delivery goals.
• Supporting the end-to-end process from launching Opportunities to making awards, liaising with programme leads and aligning with UKRI reporting requirements for outcomes.
• Building strong relationships both within UKRI, and with relevant external communities and stakeholders in the UK. Act as an interface with researchers (universities, other environmental agencies, and research centres) and research users (business, government and policy makers) responding to queries and advising applicants on policy relevant to our funding Opportunities.
• Identifying and implementing Continuous Improvement ideas to improve the quality and efficiency of all aspects of the role.
• Contributing to effective delivery of NERC projects and cross-council collaborative research agendas.
• You may also be involved in managing projects and budgets.

Person Specification

The below criteria will be assessed at Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I)

Essential Skills

• Degree, or an equivalent level of relevant qualifications or expertise. (S)
• Knowledge or experience of the research and/or innovation landscape in the UK and the science areas and/or communities supported by NERC. (S&I)
• Ability to absorb, evaluate and communicate complex information in language appropriate to the audience. (S&I)
• Planning and organisational skills, including an ability to prioritise and manage complex activities whilst maintaining attention to detail. (S&I)
• Ability to work flexibly on own initiative, as well as contribute well to team working. (S)
• Confidence in influencing effectively (both verbal and written media) across teams, wider organisation and external stakeholder communities. (S&I)
• Effective analytical skills with the ability to learn new tools, analyse data and derive meaningful information accurately and responsibly. (S)

About hybrid working
We support a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home, the office, and occasionally at other UK locations.
NERC HO staff will be assigned to Tier 2 meaning a standard expectation of 40–60% onsite attendance (pro-rated against working time) including those hosted by NERC HO. This will come into effect on 1st October 2026.

Visa Sponsorship

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-costs or contact [email protected].

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package! We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

A list of benefits below:

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent)
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice
• Flexible working options

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance.

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online with your CV and a covering letter, each no longer than two pages. If you experience any issue applying, please contact [email protected]

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, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. 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.

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.

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.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.