Senior Procurement and Contracts Manager

Department: Procurement and Contracts

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: GBP 90,000 / year

Description

Salary: GBP 90,000
Bonus: Discretionary
Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays-Thursdays - 3 days in our office, Monday + Friday - anywhere)
Employment Type: Permanent, full time
Closing Date: From 13th of May, we will transition to a rolling application process. The role will remain open until we have identified a strong shortlist of candidates for the interview stage.

About ARIA

ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK's world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK's future generations? Whether that's a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary

At ARIA, we believe that breakthroughs are driven by people. As our member of the procurement and contracts team, you will be at the heart of our operational engine. While others see procurement and contracts as a process, you see it as enablers of innovation, creating the right conditions for ambitious ideas to flourish.

Acting as the bridge between Programme Directors, operational teams, and external partners and our mission, you will be the custodian of ARIA's commercial and funding relationships, ensuring every interaction is human, thoughtful, and engaging. You will use your expertise to make everything run smoothly, allowing genuine connections to flourish.

What you'll do

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

• Design and deliver funding and procurement approaches: Work at pace with Programme Directors to shape and deliver funding mechanisms from early concept through to award.
• Support programmes as they evolve: Partner with teams post-award, helping adapt contracts and funding structures as programmes pivot, scale, or change direction.
• Manage contracts with purpose: Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of contracts, ensuring clarity, fairness, and effectiveness. You create agreements that work in practice, not just on paper
• Improve systems and ways of working: Continuously refine templates, processes, and guidance to make procurement and contracting simpler, smarter, and more scalable as ARIA grows.
• Enable innovation within a governance framework: Help navigate the balance between agility and accountability, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations while supporting novel and non-traditional approaches.

Who you are

A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience to the role:

Essential criteria

• High Autonomy: We don't micromanage; we trust you to take full accountability, proactively identifying bottlenecks and building solutions before problems escalate.
• Agile & Adaptable: You thrive in environments where the "right way" isn't always written down. You are comfort operating in ambiguity, with a proactive, solutions-focused mindset
• Strong procurement commercial experience: You bring experience across procurement, commercial, contracts, or funding delivery. You've led open and competitive sourcing processes and know how to run them effectively in practice, not just in theory.
• Strong commercial judgement: You combine sharp attention to detail with sound judgement, navigating contractual terms and conditions with confidence while keeping broader outcomes in mind.
• Strong communication and relationship-building: You build trust quickly and work effectively across multiple stakeholders and projects, ensuring alignment and momentum even in complex environments.

Desirable criteria

• Systems Thinker: You don't just do tasks; you build systems to make everything run smoother.
• Cross-Sector Experience: You've worked across both public and private sector environments and understand how to navigate different commercial, regulatory, and delivery contexts. You bring an appreciation for innovation-driven settings, whether in research, technology, or fast-moving organisations, and know how to adapt your approach accordingly.
• CIPS or equivalent

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Discretionary performance related pay
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don't worry! If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you're new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.