Job Description

ESRC
Salary: £37,841 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band D.
Contract Type: Open ended.
Hours: Full-time or Part Time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available).
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available.

Closing Date: Wednesday 3rd June 2026.

About the role

ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) is a partnership redefining the way researchers access the UK's wealth of public sector data (administrative data), to enable better advised policy decisions that improve people's lives.

This role will sit within the ADR UK Programme Management Office. The ADR UK Programme Management Office within the Strategic Hub provides programme, project and organisational change together with business analysis support, leading the design, implementation and embedding of change across ADR UK to deliver its vision and realise its strategic objectives.

The Project Manager will be responsible for driving and coordinating the delivery of their projects to ensure that:

• They are completed on time and within budget.
• The project's objectives are met.
• Risks and issues are effectively managed.
• The correct governance and reporting procedures are followed.

Your responsibilities:

• Ensure projects deliver agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Track delivery within budget as necessary, and recommend how financial and other resources should be allocated between projects to best support strategic objectives.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues, and develop mitigating actions and raise as appropriate.
• Set project controls, select and apply appropriate delivery methodologies, and support the agreed assurance requirements through project delivery.
• Partner engagement and partnership working - identify key partners and develop effective relationships to influence, change, and impact decisions.
• Monitoring delivery against the approved business case, in order to justify the continuation of projects in terms of benefits, value for money and risk.
• Contribute to the development and promotion of the Programme Management Office (PMO), including supporting and advocating the use of PMO standardised processes and documentation.
• Operate effectively within a matrix management environment on one or more assignments with the flexibility and resilience to respond to the changing demands of a fast-paced environment.
• Attention to detail in the creation and maintenance of a range of control documentation including but not limited to; business case, programme plan, risks, issues and actions logs/registers, monitoring and evaluation, and budget management.
• Collation of documents and co-ordination of audit and assurance activities, including formal project gateway reviews, audits, and deep dives.
• Actively contribute to the PMO supporting the development of templates, guidance notes and documentation for a range of programme management tools and techniques.
• Represent the programme for queries relating to PMO administration and the use of templates.
• The project manager will also prepare and present updates to relevant groups within the established governance structure.

This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require you to undertake other duties within the Strategic Hub commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Educated to degree level in a relevant field, or experience of working in a sophisticated programme/project environment (S&I).
• Qualification in a recognised project/programme management methodology, (e.g. PRINCE 2, MSP, AGILE, etc.) (S&I).
• Able to evidence a strong understanding of project methodologies and lifecycles, including good working knowledge of project management software and tools (S&I).
• Able to evidence how to manage, plan, supervise and coordinate multiple projects or change activities independently and use initiative (S&I).
• An awareness of risk, issue and change management processes within project environments, along with business case, commercial and procurement awareness (S&I).
• Excellent written communications skills, including minuting meetings to a high level and control documentation (S&I).
• Knowledge and understanding of corporate governance systems and processes (S&I).
• Experience of providing corporate governance support to Boards and/or Committees (S&I).
• Experience engaging with multi-level partners, both internally and externally to ensure project delivery (S&I).

Desirable

• An understanding of the processes through which ESRC funded researchers currently access data for research purposes (I).
• Experience of working with relevant policy, government, or other partners in the research data landscape (I).
• Experience of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Gateway Review and Health check process (I).

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)

Current Hybrid Arrangements

ADR UK's current arrangements are that every quarter, the whole team will come down to the Swindon office (Polaris House). For other months, each team will go into the office that they are based in (either Swindon or London). Dates have been set for the year in advance.

Other attendance in office is as business need dictates, and the post holder may also be required to attend up to 3 governance meetings around the UK annually (rotates London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast).

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org

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 Recruitment@ukri.org.

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, 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. 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.

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.

About the Team

The ESRC is the UK's largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science. It supports the development and training of the UK's future social scientists and funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policy-makers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.

For more information about ESRC, click here