Chief of Investment Planning and Strategy

UK Research and Innovation

Salary: circa £110,000 per annum (dependent on skills and experience). 
Hours: Full time (37 hours) - Job share/Secondment accepted
Contract Type: Permanent
Base Location: Swindon or London. Please note the role will also involve travel to UKRI offices as well as further national travel as required.

The UKRI Chief of Investment Planning and Strategy will be accountable to the Chief Finance Officer and play a key role on the Executive Committee by leading the development and implementation of the organisational strategy in relation to integrative investment planning; enabling UKRI to deliver an effective, joined up, high quality service to its communities. This role will help shape UKRI’s overall research and innovation strategy, including how we best deploy our significant investment; build the evidence and approach for future fiscal events; and shape specific strategies that integrate and ensure the sustainability and vibrancy of the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem. 

The successful candidate will work in partnership with the UKRI Executive Committee, Government and influential stakeholders from across our communities, as well as engaging across all parts of UKRI to ensure that we are integrating the expertise and understanding from across the organisation to develop and embed evidence-based approaches that deliver a world class, sustainable system, driving innovation in the UK’s economy and public services

Key Responsibilities

Internal:

• Lead the development and implementation of UKRI’s organisational strategy in relation to integrative investment planning, working in conjunction with the CEO and wider Executive Committee
• Provide inspirational and visible leadership throughout the strategy cycle and ensure appropriate capacity and capability to support effective delivery
• Convene the organisation in developing UKRI’s overall investment strategy, to ensure that the money invested through UKRI delivers on our Vision for a sustainable research and innovation system that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and internationally
• Harness the depth of expertise from across UKRI by fostering proactive, open and collaborative engagement with the councils including leading UKRI’s Strategy Committee and engaging with our Analytical Leadership forum to develop effective cross cutting strategies and build and deploy evidence and evaluation
• Work closely with the Chief Finance Officer, Chief Information Officer  and Chief of External Affairs and Communication to ensure integrative programmes are developed, owned and implemented, undergoing regular reviews to assess delivery and impact
• Lead on the newly developed Integrative Secretariat, managing an effective change management process and ensuring structure and capability are defined and implemented
• Develop the evidence and evaluation base, including metrics for our new performance framework, to ensure UKRI sets the bar as an evidence-based organisation, using this to improve our policy development and delivery
• Work alongside other members of the Executive Committee to develop organisational models that drive efficiency and effectiveness

External:

• Lead on key external relationships and partnerships across Whitehall, including with DSIT, No.10, HMT, the Science and Technology Committee (STC) and other influential stakeholders, including for fiscal events, deploying evidence and providing superb policy advice, and thinking tactically as well as strategically about how to secure the best outcomes for research and innovation
• Provide compelling and comprehensive strategy advice and analysis to HMG and other relevant external stakeholders on   behalf of UKRI, drawing on expertise across the organisation
• Support the process of agreeing financial allocations of funding to councils and cross cutting initiatives, working closely with the Executive Committee
• Work across external stakeholders to engage the community with UKRI’s organisational strategy
• Work to ensure environmental sustainability and equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in UKRI’s investment planning and strategy

Key Skills:

• Significant demonstrable leadership skills and behaviours and a clear ability to use these to create diverse, highly engaged, highly performing teams, bringing together people from right across a complex organisation
• Significant experience of developing and delivering complex organisations’ strategies
• An inspirational, strategic thought leader with the ability to challenge the status quo; bring others with you and develop novel, innovative and deliverable solutions, backed up by robust evidence, analysis and argument
• Effective negotiation skills, built on a spirit of partnership and collaboration, assessing tactically as well as strategically how to steer towards a positive outcome, over the short and long term
• Politically astute, excellent interpersonal skills, able to influence, build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders
• Able to challenge critically and positively  at all levels within the organisation and across Whitehall up to Ministerial level
• Enthusiastic, motivated, resilient and adaptable with the ability to work flexibly in a changing environment
• Calm and authoritative under pressure and in the face of challenge and able to act quickly and decisively when required
• Experienced team player – able to listen and contribute in equal measure and engage with and encourage a wide range of opinions
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, able to explain to and generate buy-in from senior audiences in UKRI, in government, and externally
• Outstanding analytical skills, with a track record of developing evidence-based policy proposals

The following essential criteria will be assessed throughout the recruitment process:

• Significant experience of operating at Director / Executive level within a large or complex service delivery organisation
• Experience of strategy development and delivery at Director level in a complex organisation
• A track record of translating organisational vision into successful, measurable achievement
• Demonstrable experience of leading and effectively managing change in complex environments
• Extensive experience of working across sectors and cross-boundary/systems working
• Experience in or a very strong understanding of working with central government
• Experience in or a strong understanding of the research and innovation sector, including of working with business and/or academic stakeholders
• Ability to assimilate, integrate and draw strategy conclusions from wide ranging views and bodies of evidence
• Understanding of public sector spending environment and familiarity with the principles of HMT Managing Public Money
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the trends, developments, political and legislative issues affecting research and innovation
• Knowledge of contractual and financial mechanisms for supporting research and innovation

Key Information:

• The closing date for the receipt of applications is Sunday 22 September 2024 (23:59)
• Interviews are expected to be held in London on Friday 8 November 2024
• For any questions or issues applying, please contact SeniorRecruitment@ukri.org