Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:
Applications must be submitted by
19-05-2026IS8 Programme Director for Advanced Manufacturing
SALARY: £94,931 Per Annum
HOURS: Full Time
CONTRACT TYPE: Open Ended
LOCATION: Field Based
GRADE: UKRI Band X
POSITIONS AVAILABLE: X1
CLOSING DATE: 19 June 2026
PROPOSED INTERVIEW DATE: 12 June 2026
ABOUT THE ROLE
The new cohort of Programme Directors provides a unique opportunity for exceptional leaders to shape and lead the strategy and delivery of UKRI’s work across the Government’s Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors providing the exceptional leadership, skills, and energy to drive this important work forward.
Reporting to the Senior Responsible Owners of each sector, you will oversee and work closely with the other Programme Directors.
The role will involve leading large-scale, complex programmes, where you will hold substantial accountability for their success. You will be responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships whilst collaborating effectively with a wide range of senior stakeholders across various sectors, including industry, government, and academia. Additionally, you will oversee the development and management of high-performing teams, guiding them through periods of change.
You will work closely with the stakeholders across the councils, playing a central role in facilitating and brokering effective and inclusive partnerships.
ABOUT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
The Government vision for advanced manufacturing, as stated in the Industrial Strategy, is that “by 2035 the UK will be the best place in the world to start, grow, and invest in Advanced Manufacturing.” The Government’s stated ambition by 2035 is to have nearly doubled annual business investment in the sector from £21 billion to £39 billion, driving growth across the economy.”
As the Programme Director you will play a pivotal role in delivering the Advanced Manufacturing Sector plan from a Research, Development and Innovation perspective.
The UKRI Advanced Manufacturing programme will drive economic growth, increase private investment, create the conditions for scaling companies to thrive and improve resilience in advanced manufacturing frontier industries. It will achieve this by supporting and commercialising research and scaling up innovation, automation and digitalisation to create the resource efficient and decarbonised industries of the future.
You will be expected to develop and maintain strong links across Advanced Manufacturing relevant stakeholders and programmes including DSIT and DBT and their programmes investing in critical technologies and frontier industries.
ABOUT YOU
To succeed in this role, you will bring substantial senior leadership experience in managing large-scale, complex programmes or portfolios, with clear accountability for their success at a Programme Director or similar level.
You will be confident in shaping programme strategy and securing approval from the highest levels of stakeholder governance. You will have a track record of designing delivery approaches for multi-faceted programmes comprising numerous, diverse sub-programmes and projects, and of operationalising holistic approaches that recognise and manage their interdependencies.
You will have extensive experience in hands-on programme management, demonstraiting ownership for delivery and providing active leadership to ensure outputs, outcomes and objectives are agreed withing agreed timeframes.
You will excel at building relationships and working collaboratively with senior stakeholders across industry, government and academia. A key part of the role is facilitating effective, inclusive partnerships and navigating multiple or conflicting stakeholder views—confidently defending your position where necessary, while working constructively toward consensus.
You will also have a proven ability to build, develop and lead high-performing teams through periods of change. This includes experience managing matrixed teams, where delivery responsibilities sit outside formal reporting lines, and uniting colleagues behind a shared understanding, common purpose and clear drive toward programme delivery.
MAIN OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES
Lead the development and effective implementation of the Programme strategy, with the SRO.
Design and launch the programme operating model, and appropriate governance arrangements including risk and benefits realisation.
Accountable for the successful delivery of the Programme as per the agreed scope, outcomes and objectives.
Form and lead a new team which is constituted with people from many parts of UKRI, bringing them together with clear purpose and alignment
Lead external stakeholder engagement, facilitating support and partnerships for programme activities.
Be responsible for the programme budget.
Relationship management between the Programme, UKRI Councils, UKRI Executive Committee and UKRI Board.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
(S) – Assessed at shortlisting
(I) – Assessed at interview
(S&I) – Assessed at shortlisting & interview
Extensive senior leadership experience delivering large-scale, multi-faceted programmes in complex environments, with clear accountability for outcomes (S)
Demonstrated ability to design and implement robust governance frameworks, oversee programme monitoring and evaluation, manage risks and mitigations, and control significant budgets (S&I)
Strong stakeholder management capability across complex and diverse environments, including effective engagement with Government bodies and partners (S&I)
Proven collaborative approach, delivering shared commitments and outcomes in rapidly changing or ambiguous environments (S)
Strategic thinker with the ability to translate policy and ideas into actionable plans and measurable results (I)
Strong influencing skills, ensuring effective, efficient processes while maintaining flexibility, agility and responsiveness (I)
An effective team player and leader, able to listen, inspire, and motivate teams and a diverse range of stakeholders. (S&I)
APPLICATION GUIDANCE
How to evidence the criteria:
We encourage you to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in your cover letter to clearly demonstrate how your experience meets each of the ‘person specification’ criteria outlined in the job description. For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’.
Please ensure your CV and cover letter are no longer than two A4 pages each, using a minimum font size of 11. Once submitted, your application cannot be edited via our careers website; however, if you encounter any issues or need to update your documents, please contact us at SeniorRecruitment@ukri.org.
OTHER INFORMATION
If you'd like to have an informal chat about the role before applying, you're welcome to get in touch with us at seniorrecruitment@ukri.org
Applications must be submitted by;
19-05-2026