Operations Officer

Economic and Social Research Council

Operations Officer (Fixed Term)

Salary: £29,923
Hours: Full time or Part time (Minimum 0.8 FTE)
Contract Type: Fixed Term until 31 October 2026

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire
Grade: UKRI Band C

Closing Date: 25 November 2025*

Team Context:

The ESRC Operations team is a small and central team within ESRC that brings together corporate operational activities for ESRC and supports the ESRC Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the leadership and delivery of ESRC operational matters. We work closely with key UKRI business partners and provide the critical operational interface with UKRI corporate services. 

We have a wide remit of activity and work collaboratively with colleagues across all the teams in ESRC and, where appropriate, offer advice and guidance on a breadth of operational matters. 

The team has a varied portfolio of operational activity and together we:

• Manage the ESRC interface with UKRI corporate services, including HR; Finance; Internal Comms; Digital, Data and Technology, etc.

• Provide coherent oversight and coordination of resourcing, recruitment and OpEx budgetary matters across ESRC.

• Oversee and manage ESRC internal comms and employee engagement activities.

• Oversee and manage ESRC local training framework and associated activities.

• Lead and/or support ESRC's operational delivery of specific UKRI change projects which fall within the remit of the operations team.

• Support the delivery of consistent and high-quality line management across ESRC.

Job Purpose:

The main purpose of this role is to support a range of activities in ESRC's operations space. The Operations Officer will collaborate closely with team members to provide essential administrative support across the breadth of the team's work, delivering against operational priorities within the COO's remit of activities.

You will provide critical business continuity on key activities such as delivery of internal communications and employee engagement events; supporting recruitment, resourcing, and interviews; and maintaining ESRC's training, learning and development provision. 

The role will involve working flexibly across these activities and may also involve supporting strategic operational projects, responding to emerging and changing priorities with clarity of purpose and to tight deadlines.

Key responsibilities:

• Support activities related to ESRC internal communication channels such as ESRC News (internal) publishing, keeping our intranet content up to date and relevant, and will include writing for internal audiences.

• Support internal campaigns and events that promote engagement with, but not limited to, training, line management, organisational change, and strategy.

• Support activities of the ESRC corporate training programme, including the scheduling of events, internal promotion, managing attendance, and evaluation.

• Provide interview support activities and manage unexpected on-the-day issues.

• Ownership and maintenance of key Operations Team documentation that ensures information is accurate and relevant for its audience.

• Shared mailbox and general query management that draws on operational knowledge of processes and policies and provides a professional service to assist ESRC colleagues.

• Provide secretariat support to groups under the COO's remit, including preparing meeting arrangements, agendas, papers, and minutes.

• Drive continuous improvement by identifying issues and trends, collaborating with colleagues across ESRC, UKRI and UK Shared Business Service to develop solutions and support the effective operation of ESRC.

• Provide cover and business continuity for other team members' business-critical activities, when required.

• Undertake the role of Champion, expert guides from across the organisation in a range of functions, such as Purchase Order (PO) champion.

You will be expected to deliver high-quality work, act diligently, and handle sensitive data and situations across all the activities above. As a new ESRC officer you will also be expected to engage in grants processing training to be able to support the core business of ESRC if required.

Skills & Experience:

S = Assessed at Shortlisting

I = Assessed at Interview

Essential:

• A degree in a relevant discipline, or demonstrable experience of working in a relevant environment or role. (S)

• Planning and organisational skills, including an ability to prioritise and manage multiple or complex activities. (S/I)

• Quality focused, with demonstrable attention to detail and pride in accuracy. (S/I)

• Ability to take a positive approach to solve problems and overcome challenges. (S/I)

• Effective personal communication and interpersonal skills, communicating using the appropriate methods and style for the intended audience. Confident speaking with internal audiences face-to-face and dealing with sensitive issues calmly and professionally. (S/I)

• Ability to build and maintain collaborative and good working relationships with team members, stakeholders, and others at all levels to deliver excellent service and outcomes. (S/I)

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic and possesses flexibility to adapt, change and cope with ambiguity. (S/I)

• IT competency, including Microsoft Office suite. (S)

Additional Information:

Hybrid Working: All posts are based at our Swindon office, but we currently operate a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home, the office, and occasionally at external locations. UKRI's hybrid working approach is currently under review and the post-holder must acknowledge that arrangements may change, including expectations around office attendance. 

*We reserve the right to close the vacancy once a sufficient number of applications are received.