Continuous Improvement Lead

Salary: £56,745 Per Annum

Hours: Full Time / Part Time ( Min 0.8 FTE)

Contract Type: Fixed Term (Until March 2027)

Location : Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire (Hybrid Working Available)

Band: UKRI Band F

Closing Date: Sunday 2 November 2025

We are looking for a highly qualified and experienced CI professional to join our UKRI Continuous Improvement (CI) function within the Project Delivery and Improvement (PDI) Team. The CI function is dedicated to delivering value for money for taxpayers while maximizing the impact of UKRI's mission to deliver 'Knowledge with Impact.' By making the most of the resources available, the team ensures that every effort contributes to meaningful outcomes.

An additional Band F CI Lead is essential to bolster the current CI Team, which currently comprises 2 FTEs. As a CI Lead you will be part of the CI Team reporting to the Head of Continuous Improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Championing CI across UKRI & Gaining buy-in

You will assist PDI in identifying and engaging key colleagues within UKRI to foster ownership of CI initiatives. Your responsibilities will include implementing governance structures and frameworks that strike the right balance between centralised leadership and distributed ownership. These frameworks will enable informed decision-making to prioritise and allocate change resources effectively, ensuring a focus on doing fewer things exceptionally well.

Embedding a CI culture within UKRI

You will be responsible for drawing on existing expertise to further develop the CI culture and embedding it more widely across UKRI by promoting the awareness and benefits of a CI culture, encouraging innovative ways to deliver solutions for improvement, communicating every success and engendering a blame free, have-a-go culture.

Organise and co-ordinate CI Training & Development

You will support the development of an appropriate CI training and development programme, and lead on its implementation, which includes on the job, near the job and off the job elements, delivered in a timely manner.

Be a custodian of CI Tools & Techniques

You will be responsible for maintaining a central repository and developing a suite of materials and information which enable the sharing of best practice, guidance, tools and techniques to empower teams across UKRI to streamline and improve processes and services.

Facilitate CI initiatives

You will be responsible for the leading, managing and tracking of CI initiatives across UKRI. You will need to lead by demonstration of application, implementing a data driven and evidence-based approach to recommendations and decision making. You will need to ensure effective change management to maximise the benefit from the CI initiatives once implemented.

Person Specification:

(S) – Shortlisting Criteria (I) – Interview Criteria (S & I) - Shortlisting Criteria & Interview Criteria

Essential

• Technical Expertise – you should have significant and proven experience of successfully leading and delivering CI projects and a firm understanding of process improvement techniques (e.g. Systems Thinking, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Lean Competency System, etc, ideally at a black belt level) and significant proven experience applying these. (S & I)
• You should have significant and proven experience in Project Management, Business Analysis and managing Organisational Change. (S & I)
• Organisation Skills – responsible for both the planning and implementation stages of multiple projects, you must be organised and committed to meeting deadlines. (I)
• Leadership Skills – you will need to be a strong relationship builder and coach and mentor. You will have experience of working with cross-functional stakeholders, with a proven ability to develop effective teams, and able to inspire and support others by demonstrating and sharing your skills and knowledge. (S & I)
• Training Skills - you should have significant and proven experience of developing CI training programmes and materials and training people at all levels of an Organisation.
• Analytical/Critical Thinking – you will need this skill in order to approach information using objective analysis and sound reasoning in order to get to the root of problems and identify the most appropriate solution based on data driven evidence. (I)
• Communication Skills – being able to speak, listen, and write well is important, as you will be required to influence colleagues and team members, give presentations, facilitate meetings and training, and produce papers and reports. You should have experience of working in cross-functional environments. (I)

Other Important Information:

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 or contact .

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact