Personal Assistant - International

Salary: £29,923 Per Annum

Hours: Full Time (Flexible Working)

Contract Type: 1 x Open Ended and 1 x 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

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

Band: UKRI Band C

Closing Date: Sunday 19th October 2025

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place. 

Job Overview:

Providing comprehensive administrative and PA support to the Deputy/Associate Director team in UKRI International.  You will act as an important interface with internal and external colleagues at all levels. The role will be highly visible internally and to UKRI’s external stakeholders and as such you should exemplify the values and behaviours of the wider organisation.  All work must be carried out to high professional standards in a timely manner, while maintaining confidentially at all times. You will need to be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, responding to different types of challenges and tasks on a daily basis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Proactive PA support to 2-3 UK-Based Deputy/Associate Directors within the International Shared Capability, including diary and inbox management.
• Arrange travel and accommodation for UK visits, and complicated overseas visit programmes, including travel bookings, visa arrangements, coordination of briefings and meeting papers etc. in line with the UKRI travel guidance and policy. 
• Management of Deputy/Associate Directors inboxes; ensuring emails are prioritized and dealt with. Including close monitoring when Directors are on leave to ensure correspondence is delegated appropriately. 
• Professional approach to communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders using Microsoft packages, Outlook, Word etc 
• Maintaining confidentially of the Deputy/Associate Directors and senior colleagues across UKRI. 
• Arranging internal and external meetings (including virtual) and providing support for meetings, including secretariat support for internal management meetings, consisting of coordinating and circulating agendas and papers, note taking and action monitoring. 
• General administrative support for Directors, including processing expenses, support for team meetings and team activities for example appraisals and objective setting.
• Ad-hoc administrative support as required for discrete projects and activities.
• Working as part of a PA team, providing reciprocal cover as required, and contributing to team wide projects.
• Occasional travel to meetings as required.

Person Specification:

Essential

• Excellent management skills of complex diaries and email accounts. (S & I)
• Excellent time management skills with ability to identify, prioritise and plan. (I)
• Proactive and forward looking – ability to identify issues and information required for the Director in advance and to develop systems for managing a heavy workflow. (S & I)
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with close attention to detail a priority. (S & I)
• Good interpersonal and collaborative skills, able to foster productive working relationships with a broad range of internal and external contacts. (I)
• Discreet and respectful of confidentiality, able to recognise and deal appropriately with potential sensitive issues. (S & I)
• The ability to work flexibly as part of a PA team, demonstrate good teamwork and support for other team members. (I)
• Proven administrative skills, with a track record of support to senior level managers. (S & 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)

Other Important Information:

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please Note: As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y

Please note that we may close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore recommend submitting your application at the earliest opportunity.

Application Guidance:

How To Evidence The Criteria:

You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the ‘person specification’ criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’. 

Applications that do not include a cover letter evidencing each criterion will not be considered.

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

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, we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who opt into the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. 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.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.