Deputy Director - External Affairs & Communication

Job Title: Deputy Director External Affairs & Communication  

Salary: £94,931 - £117,800 per annum, dependent on skills and experience (this is the full-time equivalent; actual salary will be pro rata for part-time hours).

Hours: Full time/Part Time (Minimum of 0.8 FTE)  

Contract Type: Open Ended; secondees and transfers welcome. Job shares also considered  

Location: Caxton House, London or Polaris House, Swindon – Hybrid working available with 2-3 days per week office-based and travel across UKRI offices.  

Grade: X

Closing Date: 02 November 2025  

Help us tell stories that matter. Lead our strategy to amplify UKRI’s impact. 

Role Overview:

As Deputy Director, External Affairs and Communications, you will play a pivotal leadership role, responsible for shaping and delivering an integrated communications strategy that enhances the organisation’s visibility, credibility, and influence. 

This is a new role, central to creating awareness and understanding of UKRI’s mission, impact, and priorities, developing and leading high-impact campaigns, with targeted and insight-led communications to support UKRI’s brand, organisational goals and narrative. 

As a senior leader, you will play a key role in the External Affairs and Communications function, building capability, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, and ensuring UKRI’s voice is coherent, compelling, and aligned with national priorities. 

Responsibilities:

The Deputy Director, External Affairs & Communications (EAC) is accountable for:  

• Working closely with the Chief of External Affairs and Communications and other senior leaders across UKRI, leading on the development, delivery and evolution of UKRI’s communications strategy. 
• Developing and leading the strategic planning and campaigns approach needed to ensure successful implementation of our communications activity, based on insight, evaluation and effective partnerships. 
• Acting as a senior advocate for the communications profession within the organisation and across government. 
• Leading, inspiring, building capability, and motivating team and wider EAC colleagues. 
• Developing exceptionally strong relationships with communications colleagues in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and across government. 
• Building positive relationships internally & externally across key partners and stakeholders within the R&I community 

.

About You:

You will have the following essential skills and experience: 

• A strong track record of shaping and leading high-impact communications and campaign activity across complex, multi-stakeholder environments, including internal teams, academia, industry, government, and the wider public. 
• Proven ability to build and sustain effective partnerships across organisational, sectoral, and functional boundaries to deliver strategic objectives and drive collective impact. 
• Experience of leading and supporting teams through periods of change and organisational transformation 
• In-depth knowledge and experience of driving innovation in communications to improve reach, influence, and organisational effectiveness. 
• Recognised as a credible voice within academic, industry, and government communities, with the ability to represent the organisation at senior levels and foster trust and engagement. 
• Strong strategic mindset combined with the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities, manage risks, and respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. 

To view the full job description and requirements please e-mail us at seniorrecruitment@ukri.org to request the candidate pack and learn more about the role. 

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 your careers website; however, if you encounter any issues or need to update your documents, please contact us at SeniorRecruitment@ukri.org. 

The selection process may also include a staff engagement exercise. Exact details will be communicated to shortlisted applicants ahead of interviews.

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 

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

Please click here for more details Benefits of Working for UKRI 

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.