UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) recruit for both senior and public appointments. These include members of the UKRI Board, Executive Chairs, part-time office holders and all other senior roles across UKRI at Band X and Y (equivalent to Senior Civil Service).
We employ a strong focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring recruitment that is diverse, fair and open, creating equal opportunity at all times. Public appointments are ultimately made by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Managing Director, Innovate UK
- Closing date
- 31 May 2026 at 11:55pm UK time
- Salary
- £145,000 to £155,000 each year, plus potential discretionary performance-related bonus
- Hours
- Full time
- Contract type
-
Permanent: this role will consider a secondment or fixed term contract for the right candidate
- Interview date
- Week commencing 29 June 2026
As the most senior executive role under the Innovate UK Executive Chair, the Managing Director plays a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the UK’s national innovation agenda.
This role partners with the Executive Chair to lead Innovate UK’s strategic direction and funding portfolio, with full accountability for execution and performance across innovation programmes, strategic investments, and organisational leadership.
The Managing Director is a high-profile representative of Innovate UK, engaging directly with government ministers, business leaders, and national stakeholders to drive UKRI’s innovation mission and the UK’s global competitiveness.
Read the Managing Director candidate pack (PDF, 8MB).
Apply for the Managing Director role on the Innovate UK website.
Chief Financial Officer – UKRI
- Closing date
- 7 June 2026 at 11:55pm UK time
- Salary
- To be confirmed
- Hours
- Full time
- Contract type
- Open ended (permanent)
- Interview date
- Week commencing 6 July 2026
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a senior strategic leader and principal adviser to the CEO and Board. As a principal decision-maker, the CFO provides organisation-wide leadership across UKRI’s finance, legal, digital and data, risk and assurance, and procurement and commercial functions. Alongside the CEO, the CFO is an executive member of the UKRI board.
The CFO is responsible for ensuring the organisation manages public money with strong governance, effective stewardship of public funds, and the highest standards of financial management, assurance and control. This includes providing strategic leadership on all aspects of public sector finance, ensuring that financial decisions are robust, evidence‑based, and aligned with government priorities and the organisation’s statutory responsibilities.
Read the Chief Financial Officer candidate pack (PDF 830 MB).
Apply for the Chief Financial Officer role on the UKRI website.
Executive Director of Data, Talent and AI – ESRC
- Closing date
- 7 June 2026
- Salary
- £94,931 to £117,800 (plus £5,560 London allowance) per annum
- Hours
- Full time
- Contract type
- Open ended
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is seeking to appoint a new Executive Director to lead our investments in data, talent and AI. The Executive Director of Data, Talent and AI will play a key leadership role ensuring our data infrastructure and talent investments support impactful research that informs decisions about the economy, public service delivery and society over the next decade.
The role has direct responsibility for all ESRC investment in data infrastructures and talent. The role also has a responsibility for ensuring that social science research in the UK is positioned to take advantage of the opportunities of artificial intelligence and other new technologies.
Last updated: 20 May 2026