AHRC Advisory Board: member vacancies

Closing date
12 September 2024
Number of positions
11
Length of term
Three years
Time commitment
Up to 20 days per year, including two Advisory Board meetings each year (one day per meeting)
Remuneration
£200 per day attendance allowance (for meetings)

Travel and subsistence costs for in-person meetings

Interview dates
16 January 2025
17 January 2025
22 January 2025
24 January 2025
Outcomes communicated
By the end of February 2025

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) invites applications from across the arts and humanities communities, disciplines and sectors to join its Advisory Board.

You will:

  • work collaboratively to offer advice and recommendations to AHRC
  • inform AHRC’s vision and strategic priorities
  • champion arts and humanities research and innovation
  • foster a diverse arts and humanities research culture

Who we’re looking for

We are looking for 11 individuals with a range of expertise and experience in research, development and innovation relevant to the arts and humanities communities, disciplines and sectors.

You do not need to be based in a research organisation, but you should have:

  • a demonstrable research record in arts and humanities, aligning with your career stage and sector
  • subject matter expertise relevant to AHRC’s remit

You should have the enthusiasm and time to commit to advising AHRC on achieving our delivery plan and vision priorities.

The panel will review applications against the essential and desirable criteria.

Essential criteria

You must have:

  • awareness of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and AHRC and their role in the broader research funding landscape
  • a deep understanding of arts and humanities sectors and communities across the UK, internationally and beyond academia
  • a demonstrable research record in arts and humanities, in line with your career stage and sector, with evidence of delivering impact
  • the ability to provide constructive and contextual advice, guidance and recommendations, informing AHRC’s vision and strategic priorities
  • a preparedness to inform, test and challenge AHRC in a flexible, diverse and respectful environment
  • the ability to communicate and champion AHRC and the value of arts and humanities research to various audiences, facilitating constructive and two-way communication between AHRC and its communities
  • familiarity with the broader UK higher education and research, development and innovation context, for example, innovation, policy, public engagement, impact, knowledge exchange, transfer and commercialisation
  • commitment to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within your institution and as part of the AHRC Advisory Board

Desirable criteria

You may have:

  • experience conducting or contributing to interdisciplinary research within the broader UKRI remit

What you’ll be doing

The Advisory Board provides AHRC with expert support and advice.

The board’s advice reflects the arts and humanities research communities’ perspectives on the needs and challenges facing arts and humanities research, innovation and practice.

The board supports the development of strategic partnerships that facilitate opportunities for delivering AHRC’s vision.

The Advisory Board has the following goals:

  • champion arts and humanities research and foster a diverse arts and humanities research culture
  • provide a sector perspective that is balanced and evidence-based, facilitates a deep dive into themes and priorities, and looks beyond the existing programmes and structures to identify broader issues and trends
  • support emerging strategic themes, advocate for new ideas by identifying trends and success factors, and provide contextual awareness and insight into community interests and issues
  • reflect the views of the academic community and beyond

The Advisory Board members are expected to:

  • adhere to the highest professional and ethical practice standards, as outlined in the Seven Principles of Public Life
  • abide by the AHRC Advisory Board charter and terms of appointment

Members sit on the board as individuals rather than representing a particular organisation.

Time commitment and remuneration

Members will be appointed for three years, with a potential for further extension for two or three years.

Members will serve for no more than two terms.

Ten members will commence their memberships on 1 April 2025 and one member on 1 April 2026.

AHRC Advisory Board members are expected to dedicate up to 20 days per year, including two Advisory Board meetings each year.

AHRC may call additional meetings to advise on important or urgent matters and enable advocacy and assurance in the community.

AHRC may also consult with board members outside of the meetings and seek board members’ engagement in a range of AHRC activities, including membership in programme advisory groups and participation in assessment panels.

Meetings will be held in spring and autumn each year at the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) office in London or Swindon.

Meetings will be hybrid, with in-person and virtual attendance options.

The induction meeting is planned for 24 April 2025.

An attendance allowance (for meetings) of £200 per day (if eligible), together with reasonable travel and subsistence costs, will be reimbursed in accordance with UKRI’s travel, subsistence and expenses policy.

How to apply

Complete the AHRC Advisory Board application form on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Engagement Hub.

Deadline

You must submit your application by 12 September 2024.

The application form will automatically close.

Late applications will not be accepted.

Your application will be submitted once you receive the following message: ‘Your response has been submitted.’

What to include in the application form

The application form contains the following six sections:

  • data protection statement
  • personal information (for example, name, organisation, sector and areas of research interest)
  • disability confident scheme consideration
  • conflicts of interest
  • supporting evidence (five separate questions)
  • equality, diversity and inclusion profile

You must also submit a one-page CV by email to governance@ahrc.ukri.org by 12 September 2024.

In the CV, outline your qualifications, experience and skills as relevant to the essential and desirable criteria and your career stage and sector.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

At AHRC, as part of UKRI, we are proud to be users of the disability confident scheme.

We guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the Advisory Board membership and will make necessary adjustments to do so.

There is a section on the application form to indicate if you would like to be considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make our recruitment process and participation in the Advisory Board accessible to all.

Email governance@ahrc.ukri.org if you:

  • have any queries about the application process
  • would like to receive this application in a different format (for example, accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille)
  • would like to discuss reasonable adjustments for your application

Read our accessibility statement for our website.

Let us know in advance if you would like to discuss in confidence how we can support you or if you require an alternative way to submit your application. You can contact us at governance@ahrc.ukri.org

How we’ll assess your application

Step one

After the closing date, a panel consisting of AHRC staff will assess all applications (CVs and application forms).

The panel will review applications against the person specifications and recommend a list of candidates for a second-stage panel assessment.

Step two

All applications selected by the first panel will be reviewed by a second panel comprising the following members:

  • Professor Adrienne Scullion, Head of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The Open University and AHRC Advisory Board Chair
  • Ms Stella Power, AHRC Chief Operating Officer
  • Dr Jaideep Gupte, AHRC Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation
  • Dr Allan Sudlow, Director of Partnerships and Engagement

By the end of December 2024, the panel will agree on a list of applicants invited for an interview.

Application feedback will only be available at the interview stage.

Step three

Interviews will take place on Zoom on the following dates:

  • 16 January 2025
  • 17 January 2025
  • 22 January 2025
  • 24 January 2025

If you cannot attend an interview on any of these dates, let us know when submitting your CV to governance@ahrc.ukri.org

The interview panel will include the Advisory Board Chair and two AHRC representatives.

Further information will be provided to candidates selected for an interview.

Where applicants are equally qualified on merit, the panel will consider the balance across the board membership in terms of diversity, including regional, sector and disciplinary representation, expertise and experience.

Interview outcomes will be communicated to applicants by the end of February 2025.

Successful candidates will be required to complete Level A screening before commencing their AHRC Advisory Board membership.

Further information

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

At AHRC, as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect and to be provided with equal opportunities to flourish and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so.

We believe in an ethical and trusted working environment that is attractive and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

We value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community.

To maintain the UK’s world-leading position, we want to become even better at attracting and nurturing people from the widest possible pool and enabling them to fulfil their career ambitions.

We believe we can inspire, engage with, and learn from all our people to maximise the benefits that diversity of thought and experience can provide.

For further information, visit how we support EDI in the workforce.

The ‘How to apply’ section has information on reasonable adjustments and the disability confident scheme.

Data protection

The data you provide will be used as part of the AHRC Advisory Board recruitment process.

We will use your details to inform you about the outcome of your application and, if you are successful, to liaise with you about your membership.

The EDI profile information will be separated from the selection process. It will be used for monitoring purposes and will have no bearing on the decision made regarding your application.

The information you provide will be used to check whether we have reached a representative section of society and help us identify inequalities.

Personal information will not be used for any other purpose without your consent.

Your data will be managed in line with UK data protection legislation and handled securely.

For further information on how your data will be used, how we maintain the security of your information, and your rights to access information we hold on you, refer to UKRI’s privacy notice.

Eligibility

These roles are not eligible for sponsorship by UKRI under the UK skilled worker visa route.

Testimonials from Advisory Board members

Professor Dana Arnold, Manchester School of Architecture

Membership of the AHRC Advisory Board offers you unique insights into the workings of AHRC and more broadly of UKRI. You will also be in a position to advise AHRC on their policies and practices. It is also an excellent opportunity to broaden your networks and meet a range of researchers in cognate disciplines as well as AHRC staff.

Professor Diamond Ashiagbor, University of Kent

Being a member of the AHRC Advisory Board has given me an unparalleled strategic understanding of research funding and the richness of research across our arts and humanities disciplines. I’ve come to appreciate the breadth of the AHRC’s remit: not just in terms funding research and supporting the next generation of scholars, but also this whole other existence with which I was less familiar. For example, the AHRC’s role in advocating for and supporting the wider galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) sector and the creative industries. It has been equally inspiring and sobering to understand better the importance of the AHRC in relation to the relevant government ministries, in championing the value of arts and humanities. It has been enjoyable to work with and learn from AHRC staff and AB members from a range of disciplines and independent research organisations.

Professor Paul Grainge, University of Nottingham

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a member of the AHRC Advisory Board. It brings together a diverse group with a genuine interest in helping to voice the arts and humanities community, and to shape and inform thinking across the full breadth of AHRC activities. I have been part of fascinating and complex discussions about the future of doctoral provision and creative economy investments, among other subjects, and have been struck by the rigour and commitment of everyone involved on the Board and at the AHRC.

Professor Sandeep Parmar, University of Liverpool

In these challenging times for higher education, being on the AHRC Advisory Board and its EDI subcommittee has both clarified for me the importance of supporting high-quality research and the need for scholarship to respond in a variety of ways to our present moment as well as our rich past. Being able to feed into the critical role the AHRC plays in the health and vitality of research and innovation has been enlightening and at times inspiring.

Professor Adrienne Scullion, The Open University

Being a member of the AHRC’s Advisory Board is both a great way to understand and influence research policy and practice across the UK and an important opportunity to stand up for and champion research and researchers in the arts and humanities when informed voices are really needed. I enjoy working with – and learning from – colleagues from across the wider range of AHRC disciplines, the diversity of HEIs, IROs and other stakeholders in public life and business as well as with members of the AHRC and wider UKRI executive teams.

Jane Ellison, Independent Consultant

Serving on Advisory Board as a non-academic member is a huge opportunity to appreciate the immense contribution that AHRC makes to the UK’s universities, supporting the next generation of academic researchers, and showing why a thriving research base in the arts and humanities is essential to addressing contemporary challenges in a human way. But I have also seen how AHRC drives research that directly impacts the creative sector, funding crucial R&D projects that fuel innovation and help shape the future of our industries.

The role is about understanding how AHRC’s influence extends beyond academia to create dynamic spaces where research and creativity intersect to drive real-world change; highlighting the imagination and expertise in story-telling, artistic collaboration and audience engagement that the UK’s creative organisations can contribute, but also representing as best you can some of the very real challenges that the sector now faces.

Ask a question about this vacancy

AHRC Governance and Executive Office Team

Email: governance@ahrc.ukri.org

Last updated: 26 September 2024

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