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About the Role
ARIA is an R&D funding agency focused on unlocking technological breakthroughs. This role involves working with Programme Directors to develop funding strategies, manage calls and selection processes, and oversee policies for grant, procurement, and commercial compliance. The Director will lead the function, enhance systems, and provide clear judgment on complex situations, suitable for someone with experience in leading funding, investment, procurement, or commercial operations.
Responsibilities
- Work with Programme Directors to develop funding strategies, structure opportunities, assess proposals, and build portfolios.
- Lead the design and delivery of funding calls, including eligibility, guidance, and reviewer processes.
- Oversee the process from proposal selection to award, managing due diligence, budgets, and commercial terms.
- Help set ARIA’s approach to sourcing and supplier management, and support negotiations.
- Collaborate with the CFO and Finance team on grants and commercial governance, policies, and risk management.
- Set team direction, priorities, and ensure adequate resources and capacity.
- Build relationships with government stakeholders and commercial teams.
- Develop practical templates, playbooks, and systems to support the function.
- Provide the Executive team with clear insights into funding and sourcing pipelines, workload, and risks.
- Assemble necessary expertise for unusual or strategic transactions.
- Build partnerships with colleagues, integrating commercial insight into program design.
- Apply commercial judgment to remove friction, solve problems, and enable pace while maintaining compliance and public trust.
Requirements
- Led a sizeable or complex funding, investment, procurement, commercial, or comparable capital-deployment operation.
- Demonstrated ability to make operations more effective and easier to navigate.
- Strong leadership skills, including setting vision, delegation, coaching, and making trade-offs.
- Good understanding of the full funding or investment lifecycle.
- Good understanding of end-to-end procurement and sourcing.
- Ability to translate governance and compliance requirements into workable policies and controls.
- Good judgment and comfort making decisions with incomplete information.
- Commercially astute with the ability to test assumptions and negotiate effectively.
- Clear communicator capable of explaining complex issues in simple terms.
- Good-humored, low-ego, hands-on approach, comfortable with strategy and problem-solving.
- Significant experience spanning R&D funding, strategic procurement, complex supplier management, venture capital, investment operations, or public-sector commercial work (desirable).
- Direct experience with government grants or commercial standards and stewardship of public money (desirable).
- Experience using data, automation, or AI tools to improve operations (desirable).
Skills
- Funding strategy development
- Call for proposals design and delivery
- Award management
- Sourcing and supplier management
- Commercial negotiation
- Governance and compliance
- Risk management
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Commercial judgment
- Problem-solving
- Communication
Location
- London
Work Type
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Hybrid
Experience Level
- Director
Salary/Compensations
- £135,000 / year
Benefits
- 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
- Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
- Enhanced family leave arrangements
- A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
- Life Assurance
- 2 days of paid volunteer days
- 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
- Cycle to Work scheme
- An excellent office location in Kings X, London
- Discretionary bonus
About the Company
- ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone.
- We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.
- ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways to meet societal challenges and opportunities.
- Our success is measured by our catalytic role in transforming the lives of future generations through life-changing technology or burgeoning new industries.
Equal Opportunity
- We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds.
- Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
- Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.
- If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
- Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.
- ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility.
- Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle.