About UKRIO The UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) is the UK’s national advisory body for research integrity. Established in 2006, UKRIO delivers a wide-ranging programme of guidance and support to enhance good research practice and research culture. About the role Guided by a high profile Board chaired by Dame Linda Partridge, the charity is launching a new five‑year strategy to deepen and expand UKRIO’s reach and impact. This newly created role sits at the centre of that evolution. As Director of Policy and Communications, you will build a new function from the ground up, spearheading UKRIO’s policy, communications and external affairs work to engage and influence actors across the research ecosystem. This includes setting the strategic direction for UKRIO’s communications, ensuring our outputs are high quality and audience‑focused, and leading key influencing activities such as policy roundtables, consultations and events. The role carries significant external‑facing responsibility. As a key spokesperson for the organisation, you will champion research integrity, build strategic relationships and represent UKRIO at conferences and meetings. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will also help shape our organisational culture and embed fairness, transparency and excellence across the charity. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic policy and communications professional who recognises UKRIO’s vision and potential and wants to play a leading role in bringing it to life. You will have the scope to shape our brand, elevate our profile and reach and enhance the impact of our work. If you’re full of ideas, proactive in your approach and motivated by meaningful work, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Key responsibilities Strategic leadership

Work closely with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team to ensure UKRIO’s strategy and programme of work are effectively developed, implemented and communicated, balancing high‑level oversight with hands‑on delivery where appropriate in a small team environment.

Proactively identify opportunities to expand UKRIO’s reach and impact by assessing where the charity can deploy its resources most effectively, building strategic partnerships and leading initiatives that increase engagement across sectors and audiences.

Contribute to the strategic development of the charity, including shaping its value proposition, education and training offer and partnership and funding decisions.

Embed UKRIO’s theory of change and evaluation framework into organisational systems and ways of working, fostering a culture of reflection, accountability and continuous improvement.

Influencing and external engagement

Develop and lead an integrated policy, communications and engagement strategy that keeps research integrity high on the national agenda, strengthens stakeholder understanding and enhances UKRIO’s profile, credibility and influence.

Maintain a watching brief on emerging policy, sector and research integrity developments, identifying strategic opportunities, risks and areas where UKRIO should position itself or provide additional resource and support.

Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across government, academia, research funders, publishers, research organisations and civil society, identifying opportunities to advance UKRIO’s strategic objectives.

Lead UKRIO’s thought‑leadership activities – including policy statements and consultations – ensuring outputs are timely, authoritative and grounded in evidence.

Provide strategic oversight of UKRIO’s events programme, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and lead the facilitation of policy roundtables and external engagement events as required.

Represent UKRIO externally, including in consultations, conferences, advisory groups and media engagements, proactively working to elevate the charity’s influence and impact.

Communications

Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for all aspects of UKRIO’s communications, ensuring policy messaging, branding, digital engagement and content are high quality and aligned with organisational priorities.

Lead UKRIO’s editorial function, setting standards and overseeing all external outputs and written/visual assets to ensure they reflect the charity’s tone of voice, values and rigorous standards of accuracy and integrity.

Take an active role in shaping creative communications approaches, ensuring UKRIO’s messages and outputs are tailored to different audiences and use the most effective channels and formats.

Oversee the development of a modern, user‑centred digital communications approach (including a full review and redevelopment of UKRIO’s website), actively working to strengthen brand identity, user experience, content quality and digital functionality.

Oversee continuous improvement in digital communications, using analytics, audience insights and emerging tools to enhance reach, engagement and impact.

People management

Line‑manage the Communications and Events Manager and other relevant staff, providing clear direction, constructive feedback and professional development support to enable high‑quality delivery and innovation.

Manage paid associates and/or volunteers as required, ensuring appropriate support, training and processes are in place for effective delivery.

Work with Senior Leadership Team colleagues to foster a positive organisational culture where staff have clear objectives, feel supported and are empowered to deliver to a high standard.

Project management and oversight

Contribute to the development, execution and evaluation of UKRIO’s annual business planning process and organisational work programme as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Lead, oversee and/or quality‑assure key outputs to ensure they are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard, providing regular monitoring, reporting and analysis.

Hold budget‑holder responsibility and ensure adherence to project‑management processes that support transparency, accountability and value for money.

General responsibilities

Ensure UKRIO activity is compliant with all relevant legislation, including UK GDPR, charity guidelines and standards of good practice.

Keep up to date with developments in research integrity, governance, ethics and other related topics.

Deputise for the CEO as required, undertaking additional tasks or duties as directed.

Act as a team player, supporting the organisation to deliver on its wider goals and objectives.

Collaborate with the wider team to ensure our work is most effectively deployed, disseminated and utilised.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the postholder may be asked to undertake other reasonable duties as requested. Person specification Essential criteria

At least 5–8 years of experience in policy, public affairs or communications, ideally at a national or sector‑wide level.

Strong understanding of complex policy environments (e.g., charity sector, public sector, higher education, research funding or similarly regulated landscapes).

Proven ability to influence government, funders or sector bodies, including shaping policy positions and leading strategic engagement.

Experience convening multi‑stakeholder groups or facilitating collaborative policy development.

Demonstrable experience leading strategic communications, including organisational messaging, editorial oversight and high‑quality digital, written and visual outputs.

Strong content development skills, including proofreading, copy‑editing, adapting content for different audiences and producing a range of written and visual assets.

Experience delivering integrated communications across digital platforms, with an understanding of audience segmentation, analytics and user‑centred approaches.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, media engagement and representing an organisation externally.

Strong project‑management skills, with evidence of managing multiple priorities and delivering high‑quality work to deadlines.

Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, with a commitment to continuous improvement and evidence‑informed decision making.

Experience leading teams and managing cross‑functional work, including setting direction and supporting professional development.

Ability to work strategically while remaining hands‑on, comfortable building new systems and approaches in a small, growing organisation.

Understanding of ethical leadership, including reflexivity, transparency and accountability.

Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Willingness to travel occasionally within the UK and to attend occasional evening events as part of the role’s external engagement responsibilities.

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of research integrity, research ethics, governance or related policy areas; or experience in higher education, research funding or science and innovation policy.

Experience working in a small charity or start‑up environment.

Experience with digital tools such as Mailchimp, SurveyMonkey, CRM systems (e.g., Maximizer), WordPress and Canva.

Experience managing a full review and redevelopment of a website, including improvements to brand identity, site structure and content.

Understanding of impact evaluation, theory of change or outcomes‑focused planning.

What we can offer you

25 days annual leave pro rata (exclusive of statutory and public holidays).

Additional 3 days annual leave covering the closure of the charity during the Christmas period.

Pension and salary sacrifice scheme.

Interest‑free season ticket loan.

Flexible working.

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