Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:
Applications must be submitted by
20-05-2026
Vacancy for Change Partner (Maternity Cover)
The Change Partner plays a central role in the Business Capability and Change (BCC) team, leading organisation‑wide change initiatives with a strong people‑first focus.
*Please note this advert will close on 23.59pm on the 19th May 2026.
Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here.
Title: Change Partner (Maternity Cover)
Band: UKRI Band F (UKRI Ts & Cs)
Salary: £58,589 gross per annum
Reports to: Senior Change Partner
Location: Swindon (Hybrid Working)
Contract: Fixed Term (Family Leave cover until 1st June 2027)
Job Purpose:
The Change Partner plays a central role in the Business Capability and Change (BCC) team, leading organisation‑wide change initiatives with a strong people‑first focus.
This is a highly visible, organisation‑facing role in IUK leading the people and engagement aspects of major organisational change. Acting as a trusted advisor, you will work closely with business areas and senior leaders to co‑create change roadmaps, shape clear and credible narratives, identify capability gaps and organisational opportunities and support successful adoption of change across Innovate UK.
You will regularly engage with large staff audiences, confidently facilitating all‑staff forums and discussions, facilitate challenging and conflicting viewpoints, and distilling complex or sensitive information in a neutral, constructive way. A core part of the role is scripting, shaping and briefing senior and executive leaders on internal messages, ensuring communications are authentic, consistent and aligned to organisational priorities.
Through strong relationships, expert facilitation and robust insight into organisational sentiment, you will measure and track change readiness, advise leaders on risks and opportunities, curate engagement and ensure change is understood, embraced and successfully embedded across Innovate UK and aligned with wider UKRI change and engagement plans.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Accountabilities:
- Develop creative and context sensitive approaches to change and engagement activity that make the most of existing technology, channels, underpinned by relevant change management practice
- baselining and tracking trends in adoption and engagement with planned changes, and producing strategies and advice to teams and checking actions are in place to drive adoption.
- Production of high-quality digital content, using a range of tools e.g. Canva, with clear compelling messaging aligned to the organisational narrative and style.
- Designing and facilitating all‑staff forums and discussions, distilling complex or sensitive information in a neutral, constructive way.
- Building relationships with counterparts in IUK BC and UKRI to create cross-organisational narrative and sequence messaging to have best impact.
- A pro-active approach to change – by developing relationships and understanding key business areas, opportunities are planned and prioritised to create a realistic and achievable roadmap for change
- Ensure that changes are assessed early on within emerging priorities, facilitating comprehensive change impact assessments, stakeholder mapping and adoption planning within the areas you are working in.
- Build relationships across the organisation which in turn support engagement and adoption of change across Innovate UK, collaborating with colleagues and senior stakeholders to support delivery of change.
Responsibilities:
- Work closely with the Business Capability and Change Leadership team, including the Senior Change Partners, and the wider team to identify, define and support priority changes aligned to strategic direction.
- Work closely with workstream leads and business owners to develop a compelling narrative around change and the overall story about the Innovate UK change journey.
- Responsible for selecting and applying a mix of methodologies that support the required outcomes
- Role modelling a positive, can do mindset in relation to change, offering support and constructive challenge to those you are supporting. Influencing delivery teams to build in change activities into delivery plans and
- Assisting the IUK Senior Leadership Team team, and other relevant boards or groups to have a clear view of the level and impact of change activities impacting our staff.
- Coaching at all levels of the organisation on the practice of good change management.
- Facilitating sessions with senior staff and stakeholders to ensure Business Capability & Change can deliver complex and disruptive change in the most effective ways.
This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.
Person Specification:
Shortlisting criteria
(S) – Assessed at shortlisting
(I) – Assessed at interview
(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview
Qualifications:
- (S) Change Management practitioner qualification and equivalent experience
- (S) Communications qualification or equivalent experience
Experience:
Essential:
- (S&I)An in-depth understanding of change and the implications of taking individuals, teams and organisations on a change journey.
- (I)Experience of scripting, shaping and briefing senior and executive leaders on internal messages, ensuring communications are authentic, consistent and aligned to organisational priorities.
- (I) Confident presenter on an organisation-level stage (IUK & IUK Business Connect), happy to present and lead large scale sessions, including curating audience questions
- (S&I) Extensive experience of developing, professional, creative and engaging collateral for a wide range of audiences and channels, with excellent knowledge of how to use different channels to maximise effectiveness
- (I) Facilitation of engaging, energising and impactful sessions with teams and groups that create alignment and commitment to action.
- (S&I) Proven experience of leading and advising on communication strategies and tactics specifically to support change programme goals
- (S&I) Exceptional verbal and written communications skills and the ability to translate complex information into clear and accessible messages
- (I) Strong organisational and project management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and stakeholders.
- (S&I) Strong digital communications capability, including copywriting and intranet content production; intranet management and author upskilling; and confident use of a wide range of digital and collaboration tools (e.g. Teams, Copilot), with hands‑on experience of producing and editing digital media such as video, audio and imagery
- (I) Ability to work under own direction, and determine urgent from important requests
Skills:
- Exceptional communication skills, written and verbal
- Excellent active listening skills
- Ability to extract key messages from delivery teams and articulate this into a clear message for our stakeholders
- Ability clearly articulate messages to a variety of audiences and identify what is most meaningful for them
- Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships
- Ability to influence others and move toward a common vision or goal
- Flexible and adaptable; able to work in ambiguous situations
- Resilient and tenacious with a propensity to persevere
- Organised with a natural inclination for planning strategy and tactics
- Team player and able to work collaboratively with and through others
- Digital communications capability, including copywriting and intranet content production
- Intranet management and author upskilling
- Use of a wide range of digital and collaboration tools (e.g. Teams, Copilot, Canva etc), with hands‑on experience of producing and editing digital media such as video, audio and imagery
Desirable:
- Coaching qualification
- Familiarity with the public sector and/or grant giving organisations is desirable
Competencies:
All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:
Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Facilitation
Travel Requirements:
Swindon-based: There will also be a requirement for regular travel to London and other locations across the UK.
Applications must be submitted by;
20-05-2026
