Contract Term: This is a permanent, open-ended position.
Location: London or Swindon. Please note, this role includes regular travel to sites across the UK and international travel on occasion
Direct Reports: The postholder will have line management responsibility for ~7 direct reports which includes roles such as Chief Information Officer, Finance Director and General Counsel & Head of Legal.
Availability: Successful candidates will be encouraged to take up their appointment as soon as possible, following the successful completion of pre-appointment checks and security clearance.
Security Level: The successful candidate must hold, or be willing to undergo, Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. Please note that UKRI reserves the right to initiate or repeat security screening as required during the course of employment.
Closing Date: 23:55 on Sunday 7th June 2026.
About UKRI
Launched in 2018, UKRI is an independent, non-departmental public body, which invests £10 billion per annum in research and innovation. We bring together nine executive council partners (the seven Research Councils plus Innovate UK and Research England) with a shared vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.
UKRI also provides coordinated strategic advice to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the balance of funding between research disciplines.
Our mission is to “advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth”. There is great intent in these seven words. The three parts of this mission are all equally important.
Any knowledge-driven economy must support curiosity-driven research to provide the novel ideas that underpin the application of research, which ultimately leads to innovative companies that deliver the products and services which change our lives. UKRI is at its best when we deliver mutual symbiosis between these three parts.
We employ around 9,000 staff who support some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects.
We develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world and work collaboratively with industry, academia and government in exciting partnerships.
We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through blue sky research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research and business-led innovation.
UKRI invests in research and innovation across all disciplines, from curiosity-driven research to business-led innovation. Our activities include:
- Funding excellent research and innovation across universities, research institutes, businesses and public sector bodies
- Supporting skills and talent, from doctoral training to leadership in academia, industry and the public sector
- Building and sustaining national research infrastructure, including major facilities, data capabilities and digital platforms
- Driving place-based growth, supporting clusters and strengthening local innovation ecosystems across the UK
- Convening and connecting partners across government, academia, industry and international systems to tackle complex challenges such as climate change, health, security and productivity
About the Role
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a senior strategic leader and principal adviser to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board. As a principal decision-maker, the CFO provides organisation-wide leadership across the following UKRI functions:
- finance
- legal
- digital and data
- risk and assurance.
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.
They should provide strategic leadership on all aspects of public sector finance. They must ensure that financial decisions are robust, evidence‑based, and aligned with government priorities and the organisation’s statutory responsibilities.
The CFO leads the organisation’s engagement with Spending Reviews and wider fiscal planning, ensuring that:
- resources are clearly linked to outcome
- financial forecasts are credible and sustainable
- the organisation can demonstrate strong financial management to ministers, the sponsoring department, HM Treasury, and other stakeholders.
Working in close partnership with the CEO, the CFO plays a central role in shaping and delivering UKRI’s long-term strategic vision.
The role requires a deep understanding of the political, economic and societal context in which UKRI operates, translating external drivers and risks into clear strategic priorities and operational plans.
The CFO also manages a number of senior leaders across UKRI, building organisational capability and resilience. Externally, the CFO will build confidence and engage at the highest levels of Government, industry, academia and with international partners
The CFO will be a member of the Executive Committee and the UKRI Board. They will:
- lead a directorate of approximately 800 people through ~7 direct reports
- manage a direct annual budget of ~£40 million
- carry overarching responsibility for managing finance and commercials across the UK Research & Innovation portfolio worth ~£10Bn.
The CFO will establish and maintain a legally robust, risk-based governance and control framework that supports confident decision-making and delivery.
They will lead engagement with the Government Internal Audit Agency and the Audit Committee, providing clear assurance to the Accounting Officer and Board on the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control.
They will also serve as a non-executive director on UKRI spin-out company boards where required, offering governance, challenge and commercial insight to support growth and protect public value.
They will also oversee other professional services within UKRI, to be discussed with the successful candidate.
Key Responsibilities:
- Providing strategic leadership across UKRI, working closely with the CEO and executive colleagues to shape organisational direction and ensure UKRI’s interests are effectively represented to internal and external stakeholders, including senior government officials, industry leaders, and international partners
- Guiding the development and execution of UKRI’s long-term strategy, exercising sound judgement in balancing DSIT objectives, financial constraints, and emerging national opportunities to position UKRI as a world-leading research and innovation organisation
- Overseeing day-to-day executive operations as a core member of the Executive Committee, with direct accountability for finance, digital, data, risk and legal, across UKRI’s entire portfolio
- Representing the CEO and UKRI at high-level engagements, deploying strong influencing skills to build trust with industry, and steward key relationships at central and local government levels, as well as with major customers, strategic partners and corporate service providers
- Providing executive leadership over strategic partnerships, enabling UKRI and UK companies to access critical technologies and capabilities that support national priorities and global competitiveness
- Serving as a non-executive director on UKRI spin-out boards as required, bringing strong governance, commercial insight, and independent judgement to high-growth ventures
- Providing robust budget stewardship to ensure UKRI makes full and effective use of its grant‑in‑aid in delivering its organisational objectives.
For more information about the role, please contact seniorrecruitment@ukri.org to request a copy of the candidate pack.
Your Skills and Experience
UKRI wishes to attract the highest calibre of candidates with the appropriate standing for this role. The successful candidate will be able to command confidence and represent the organisation with its many stakeholders at the highest level, being able to demonstrate the following:
Essential Criteria:
- Proven experience leading and developing diverse, high-performing teams, with the ability to set direction, delegate effectively, and deliver results through others
- Extensive experience holding enterprise-wide responsibility for financial probity, governance, and the effective delivery of financial outcomes within a large, complex organisation.
- Strong understanding of the drivers of UK economic growth, including wider policy, sectoral, and market trends that shape national research and innovation priorities
- Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly and build productive partnerships with industry, central and local government, universities, and other external institutions
- Highly effective communicator and influencer, able to operate confidently at Board and senior Government levels, challenge constructively, and shape decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
- Strong personal resilience and sound judgement, with the ability to make decisions under pressure, manage differing viewpoints, and maintain focus on organisational priorities
- Demonstrated commitment to personal growth, organisational learning, and continuous improvement, contributing to a culture of high performance and innovation
To learn more about the role and submit your application, click 'Apply' to visit our careers page.
