Head of Research Fellowships & Partnerships
This is a Permanent, vacancy that will close in {x} days at {xx:xx} BST.
The role
The Royal Academy of Engineering is seeking a talented leader to oversee our research fellowships and partnership schemes, supporting outstanding engineers to become future research leaders and strengthening collaborations between academia and industry to deliver societal, economic and environmental benefit.
What you’ll do
• Provide strategic leadership for the Academy’s Research Fellowship and partnership schemes, ensuring they remain relevant to user needs, aligned to Academy priorities and delivered to a consistently high standard.
• Oversee a high-volume, high-profile portfolio, maintaining robust governance, assurance and value for money, and ensuring delivery against agreed objectives, timelines and quality standards.
• Lead continuous improvement across programme design and delivery, strengthening repeatability, scalability, user-centred practice and system-level impact, and embedding inclusive practice throughout.
• Develop and strengthen industrial and corporate partnerships, working with colleagues to sustain existing funding and secure new income streams for research schemes.
• Build and maintain senior relationships across the UK research and higher education landscape, industry, government departments and partner organisations, representing the Academy externally as appropriate.
• Work closely with colleagues across grant operations, monitoring and evaluation, policy, communications, education and EDI to deliver a joined-up offer for awardees and maximise impact.
• Lead and develop high-performing teams through two Senior Programme Managers, setting clear objectives, enabling delivery and supporting professional growth.
What you’ll bring
• Substantial experience leading large-scale grant, fellowship or research funding programmes, with strong strategic oversight and end-to-end delivery expertise.
• Experience developing and managing academia–industry partnership schemes, with credibility and influence across relevant stakeholders.
• A strong track record of senior leadership, including line management and development of talented, diverse teams.
• Strong financial judgement, with experience managing multi-year budgets, forecasting and reporting within an appropriate risk framework.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with academia, industry, government and other partners.
• A good understanding of the UK research and higher education landscape and best practice in research and fellowship programme management.
• A strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and to upholding high standards in governance, compliance and data handling.
Application closing date: 31 May 2026
Interview date: w/c 22 June 2026
Interview location: London
Our location
Our light, spacious head office is based in a fantastic location in central London with views over St James’s Park and close to the West End. We operate hybrid, flexible working practices with a baseline for office based working of a mandatory weekly team day plus further days each week as required for the role and the Academy.
Who are we?
Engineering matters. It shapes our everyday lives, from our ability to turn the lights on, have a hot shower and commute into work, to the mobile phones we rely on to keep connected. It also plays a vital role in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing society today, from climate change, to global health pandemics and cyber threats.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is a charity that harnesses the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation, and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
With a diverse workforce and an inclusive and supportive culture, we look to attract candidates from wide and different backgrounds who have a passion for the role engineering plays in society. Our aim is to make the Academy the best place to work for the staff we have and those we seek to attract.
Why work for us?
We’re looking for people who are driven to make the world a better place. If you’re passionate about what you do and want to work collaboratively with talented colleagues to make change happen now and for future generations, we want you to get in touch.
This is the perfect time to join us. We have a dynamic, visionary CEO, a strong leadership team and an ambitious and exciting strategy. The value we bring as experts in our field and change agents is highly recognised and makes the Academy a motivating place to be. Our work today builds on a long, proud history with a focused and ambitious future which we’d love you to be part of.
We are looking for talented people who want to make a difference, to join our team – is this you?
The Academy is committed to making reasonable adjustments to remove barriers that hinder applicants from applying or staff from working effectively and comfortably.
With a diverse workforce and an inclusive and supportive culture, we look to attract candidates from wide and different backgrounds who have a passion for the role engineering plays in society. Our aim is to make the Academy the best place to work for the staff we have and those we seek to attract.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is proud to be an ‘A’ Rated Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence holder, as approved by the UK Immigration Authorities.
The Academy may consider sponsorship for roles that are eligible, as defined by the Home Office. In accordance with Home Office criteria, sponsorship may only be considered where there is a suitable Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, the minimum salary threshold is met, and all other relevant Points Based System requirements for Skilled Worker sponsorship are fulfilled. Please note that this does not guarantee that the Academy will be able to sponsor a candidate as a Skilled Worker and accordingly may not be able to make an offer.
A Certificate of Sponsorship may be assigned, and a Skilled Worker visa application will only be made once an applicant has been successfully and conditionally offered a role. All offers of employment requiring sponsorship under the Academy’s Sponsor Licence are subject to the individual obtaining the legal right to work in the United Kingdom for the Academy in the specific role.
Employment will not be confirmed until the Skilled Worker visa application has been formally approved and communicated by the Home Office. Additionally, a potential offer of employment may be made to candidates who already hold a visa permitting work for the Academy in a specific role. As with Skilled Worker sponsorship, such employment may be time-limited depending on the nature of the visa.
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