Programme Manager - Centre for AI Fundamentals

Job Title: Programme Manager - Centre for AI Fundamentals

Location: Oxford Road, Manchester

Salary: £46,735 - £57,422 per annum, dependent on relevant experience

Job type: Full Time, Permanent - 1.0 FTE

Closing date: 10/04/2025

The University of Manchester is part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities and highly respected across the globe as a centre of teaching excellence and research innovation and discovery.

With 25 Nobel Prize winners among our current and former staff and students, we have a history of world firsts, with our impact ranging from splitting the atom to giving the world graphene.

The University of Manchester is seeking to appoint an individual with a strategic mindset and a track record of building and leading collaborative relationships and professional networks, expertise in a domain ideally related to artificial intelligence, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, experience in managing high-performing teams, and demonstrable ability to support the preparation of large, complex grant proposals to take up the role of Programme Manager for the Centre for AI Fundamentals.

The recently established Centre for AI Fundamentals is a cross-Faculty initiative that builds on the award of a Turing AI World-Leading Researcher Fellowship together with significant internal investment, and forms part of an ambitious plan to establish Manchester as an internationally-leading centre for AI research and innovation.

This is an excellent opportunity to be involved with a high-profile research Centre and the Faculty of Science and Engineering's strategically focussed Research Development and Innovation team.

The successful candidate will play a major role in developing and shaping the Centre, working closely with its Director to grow the Centre and plan and deliver an exciting programme of activities, including leading key science translational activity and development of use cases in the Centre's key domains, partnership development, bid writing, resource management, impact and public engagement strategies. The role will involve working synergistically with existing University functions and activities to maximise benefits to the University, including working closely with the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange functions on activities involving industry.

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Programme Manager, we want a candidate that is:

• A strategic thinker, able to help shape the Centre for AI Fundamentals to deliver real value to participants, partners, stakeholders and the Greater Manchester and UK AI ecosystem
• Ability and willingness to work across organisational boundaries and proactively identify opportunities for collaborative, joined up working and information sharing
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the confidence and professionalism to project and maintain credibility at all levels internally and with external organisations
• Experience of data analysis and contributing on to the development of strategy, business cases and policy documents
• Experience of playing a substantive role in the preparation of large, complex grant proposals and an increase in research funding
• Experience of managing programmes with multiple partners in an academic or business environment
• Ability to adapt at pace and work under pressure and meet challenging deadlines
• A basic understanding of AI and its potential, and willingness to develop a deeper understanding
• Ability to solve complex problems, using initiative, innovation and negotiation

As an ideal candidate you will have:

• Degree in AI/Computer Science
• Experience in the higher education sector
• Formal PM qualification or significant demonstrable experience.
• Experience of AI research and/or development, or of supporting it
• Track record of working within international project teams
• Knowledge and understanding of the interface between higher education and research funders (e.g. Research Councils, Government, Charities, EU, Industry) and awareness of funding trends, policies, priorities and processes
• Relevant experience and understanding of academia and of business needs and drivers, ideally in a deep tech context

As one of the leading Universities our employees enjoy exclusive access to excellent benefits and schemes including:

• Generous annual leave allowance, including Christmas/New Year closure
• Pension scheme membership to provide benefits for you and your family
• Well-being programme with counselling, fitness and leading sports facilities
• Learning and development opportunities
• Season ticket loans for public transport
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Workplace nursery scheme
• Staff recognition schemes
• Staff discounts on a range of products and services including travel and high street savings

As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments will be made on merit.

Any CV's submitted by recruitment agencies will be treated as a gift.

Please click APPLY to be redirected to our website to complete an application form.

Candidates with experience of: IT Programme Manager, Tech Programme Manager, AI Programme Manager will also be considered for this role.