About this role
Salary: £95,000 Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract (12 Months), full time Closing Date: 16th October 2026 About ARIA ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role. Learn more about how we work here. Role Summary Due to internal team shifts to support a maternity leave, this is an interim opportunity to shape and lead ARIA’s programme communications as we scale. Moving beyond day-to-day delivery, you will oversee the overarching strategy, narrative, editorial standards, and operating model for our programme portfolio. Your core objective is to ensure that every opportunity space and programme is not just effectively communicated, but aligned with ARIA’s broader mission and institutional goals. The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following: Strategic Direction & Narrative Architecture: Co-develop and evolve ARIA’s programme communications strategy in partnership with the Director of Communications and Engagement. Establish narrative frameworks that connect opportunity spaces to ARIA’s mission and operating model, identify cross-programme themes, ensure coherence and distinctiveness in framing, and embed lessons learned across programmes to continually elevate quality and impact. Leadership of the Programme Comms Function: Lead and develop a team of four including Programme Communications Managers and contractors, identifying and onboarding additional resource as necessary. Set standards, processes, and ways of working between Communications and Programme teams, allocate resources effectively, and build capability in narrative development, stakeholder engagement, and reputational judgement. Editorial & Channel Strategy: Shape how programme stories extend across owned and earned channels. Ensure programme milestones, launches, and Creator announcements meet a high editorial bar, and drive proactive, forward-looking storytelling in close coordination with the Content & Ecosystem Comms Lead and Content & Brand Manager. Reputational Counsel: Provide senior communications judgement on programme-level sensitivities and scrutiny. Advise Programme Directors and leadership on positioning and framing, anticipate risks, and support proactive narrative shaping. Programme–Comms Integration: Ensure strong, constructive working relationships between Communications and Programme teams. Develop training, guidance, and materials to improve collaboration and create clarity on roles, expectations, and standards. Institutional Contribution: Feed programme insight into ARIA’s broader communications, media, events, and policy positioning, supporting institutional narrative development through programme-level learning. Anchor Programme Leadership & AI in Science: Act as the strategic communications lead for one designated programme, serving as the primary communications partner to that Programme Director. Model best practice in narrative development, use insight from this programme to inform broader portfolio strategy, and help shape ARIA’s AI in Science strategy and associated communications as a parallel, organisation-wide priority.