Lead - Ireland & Northern Ireland (Maternity Cover)

We’re currently looking for a Lead for Ireland & Northern Ireland, offered on a permanent fixed term basis until mid August 2027, to help us deliver our mission. This a full-time position, working 35 hours per week.

This role is looking for applicants based in either Ireland or Northern Ireland.

What’s it like working at the IOP?

The IOP is a friendly, inclusive and ambitious organisation. Diversity and inclusion are central to how we work. We focus on supporting our people to thrive, offering competitive pay, great development opportunities and a generous benefits package.

Some of our benefits include:

• An excellent pension scheme
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, dental insurance etc
• Eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards and access to an employee assistance programme
• 25 days’ annual leave as a standard, in addition to floating bank holidays
• Flexible working opportunities

The Role

What will I be doing?

You’ll be responsible for a range of activities, including:

• Designing and delivering a business plan that delivers on IOP's strategic ambitions and strengthens participation of the physics community in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Seeking advice from the IOP Ireland Committee and charity to ensure the business plan is in alignment with the strategy and meets the needs of the Irish and Northern Irish physics community.
• Building and leading a team and budget to deliver and report on high quality and high impact programmes and projects.
• Acting as secretariat for the Irish charity Board, supporting the officers, curating the agenda, and liaising with the Chief Executive Officer, Directors and Governance Team to ensure the Board operates efficiently and compliantly.
• Providing counsel and support to the Ireland Committee to enable its work to remain aligned with the IOP strategy.
• Building and maintaining relationships with IOP members, existing IOP stakeholders and developing new relationships that will enable the delivery of IOP’s strategy.
• Increasing the IOP's visibility and reputation across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
• Overseeing the development, introduction and application of procedures, protocols and policies to assure the quality of the IOP's work in Ireland and ensure compliance with Irish law.
• Identifying, assessing and managing risks and threats to the IOP, its programmes and projects.
• Following and promoting best practice in managing diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the team’s work.

Projects you may work on include:

• Projects that deliver the IOP’s strategy in the themes of Skills, Science and Society.  These are likely to include the 3Rs reports, Physics and the Economy, the annual public engagement exhibition and events, Science and Innovation impact projects and regular IOP Ireland events such as the Spring Conference.

Who will I work with?

You’ll work closely with a range of colleagues and stakeholders, including:

• The role holder will work with colleagues across the whole of the organisation, including colleagues in the Membership and Inclusion, Advocacy, Science and Business and Education and Workforce directorates as well as the Finance and Governance teams.

Ideally, we hope you’ll apply if you bring:

Essential:

• Experience managing high performing teams and developing individuals so they consistently perform at their very best.
• Designing and delivering business plans and showing impact.
• Demonstrable success in engaging and influencing senior political decision makers and opinion formers.
• Working in or a good awareness of science, business and education policy issues in the UK, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
• Knowledge of Irish charity law.
• Experience of working in politics, economics or similar from the public or private sectors and coming from science or industry/business, demonstrating a strong understanding of Government(s) strategies for research and innovation and the importance of these in the economic agenda.
• Ability to work collaboratively across an organisation – people, structures and processes - and adept at working through the ambiguity that can come from this type of working.
• Expertise in building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive organizational success.
• Strong track record of designing and implementing strategies, frameworks, or initiatives that align with organizational objectives and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Experience of identifying risks associated with projects and activities and implementing effective mitigation plans.
• Skilled in overseeing multiple projects and ensuring quality assurance through evaluation and monitoring processes.
• Degree-level qualification (Level 6) or equivalent experience.

At the IOP, we know that great candidates don’t always tick every box. If your experience looks a little different, but you bring enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn, we’d love to hear from you.

How to apply

Alongside your CV, please include a cover letter explaining how you meet the person specification.

How will I be working?

We operate a flexible, trust based working model that gives colleagues autonomy over how, when and where they work, while recognising the value of in person collaboration. You will be assigned a base office in Ireland, with hybrid working offered as standard.

You will engage in regular in person collaboration with your team (as operational appropriate), as well as with colleagues across the wider organisation, to ensure effective operational alignment and to support our inclusive approach to working.

As an organization we meet in person once a quarter at our Head Office in Kings Cross, London. 

Why join the IOP?

The IOP is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland. As a charity, we’re passionate about increasing public understanding of physics and supporting a diverse and inclusive physics community. 

We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive culture for everyone. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or recruitment process, please let us know we’re always happy to help.

Please note whilst we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, we warmly encourage applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK and Ireland.