The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK's National Metrology Institute (NMI), developing and maintaining the national primary measurement standards, as well as collaborating with other NMIs to maintain the international system of measurement. As a public sector research establishment, we deliver extraordinary impact by providing the measurement capability that underpins the UK's prosperity and quality of life. We develop the metrology required to ensure the timely and successful deployment of new technologies and work with organisations as they develop and test new products and processes.
For more than a century NPL has developed and maintained the nation's primary measurement standards. These standards underpin the National Measurement System infrastructure of traceability throughout the UK and the world that ensures accuracy and consistency of measurement. NPL ensures that cutting-edge measurement science and technology have a positive impact in the real world. NPL delivers world-leading measurement solutions that are critical to commercial research and development, and support business success across the UK and the globe.
We work across the entire innovation ecosystem, supporting industry, government and research organisations to achieve their goals. We translate scientific expertise into economic prosperity, skilled employment and impact.
MISSION
To provide the measurement capability that underpins the UK's prosperity and quality of life.
VISION
To deliver extraordinary impact from our excellent science and engineering through operating as an exemplary national laboratory
STRATEGY
NPL will achieve its vision through introducing a framework for delivering extraordinary impact from its excellent science and engineering.
NPL VALUES
D&I @ NPL
As our Programme Finance Manager, you will be joining our finance leadership team and will lead on providing functional support to the National Timing Centre 2 programme. You will also take strategic lead as the senior business partner working across the finance function to support the work of our Project Management Office, Partnership department and Science and Engineering departments.
The National Timing Centre Delivery Programme (NTCDP) is the UK's first nationally distributed time infrastructure. It aims to provide trusted and assured time and frequency distribution across the UK, reducing reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) like GPS. This initiative ensures the resilience of critical national infrastructure, including Energy grids, Telecommunications (5G/6G) and financial systems.
By establishing a secure, reliable, and nationally distributed time infrastructure, the NTCDP enhances the UK's competitiveness in global trade and manufacturing, ensuring consistency and recognition of measurement units and standards worldwide.
What you’ll be doing:
- Leading the finance team functional support to the National Timing Centre 2 programme. Work across the business planning, management accounting and capital procurement areas, coordinating so that those teams all give effective support to the programme.
- Ensure that NTC 2 complies with all appropriate government functional standards for finance, including managing counter fraud risk.
- Managing and maintaining relationships with internal stakeholders, the funding provider - Department for Science, Innovation& Technology (DSIT), suppliers and customers.
- Build and maintain customer and stakeholder relationships that will support NPL’s ability to deliver the NTC 2 programme, enhance its reputation and remain sustainable.
- Work with leadership colleagues to be one NPL, ensure you are working effectively together with relevant parts of the organisation.
- Be an agent of change through visible ownership, clear and consistent communication and a focus on benefits realisation. As the programme grows, functional support will need to evolve to keep meeting changing requirements.
Whether you’re talking about length, mass, time, temperature, electric current, amount or the brightness of light, the National Physical Laboratory sets the standards by which these things are all measured. Every department has their own set of unique needs. As their Administrator, you’ll get to understand exactly what those needs are, and then help everything run as smoothly as possible. This is an ideal opportunity to start your career with us. At NPL, we touch ordinary lives in extraordinary ways, what if you could too?
What you'll be doing
As the Procurement Administrator you will be a key player in our procurement team, and will lead on a variety of administrative tasks that will ensure your department operates efficiently. Whatever is asked of you, you’ll give it your all.- Setting up new suppliers on our procurement system
- Receipting goods and services
- Managing supplier order acknowledgements
- Checking supplier accreditations
- Supporting the preparation and administration of documents
- Support the Transactional Procurement Team
- Following and implementing processes and procedures and identify any improvements
- Conducting procurement activity in accordance with Health & Safety
- Establish a route for colleagues to feel supported with their employee relations queries offering procedure guidance, signposting and support where needed.
- Work closely with the People Adviser team to enhance a wider understanding of early intervention and informal resolution opportunities.
- Be the champion of our well-being offering from ensuring colleagues have access to a wealth of support to scanning the horizon for best practice.
- Support with continuous improvement of our people procedures, using your knowledge of legislation and proven effective people practice ensuring they are fit for purpose and right for our population.
- Take on a portfolio of projects of varying complexity to provide the right tools, data and guidance to improve the colleague experience.
In everything you do, we’ll expect you to ensure all interactions with our people are fair, in line with agreed processes and legally compliant across all interactions.
No two days will be the same: you’ll be liaising with our colleagues to delivering on People projects. Ultimately, you’ll support the kind of positive experience that retains the best.
This role is known internally as a People & Development Adviser.
The National Physical Laboratory’s (NPL) science helps save lives, protect the environment and enable citizens to feel safe and secure. For over a century, we have worked with industry to encourage innovation and translate scientific expertise into economic prosperity, skilled employment and improved quality of life.
Who sets the standards, to ensure that anything that can be measured is done so with consistency and reliability? We do. Through our vital research, the National Physical Laboratory is helping support scientific and commercial innovations, international trade, environmental protection and health and wellbeing. And we’re finding more ways than ever in which to put our products and services to good use. As our Contract Manager, you’ll help us maximise income by managing and safeguarding our commercial interests. At NPL, we touch ordinary lives in extraordinary ways and you could too.As part of the legal team at NPL you will be supporting all areas of the business and will be involved in the negotiation of a wide range of commercial contracts and collaborations. NPL works with companies in a number of cutting edge industries and are at the forefront of pioneering science in the UK. You will develop strong relationship with key stakeholders, both internal and external, and will need to be reactive to live issues as they develop.
Responsibilities include:
- Draft, negotiate and advise on a wide variety of commercial and collaborative agreements.
- Provide support to the business on any legal or compliance matters including supporting colleagues/teams throughout the organisation.
- Develop and manage relationships with a variety of stakeholders in addition to scientists including the finance, procurement, project management, strategic business development and commercial functions.
UKTL is building leading edge Telecoms testing facilities to keep our telecommunications networks safe, accelerate the roll-out of new technologies, and grow our world leading telecoms sector to maintain resiliency and security.
Read more about UKTL here!
Successful candidates will join a state-of-the-art facility and be supporting the team conducting testing and research on the latest technologies and innovations in the industry. You will work alongside our infrastructure and Cybersecurity professionals to ensure that the UK’s world class Telecoms infrastructure grows in a resilient and secure manner underpinning growth in other industry sectors.
As a trusted and independent national capability, UKTL interacts with standards bodies, Academia, and Government Departments as well as Communications Service Providers and equipment vendors.
Successful Applicants must be able to commute to the UKTL offices in Birmingham with the possibility of hybrid working.
We strive to offer a great work life balance - if you are looking for full time, part time or flexible options, we will try to make this work where business possible. This will be dependent on the kind of role you do and part of the business you work in.
GALLERY
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