Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:

Applications must be submitted by

11-11-2026

Vacancy for Senior Lending Operations Analyst

Innovate UK Loans Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of UKRI tasked with delivering Innovate UK’s new innovation finance offer, bringing together debt, investment, credit and operational expertise from within Innovate UK and the wider commercial finance sector. The interventions delivered by the team are designed to enable businesses to bring their innovations to market, through addressing the finance gap facing innovative companies and supporting later stage experimental development through to commercial success.

*Please note this advert will close on the 10th November 2026 at 23:59pm.

Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here.

Title: Senior Lending Operations Analyst

Band: UKRI Band E (UKRI Ts & Cs)

Salary: £46,743 gross per annum

Reports to: Lending Operations Manager

Location: UKRI sites: Swindon, London, Harwell, Daresbury, Keyworth, Cambridge, Edinburgh
Contract: Permanent

Innovate UK works with businesses and stakeholders across every nation and region of the UK. As part of UKRI, our hybrid working approach is built around one simple principle: time should be spent where it delivers the greatest impact.

This means working across three settings: UKRI sites, time on the ground with businesses, partners and stakeholders and time working from home. It's an approach designed to support collaboration, connection and impact.

This role is in Tier 3, with 20-40% of working time typically spent either at a UKRI site or engaging with external businesses and stakeholders across the UK. Outside of this requirement, you can work from home. Whilst this role will be formally based at one of the following UKRI sites, it is externally facing, and we expect that there will be requirement to travel around the UK for 2 days per month on average.

Read the full UKRI Hybrid Working Policy Hybrid Working at UKRI

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Team:

Innovate UK Loans Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UKRI tasked with delivering Innovate UK’s new innovation finance offer, bringing together debt, investment, credit and operational expertise from within Innovate UK and the wider commercial finance sector. The interventions delivered by the team are designed to enable businesses to bring their innovations to market, through addressing the finance gap facing innovative companies and supporting later stage experimental development through to commercial success.

Job Purpose:

The Senior Lending Operations Analyst role will have oversight of the end-to-end process of the loans journey, from onboarding new businesses through to final repayment. This will involve supporting the team in processing complex change requests to the loan structure, ensuring compliance with Anti Money Laundering and Know Your Customer processes and preparing legal documentation.

The Senior Lending Operations Analyst will be responsible for creating regular reports to give feedback and highlight operational performance to internal and external stakeholders.

The role holder will line manage the Execution Team directly and work closely with external stakeholders and senior management. Plus, take responsibility for projects that will improve and solidify the on-going enhancements to Innovate UK Loans expanding funding capability.

The role holder will need to diversify their knowledge across Innovate UK and work closely with other departments to ensure alignment of Innovate UK’s Industrial Strategy. The Senior Lending Operations Analyst will create and implement new guidance aligned with Innovate UK’s Industrial Strategy, ensuring it is applied effectively and innovatively across business areas and operational processes.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Lead on day-to-day management of the new lending administration system.
Acting as the first point of contact for enquiries related to the lending administration system.
Providing support to analysts to ensure performance targets are upheld and SLAs are achieved.
Collaborate with wider teams to offer expert advice on subject matter and represent the organisation through demonstrating competencies and skills.
Data reconciliation and quality management within IUKL lending administration system to accurately reflect the IUKL loans portfolio balances with requirement to produce regular status reports for senior management to advise on non-compliance.
Lead on continuous improvement of the lending administration system and implement any changes in consultation with the team.
Responsible for carrying out escalated checks of Lending Operation Analysts work where appropriate and necessary.
Quality assuring legal documentation prior to issuing to the customer.
Work across different functions when seeking legal advice to ensure our legal documentation is adapted alongside our product offering.
Line Management, coaching and development responsibility for up to two Lending Operations Analysts.
Ensuring regular review of lending policies to ensure FCA and financial services best practice is applied.
Review and improve all SOPs and process maps, ensuring the Lending Operations Team are compliant with the agreed processes.

Working with Partner Agencies, such as legal contractors to ensure smooth delivery of loans programmes.

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Shortlisting criteria

(S) – Assessed at shortlisting(I) – Assessed at interview(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Person Specification:

We are looking for someone who will be able to develop new processes and challenge our thinking on ways of working, we welcome CVs from a variety of backgrounds and applicants are not required to tick each box listed below!

Experience & Qualifications:

Essential –

Degree level or relevant equivalent experience (S).Proven hands-on ability to work within a change and process-led environment to ensure great customer service (I).
Prioritising multiple workloads and working to tight deadlines (S&I).Working with legal and/or contractual documentation for debt finance (S).
Comprehensive understanding of the loans administration systems and loan products (S&I).
Comprehensive understanding of loans processes and high attention to details to carry out quality checks (S&I).
Strong understanding of Customer Due Diligence and Know Your Customer requirements in financial services (I).
Ability to line manage, coach, feedback and support other team members (S&I).

Competencies:

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria’s listed in the person specification.

Travel Requirements:

There will be a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel. In general, you will need to work in the Swindon office once a week and may have four to six nights away from home per month on average to attend conferences and events.

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles.

Equal Opportunities:

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.

UK Research and Innovation:

Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/.

Employee Benefits:

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Flexible Working:

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

Artificial Intelligence:

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Pre-employment Screening:

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs.

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Applications must be submitted by;

11-11-2026

Welcome and about us

Welcome to the Recruitment Site for Innovate UK Business Connect employees to apply for job opportunities within Innovate UK.

If you are not a Business Connect employee you can view externally available vacancies in Innovate UK here :

Watch a video on life at Innovate UK here.

About the opportunities available:

These opportunities may be available on a secondment or employment basis. In the case of a secondment your employer will remain Innovate UK Business Connect and an agreement between yourself, Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect will be drawn up setting out the terms of the secondment. Secondments are usually limited to two years. In the case of employment you would leave the employment of Innovate UK Business Connect and take up employment with Innovate UK. Further details for each role, and to agree individual circumstances will be discussed with you during the recruitment process.

Flexible Working:

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

Equal Opportunities:

We strive to make decisions based on individual merit and ability. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and promote equality of opportunity in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. As holders of Disability Confident Employer status, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Final appointments will be subject to pre-employment screening. We want to ensure that we select the person that most closely evidences their suitability against the specified criteria. If you feel that the way our selection methods/assessments are structured, could benefit from being adjusted, to help you convey your suitability, please let us know so that we can discuss your requirements with you.

If you require any assistance or adjustments please contact Recruitment@ukri.org who will be happy to help.

Other information

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Parking:

Limited parking subject to waiting list (Polaris House, Swindon only)