Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Application Deadline: 4 October 2026

Department: People Operations

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: London

Compensation: £85,000 / year

Description

What you'll do

• Develop and lead ARIA's ED&I strategy and implementation plan.
• Develop and direct our approach to diversity in our funding.
• Embed equity considerations into organisational strategy, planning, and decision-making.
• Provide expert advice and challenge to senior leaders, managers and teams. 
• Monitor emerging best practice, legislation, and sector developments relating to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Lead the established highly collaborative, ED&I working group with stakeholders from across functions.

• Review internal policies, processes and systems through an equity lens.
• Identify structural barriers and recommend practical improvements across recruitment, progression, procurement, communications, governance and workplace culture.
• Support teams to undertake equitable decision-making and impact assessments.
• Develop tools, frameworks, and guidance that help colleagues embed inclusive practice in their day-to-day work.

• Work with procurement and senior management teams to examine how funding strategies align with organisational values and equity commitments.
• Work with the special projects lead to increase the diversity of applicants to our funding calls, primarily via the discovery process owned by programme directors.
• Review funding criteria, application processes, and decision-making frameworks.
• Assess funding processes to ensure they reflect inclusive and accessible practices.
• Help ARIA consider the equity implications of who we fund, how resources are distributed and who benefits from investment.
• Evaluate potential bias in assessment panels and scoring systems, especially looking at the impact of AI on bias.
• Design and run experiments to increase ED&I in ARIA’s funding pool - working directly with funding recipients, providing them with recommendations on how to pro-actively increase diversity as they hire into their teams.
• Evaluate pay and conditions (stipends / payscales) across early career funding recipients / researchers and PhD students funded by ARIA and make recommendations for improvements that are still in line with MPM (Managing Public Money) principles.

• Lead the development of inclusive and accessible approaches to events, conferences, consultations and public-facing activities for both ARIA-owned and external events.  Ensure owned events consider accessibility, representation, participation, safeguarding, affordability and cultural inclusion from design through to delivery, in collaboration with our Events team.
• Evaluate speaker diversity, representation, and participation, alongside our Communications & Engagement team.
• Identify barriers to participation for underrepresented groups.
• Gather and act upon participant feedback to improve experiences for diverse audiences.
• Create a framework on constructive challenge to host organisations (where ARIA would be represented) that don’t meet our ED&I standard.

• Develop meaningful approaches to measuring progress on ED&I commitments.
• Evaluate data and feedback to identify trends, opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Produce reports and recommendations for Programme Directors and Operational Leads.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, reflection and accountability.

• Design and deliver training, workshops and learning opportunities.
• Support managers and teams to build confidence in discussing and addressing equity-related issues.
• Promote a culture of belonging, curiosity and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate difficult conversations with sensitivity, credibility and pragmatism.

Who you are

• You have significant experience directing or influencing organisational change relating to equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-discrimination and intersectionality.
• You have measurable experience reviewing systems, policies, and organisational practices to improve equity outcomes.
• You have significant experience embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion principles within R&D funding, including in the design, assessment, or delivery of funding programmes and processes.
• You have strong facilitation, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
• You have experience using data, evidence and lived experience insights to inform decision-making.
• You can deliver at pace with unshakable composure, ensuring that professional respect remains a constant regardless of the stakes. You lead by example, setting a clear institutional standard for how you interact and navigate friction.
• You have the ability to balance strategic thinking with practical implementation.
• You have excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• You have the ability to challenge constructively and build 
  trust across different teams and levels of seniority.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Discretionary bonus
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London