Chief Technology Officer

Salary: £155,000 - £225,000

We have a wide salary band for this role as we welcome a broad range of candidates. During the recruitment process, candidates will be assessed on their skills, experience and other role related factors to determine the final salary offer that is made within this band.

Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays - in our office, Monday & Friday - your choice)

Employment Type: 3 years fixed-term with the possibility of extension - we are looking for a full-time commitment, but will consider flexible arrangements (for example; secondment, 80% FTE) if necessary.

Closing Date For Applications: The first wave of applications will be reviewed on 1st December. After this initial review, we will transition to rolling applications until the position is filled.

About ARIA

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. 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.

We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary

As our inaugural CTO, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that ARIA is the best place in the world for passionate technical leaders to develop, thrive and make lasting contributions to society. This is a rare opportunity to set the archetype of this role and shape ARIA’s impact for years to come.

Equipped with a dedicated budget and unburdened by administrative responsibilities, your focus will be on guiding and mentoring our Programme Directors, nurturing our technical culture, and attracting bold new talent and ideas to ARIA. You’ll be a force multiplier for our team as they develop, launch, and manage world-changing programmes.

The CTO will serve as an executive member of ARIA’s Board of Directors, reporting to the CEO. We’ll look to you to be a strategic and influential leader both internally and externally.

What you’ll do

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

1. Guide, support, and develop our technical teams

Challenge and enhance Programme Directors thinking across all stages of programme development and management.
Leverage your technical expertise, experience, and network to support strategy and decision-making across the agency.
Mentor Programme Directors, Technical Specialists, and Frontier Specialists, positioning them for success as global innovation leaders.

2. Inject bold new talent, ideas, and practices

Manage our frontier specialist and seed funding programmes, designed to spark new technical insights and programme opportunities.
Cultivate a strong base of technical resources that programme teams can draw upon to do more, better, faster.
Recruit and evaluate technical talent across all levels of the agency.
Foster a deeply technical culture, encouraging bold and innovative thinking that challenges conventional wisdom.

3. Serve as a strategic leader internally and externally

Drive org-level strategy and management as a member of executive leadership team and board of directors.
Represent ARIA and all of our programmes across media, events, and strategic engagement with academic, industry and government partners.

Who you are - Essential Criteria

A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience to the role:

Technical Depth/Breadth/Credibility:

Deep scientific foundations with comfort crossing domains and credibility across disciplines.
Significant R&D experience beyond a purely academic context.
Deep exposure to a diverse set of R&D projects at the proof of concept or technology demonstration stages.

Creative Ambition:

A willingness to think differently and push traditional boundaries.
A track record of innovation and successful implementation of new ideas.
An ability to identify and connect with top talent and ideas.
A willingness to go deep and a strong commitment to excellence.

Mentorship Mindset:

An ability to elevate the performance of those around them.
A flexible and resourceful approach to problem solving.
Track record and commitment developing and mentoring scientists and engineers (at any stage of their career).
An ability to listen, build trust, and put curiosity before criticism.

Desirable Criteria

Strong technical network spanning disciplines/sectors.
Significant experience managing people and portfolios.
Exposure to the ARPA model or equivalent.

Benefits

Discretionary performance related pay arrangements
27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
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

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here

Chief Technology Officer

About the Role

Compensation

About ARIA