Colleague Health and Wellbeing Lead

Newcastle University is a world-class UK University, advancing knowledge, providing creative solutions and solving global problems. Newcastle University in Singapore has been providing top-quality degrees in Singapore for over a decade and have graduated more than 1,000 students. We deliver jointly awarded undergraduate Newcastle University degrees with Singapore Institute of Technology in chemical engineering, electrical power engineering, marine engineering, offshore engineering and naval architecture, and mechanical design and manufacturing engineering. At Newcastle Research and Innovation Institute, we provide postgraduate education and training with MScs in Electrical Power Engineering, Energy and Sustainability, Marine Technology and Process Safety and Risk Management as well as research degrees (PhD, MPhil). Attracting and retaining staff of the highest calibre is our priority.

Salary: £36,636.00 - £46,049.00 

Closing Date: 15 April 2026

The Role

The University has a values-led Vision and Strategy which sets out an ambitious and exciting journey: to be a people focused, visibly leading University that harnesses academic excellence, innovation and creativity to advance knowledge and provide benefits to individuals, to organisations and to society as a whole. In order to achieve this vision, we recognise that our people, and our culture are critical to our success.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Colleague Health and Wellbeing Lead to join the Colleague Health and Wellbeing Team on an 11‑month maternity cover starting in July 2026, supporting us in delivering our vision for a healthier, more empowered University community. This hybrid role is part time for 33.3 hours per week working Monday – Friday. 

In this role, you will ensure our strategic plan remains current, responsive, and aligned with emerging developments, while also shaping an effective communication strategy for the wellbeing agenda. You will lead the scoping, design, delivery or commissioning, and evaluation of a diverse programme of mental and physical health and wellbeing initiatives for colleagues

Working collaboratively with teams across the University, you will play a key role in strengthening understanding of wellbeing issues and the support available. Success in this role will be reflected in colleagues feeling informed, confident, and empowered to embed positive health and wellbeing practices into their everyday working lives.

To apply, please upload your CV and cover letter evidencing how your skills and experiences align to the person specification as outlined in the job description.

For informal enquiries, please contact Steph Alderslade or Harriet Bendelow (colleague.wellbeing@newcastle.ac.uk) Colleague Health & Wellbeing Leads.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead on the development, delivery and monitoring of the Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan.
• Lead on the identification, development and delivery of a programme of inclusive activities, workshops, and events that actively promote positive mental and physical health and wellbeing of all colleagues across the organisation. This will include ensuring all activities are appropriately risk assessed and safeguarding is considered.
• Utilise external campaigns to promote the annual calendar of events, raising awareness of important issues, signposting colleagues to support both internally and externally.
• Support, develop and promote the University’s volunteering roles and identify new volunteering opportunities where appropriate.
• Manage relationships with the provider of the University’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and promote EAP to colleagues across the University, monitoring usage to assess impact and return on investment. 
• Support relevant committees, e.g. University Health and Wellbeing Committee, by preparing reports, management information, agendas and minutes, monitoring agreed actions to ensure completion.
• Work with the Wellbeing team and with colleagues in Organisational Development, Occupation Health and Safety, and Student Health and Wellbeing to embed health and wellbeing awareness and support materials into a range of training and initiatives for managers and teams across the University.
• Contribute and support any agreed accreditations or charter marks in order to understand and embed good practice in relation to health and wellbeing and other University priorities.
• Continuously engage in research with internal stakeholder groups to understand the concerns of colleagues in relation to health and wellbeing with a view to improving our offer.
• Work with the University’s EDI Leads and Networks to understand the potential impacts of EDI issues on health and wellbeing and ensure this is integrated into the design and delivery of wellbeing activities, considering how intersectional factors can affect colleague health and wellbeing.
• Identify, capture and utilise, KPIs, qualitative and quantitative data to assess progress against plans, understand impact, inform, evaluate and evolve the colleague health and wellbeing offer.
• Contribute to the development of health and wellbeing criteria within the Health and Safety Management Profile (HASMAP) audit toolkit and advise OHSS advisers with this aspect of the auditing programme.
• Work closely with colleagues to share best practice and ensure a joined-up approach to promoting health and wellbeing. 
• Monitor the health and wellbeing budget and undertake evaluation to assess the return on investment of activities.
• Lead on the development and delivery of a colleague health and wellbeing communications plan, maintain the health and wellbeing webpages, promote the health and wellbeing programme, activities, and signpost to support.
• Develop and maintain strong links with colleagues in other universities and external organisations (e.g. NHS, relevant third sector organisations) in order to join up activities, share good practice and ensure colleagues are aware of the range of external support services available.
• Keep up to date with the latest legislation, emerging trends and best practice in relation to colleague mental and physical health and wellbeing initiatives and identify those that are suitable to adopt and embed in the organisation. 
• When required, provide advice and guidance to colleagues on where to get appropriate wellbeing support.
• Work closely with colleagues leading on the reporting and addressing of inappropriate behaviours to ensure accessible support services exist for colleagues who have been faced with hate crime, discrimination or harassment.
• Keep up to date with relevant training

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience in leading and delivering on strategic projects from end to end, using methodologies to scope, plan, monitor and evaluate to inform future interventions
• Strong data collection, IT and analysis skills, ability to use metrics and data to support critical thinking, service delivery and improvement. 
• Experience of providing professional advice to colleagues, influencing stakeholders, delivering meaningful written communications, and delivering learning and development initiatives, through excellent communication skills.
• Ability to manage budgets.
• Ideally an understanding of good practice in relation to physical and/or mental health and wellbeing programmes and how factors relating to equality, diversity, and inclusion can impact colleague health and wellbeing. 
• Experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of training and/or workshops (desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to think strategically and find innovative and effective solutions to complex problems.
• Confidence in dealing with emotive issues, calmly and with balanced judgement.
• Understanding of the value of working in partnership with others.
• A passion to drive change.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to persuade, convince and influence others in order to achieve results.
• An advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion. 
• Displays enthusiasm, integrity and personal and emotional resilience.
• Ability to work autonomously as well as being a strong team player.
• Awareness of assessing and managing risk that can be applied to the delivery of wellbeing programmes.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in one of the following areas – mental health and / or wellbeing, occupational / organisational psychology, organisational development or demonstrable work experience in either an HR, project management or organisational development space.
• Qualified Mental Health First Aider (desirable) 

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29225