Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation Manager

Salary: £33,966 to £36,024 with progression to £44,263 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 14 May 2024

The Role 

We have an exciting opportunity to join our project team as a Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Manager.

You will join a dynamic, international, multidisciplinary team working in the area of translational research for neuromuscular diseases and other rare disorders within the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Centre at the Institute of Genetic Medicine.
In this role you will be based at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle city centre, with excellent transport links. 

This exciting new role forms part of Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium (PaLaDIn) which is an IHI funded, European level project which aims to use of rare neuromuscular disease patient data to inform better health care decision making. 

With a proved track record in project and communication management you will use your skills to maximise the impact of the project by engaging and communicating with stakeholders. This will include conducting a stakeholder analysis, preparing and delivering a communication and exploitation strategy, supporting knowledge translation activities and utilising a variety of communication channels to convey the key messages of the project at an international level.

As the Communication, dissemination and Exploitation Manager , you’ll work with all nine PaLaDIn consortium partners to ensure the work of the project is disseminated widely. This means you’ll need a good understanding of communication strategies, collaborative projects and excellent communication skills. 

This Post is fixed until the 31st December 2027 

To apply for the position, we’ll need your CV and a personal statement outlining how you are suitable for the role using evidence to highlight how you meet the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience as listed in the job description.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Becca Leary at Becca.leary@ncl.ac.uk.

Key Accountabilities
•    Act as the main point of contact for all communications within PaLaDIn on a day-to- day basis, communicating clearly with investigators, the project coordinator, project teams, collaborators and stakeholders
•    Raise awareness of PaLaDIn and its research focus and objectives, to stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally

•    Develop, implement and deliver the PaLaDIn communications strategy and activity across key digital channels
•    Develop and deliver a stakeholder analysis to identify and plan engagement of key stakeholders including rare disease patient organizations’, regulators, patient registries, clinicians and HTA bodies
•    Take the lead on sourcing, developing and editing content, including, but not limited to, photographs, video, graphics and social media content

•    Develop and deliver a “Scale up Plan” to ensure learning (and tools) created from experience in the flagship diseases (neuromuscular diseases) is exploited by other rare disease fields
•    Create and manage PaLaDIn social media accounts

•    Develop content strategies to drive visitors to the PaLaDiN website and create a plan to monitor and improve user experience and site performance. Undertake regular reviews of the content to ensure it is up to date, correct and fit for purpose

•    Benchmark, track and report on website analytics for PaLaDIn

•    Support the development and delivery of a series of workshops to assess implementation of PaLaDIn tools in other rare diseases and develop steps in a plan to extend to other, more common, diseases

•    Build and nurture highly productive relationships with colleagues across the PaLaDIn consortium, including fellow communications colleagues and colleagues in rare disease com in particular in WP3. Work with communities that share common goals with the PaLaDIn project

•    Work across the consortium to support PaLaDIn event activities by providing communications expertise in this area, including the development of relevant publication materials, promotion of the event and any digital communications needed to promote or run the event

•    Any other relevant activities required by the project and the wider JWMDRC

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Demonstrable experience of delivering innovative and engaging communications using a variety of appropriate channels and techniques, to a wide variety of audiences
•    A proven track record in the production of print and online publications and publicity materials
•    Excellent writing skills and attention to detail with a proven ability to produce clear, concise copy for online and offline publication, and to summarise complex material clearly and succinctly for a range of audiences
•    Advanced IT skills including the use of Microsoft Office suite, in particular Word, Excel, and Outlook, and a high level of competency in researching information using the internet
•    Excellent planning, organisation and time management skills
•    Outstanding team working skills
•    Proven ability to use initiative, to think strategically and to adopt an active approach to problem solving
•    Experience of managing and monitoring social media channels
•    Experience of working in a customer-focused environment
•    Experience of working to tight deadlines

Desirable
•    Experience of working with web-management software
•    Proficiency in the full range of Adobe Creative Suite
•    Applications
•    Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative
•    Environment
•    Experience of working in a European Project
•    Understanding of the communication challenges faced by the Rare Disease Community

Attributes and Behaviour
•    To be proactive and seek out relevant stories and activity and actively engage and promote these internally and externally
•    Confidence and professionalism in personal interactions with colleagues and a friendly demeanour, able to establish and maintain good working relationships with colleagues and others at all levels whilst having the ability to negotiate and influence where appropriate, both within and outside the University, to ensure high-quality communications
•    Ability to undertake independent research into a topic to inform communications activities
•    Ability to work independently and as part of a team, working on own initiative and in juggling a busy workload, involving the management of multiple tasks
•    Flexible and adaptable in working with different disciplines and coping with changing and conflicting priorities; with a flexible approach to work, including a willingness to attend and assist with events held in the evening and at weekends
•    Willingness to travel internationally, including overnight stays and some weekends

Qualifications
•    1st degree in Educated to degree level or equivalent

Desirable
•    Relevant communications/marketing qualifications, eg CIM
•    Professional Certificate, or equivalent

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 silver 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: 26991