Communications Manager

Salary: £35,608 to £37,694 with progression to £46,049 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: 16 March 2026

The Role

Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHRP) – an Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) – is seeking an ambitious, dynamic Communications Manager to raise awareness of NHRP and its focus and values, to stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally.

NHRP is a collaborative partnership between Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle City Council, and Northumbria University. Our collective mission is to drive change in the health, wealth, and wellbeing of over 3.2 million people living in the North East of England and North Cumbria.

As a pioneering AHSC, we integrate health research, clinical excellence, education, and innovation to address major regional health challenges. We work to break down barriers, foster collaboration, and promote a whole-system approach that spans the life course, in partnership with NHS and local authority colleagues.

You can find out more about Newcastle Health Research Partnership here

As part of NHRP core team you will design, develop and deliver communications activity that reaches a diverse range of audiences, internally and externally, work across NHRP and its partners. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of health and research transformation in the North East, promoting and communicating the activities and impact of NHRP.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment. The position is available immediately and is offered on a full-time basis until 31st March 2028.  For a confidential conversation in the first instance, please contact Martin Dixon (martin.dixon@ncl.ac.uk)

Interviews are scheduled for 23 March 2026.

To apply please submit your cover statement outlining how you meet the essential criteria of this role (no more than 2 A4 sides) along with your CV.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Raise awareness of NHRP and its focus and values, to stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally.
2. Develop, implement and deliver the NHRP communications strategy and activity across key digital channels.
3. Proactively research, develop/write, package and promote stories of staff and trainee achievements, public involvement activities and research impact, working closely with colleagues to identify topics to promote and then communicating these to a specialist and non-specialist range of audiences.
4. Take the lead on sourcing, developing and editing content, including, but not limited to, photographs, video, graphics and social media content.
5. Work closely with the Press Offices within NHRP’s partner organisations, to be the interface to facilitating the inclusion of NHRP related stories in the press.
6. Create and manage NHRP social media accounts.
7. Develop content strategies to drive visitors to the NHRP 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.
8. Benchmark, track and report on website analytics for the NHRP website.
9. Ensure messaging is integrated and aligned to wider partner communications.
10. Build and nurture highly productive relationships with colleagues across NHRP including the NIHR funded research infrastructure, including fellow communications colleagues and colleagues in partner communities that share common goals with NHRP.
11. Work with colleagues within the NHRP Core Team to support 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.
12. Any other relevant activities required by the Director or COO of NHRP.

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 in a science communication or similar role, ideally within a Higher Education or NHS research environment
• Experience of working with web-management software
• Experience of working to tight deadlines
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment

Attributes and Behaviours

• 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 demeanor, 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

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level 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 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: 29141