Programme Manager

Salary: £47,389 to £50,253 with progression to £56,535 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: 31 October 2025

The Role

Launched in August 2025, the NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium (NIHR MDC) is a £50 million, five-year NIHR investment which brings together a diverse range of organisations with expertise in research, capacity development and working with people and communities to deliver a step change in maternity outcomes and developing future research leaders in this area of need. The research carried out by the consortium is organised into five themes and two workstreams and will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy. Nine University-led collaborations comprise the MDC.

The NIHR MDC is co-ordinated from Newcastle University (Research and Capacity Development) and the University of Birmingham (Research). The postholder will be based at Newcastle University and work closely with the Consortium team at the University of Birmingham. This is an on-site post.

The post-holder will plan and manage a range of activity related to delivery of research programmes and career development and training in maternal health and care associated with the delivery of the NIHR MDC’s research and capacity development plans. The Programme Manager under the guidance and direction of the co-lead for Research and Capacity Development, will coordinate the delivery of research and a range of capacity development programmes and training initiatives to those within and external to the MDC.

The NIHR MDC has been established to increase the evidence base to address maternity inequalities, facilitating a multidisciplinary whole systems approach to address uncertainties across research, innovation and implementation. It will task researchers and policymakers with finding new ways to tackle maternity inequalities. The research will have strong community engagement and be guided by inclusive principles. The research will be accessible to those developing policies and services to ensure it delivers the impact needed to improve pregnancy outcomes, access to, and experience of, maternity services.

The NIHR MDC’s research will help answer the most important questions facing policy makers, Local Authorities and service providers organised across five themes and two workstreams. To do this, we need to inspire and equip the next generation of research leaders in maternal health and care. The UK-wide Consortium will develop an innovative and transformative capacity

building programme of career development awards and opportunities that are linked and embedded within the MDC’s research themes and workstreams, reflecting who/what is needed to address maternity inequalities. 

The Consortium will focus on growing long-term research capacity and expertise, especially within underrepresented disciplines, professions and underserved communities; inspiring and supporting the next generation of researchers with the right skills mix to work across clinical, practice and research sectors. 

The Programme Manager (Newcastle) will oversee the delivery of research as well as support the delivery of a variety of capacity development and training opportunities for trainees, researchers and within the community at all levels within and external to the NIHR MDC. 

This is a key role in the NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium playing a part in the delivery of this new NIHR investment to support maternity disparities research and capacity development.  You will be responsible to the co-lead for Research and Capacity Development. The role requires an extensive understanding of, and experience in, project and programme management and skills and experience which enable you to lead and deliver key elements of research and capacity development within the Consortium (Newcastle).

You will work with partners across the Consortium and with external stakeholders including Local Authorities, Research Delivery Network, universities, public organisations and voluntary and community sector partners.

This is a fixed term contract until the end of July 2030.

If you have any queries, please reach out to JUDITH.RANKIN@NEWCASTLE.AC.UK 

Key Accountabilities

• Take full operational responsibility for the day-to-day management and delivery of the Consortium (Newcastle) to ensure agreed targets are met
• Working with the MDC Capacity Development and Training Manager, deliver capacity development programmes and training proactively monitoring their progress, identifying and managing all relevant risks and issues, and initiating appropriate corrective action to ensure that they are delivered on time and within budget
• Ensure effective quality assurance and the overall integrity of the Consortium’s work, finding innovative solutions to resolve any conflicting priorities and potential overlap or gaps in provision
• Ensure that each capacity development programme offers value for money and that any national policy and regulatory requirements and good practices are embedded
• Along with the programme manager at the University of Birmingham, develop robust performance indicators and risk management metrics for each programme to ensure they achieve their objectives
• Develop and deploy appropriate processes to capture, report and retain evidence of delivery in accordance with the requirements of the funder and stakeholders and work with the Consortium’s Communications Manager (based at the University of Birmingham) to promote the successes of the research programmes and capacity development schemes
• Manage, monitor, control, and report budgets for the programme, working closely with the co-lead for Research and Capacity Development and university finance team, to ensure activity is to time and budget
•  Produce progress reports to the co-lead for Research and Capacity Development, the Consortium’s Executive Board, and Capacity Development Leads Group ensuring reporting deadlines as required
• Engage with members of the Consortium and key stakeholders including the NIHR, community groups, local authorities, the research delivery network, members of the public etc; founded upon transparency, openness, mutual respect; to ensure that the Consortium’s  programmes are co-designed with researchers, practitioners and the communities they serve
• Represent the Consortium at local, regional and national meetings, at national and international conferences, preparing and delivering presentations as appropriate.

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Significant experience of programme and project management and demonstrable ability to deliver results on time and within budget
• Proven high level of decision making and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrable ability to lead initiatives, prioritise and plan appropriately within a strategic framework
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills including diplomacy, motivation, negotiating and influencing
• Success in developing effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels and across a range of disciplines and partner organisations and providing authoritative advice to senior colleagues
• Ability to work independently, and to make decisions on complex or overlapping matters
• Strong digital literacy skills and ability to communicate and collaborate easily using digital tools
• Well-developed understanding of funding and financial management procedures
• Experience of research management and governance

Desirable

• Experience of working with research funders
• Knowledge of the UK research funding landscape
• Experience of working collaboratively with academic, professional and managerial staff at a senior level, within healthcare, academic or research setting

Attributes and Behaviour

• Able to effectively collaborate and communicate with a variety of colleagues and stakeholders. Acts in a collaborative, inclusive, transparent and open manner, acting with integrity and able to build high levels of trust
• Able to see the “big picture”, to think strategically and to consider the detail in complex situations, including where there are conflicting priorities
• Ability to think creatively to come up with new ideas, good problem-solving skills and ability to imagine beyond the status quo
• Uses benchmarking to analyse external practices, gain a deeper understanding of the issues and to identify opportunities
• High drive and initiative, able to demonstrate professional resilience
• An articulate, confident and politically adept communicator, ready and able to deal with difficult situations and to challenge where necessary
• Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued
• An energetic and “can do” approach which will inspire and enthuse others, ready to take the lead in driving forward initiatives

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent level qualification plus experience in a similar research-related role or significant vocational experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles

Desirable

• Project and Programme Management qualification

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: 28719