Public Health Research Project Manager

Salary: £34,866 to £36,924 with progression to £45,163 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: 05 January 2025

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity to join the new NIHR Research Support Service National Specialist Centre for Public Health as a Public Health Research Project Manager. This post offers an exciting opportunity to be part of this new team and to deliver a range of projects crucial to our vision. 

Our vision is to develop the infrastructure, capacity and capability to support practitioners and researchers to carry out high quality public health research, outside the NHS, to produce robust evidence to improve population health and reduce health and care inequalities.  

These are key roles in the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health.  You will be line managed by one of our Programme Managers and accountable to the Senior Research Manager, Centre Director, and to stakeholders across England.  The role requires an understanding of, and experience in, project management and skills and experience which will enable you to deliver key elements of the Centre’s vision.  

We are looking for candidates who have significant experience in project management and who excel at building strong working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders. Experience of public health research would be desirable but is not essential.

About the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health 

The NIHR aims to increase the generation and use of public health research in non-NHS settings and has made substantial investment of >£22 million to Newcastle University as part of a larger £30M NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health to support this. The Centre has a national remit and is hosted in the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University.  

Established in October 2023, the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health (SCPH) provides national research support for public health research happening outside the NHS. Funded for five years, our vision is to support the development of infrastructure, capacity and capability to support practitioners and researchers to carry out high-quality research to produce robust evidence to inform policy and practice to improve public health and reduce inequalities. 

We will achieve our aim by meeting these strategic objectives:

• Building capacity and capability in public health research to enable diverse communities of practitioners and researchers to design, access research funding for and deliver the high-quality research needed to generate evidence on how to influence the wider determinants of health.
• Working collaboratively and brokering relationships with partners nationally across NIHR infrastructure and public health systems, policy and practice including Local Authorities, Association of Directors of Public Health, Local Government Association, Academia, Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, UK Health Security Agency, voluntary and community sector organisations and members of the public.
• Developing and sharing best practice and resources for the design and delivery of and systems for governance of public health research outside of the NHS.

This is a key role in the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health.  You will be line managed by one of our Programme Managers and accountable to the Senior Research Manager, Centre Director, and to stakeholders across England.  The role requires an understanding of, and experience in, project management and skills and experience which will enable you to deliver key elements of the Centre’s vision. 

You will provide comprehensive project management to a portfolio of projects in partnership with colleagues in local government that aim to increase the ability of authorities to carry out high quality public health research. 

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of allocated projects, working closely with programme managers, Centre colleagues and partners nationally, including NIHR, the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) and Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDN).  You will co-design and co-deliver projects with colleagues across local government, the voluntary and community sector and with public contributors.  You will monitor and ensure progress of projects against financial and milestone targets, highlighting and managing risks as appropriate.

For more information and an informal discussion please contact Kay Howes, Chief Operating Officer kay.howes@ncl.ac.uk or Laura Renwick, Public Health Senior Research Manager laura.renwick2@ncl.ac.uk 

To apply, please upload a CV and letter of application which outlines how your skills, experiences and knowledge align with the job description below.
 
This is a full time, fixed term position available until 30th September 2028.  

Interviews will be held on 16 January 2025.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop an understanding of public health research; research ethics and governance outside the NHS and of the training needs of local authority and voluntary and community sector colleagues aspiring to conduct research.  Using this knowledge, manage and deliver a range of projects to support the development of fit for purpose guidance, toolkits, and resources
• Act as the main point of contact for all parties involved in each project on a day-to- day basis, communicating clearly with SCPH team, project teams, collaborators, and stakeholders
• Prepare detailed project timelines and milestones, monitoring progress on a continuous basis, with a clear understanding of any impact on the critical path
• Actively manage project progress to achieve milestones within set timescales.  This may involve collaboration with other organisations e.g. funders, local authorities, and the voluntary and community sector
• Ensure the early identification of potential risks to meeting required objectives and coordinate the development of plans to recover the situation where possible, keeping the Research Programme Manager and Centre team fully appraised throughout
• Organise regular project update meetings, maintaining appropriate communication with all stakeholders and ensuring actions are created in line with the project objectives and timelines.  Ensure agreed actions are undertaken by those assigned responsibility
• Establish, organise and contribute to project management groups as required to support the project e.g. Advisory Boards, Steering Groups
• Manage the project finances including forecasting and liaison with the Centre’s Operations Team to ensure financial transactions and reporting are managed in line with the centre’s budget
• Preparation for, and facilitation of, audits and/or inspections
• Take responsibility for identifying own learning needs, including identifying appropriate learning opportunities to ensure up to date knowledge of public health research outside the NHS, as well as developing an awareness of research ethics and governance
• Work as part of the Faculty and University Project Management Communities to develop common ways of working and promote the use of best practice in project management

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of project management and demonstrable ability to deliver results on time and within budget
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in writing and verbally
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Excellent financial management skills
• Knowledge of project management methodologies
• Excellent IT skills, including competent use of Microsoft Office including MS Project, Excel and Access

Desirable

• Knowledge of public health or applied health related research field 
• Experience of working in or with local government or evidence of an understanding of local government 
• Experience of research management and governance 

Attributes and Behaviour

• Able to effectively collaborate and communicate with a variety of colleagues and stakeholders
• Able to work to deadlines, organise own workload and work independently
• Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams and establishes and grows relationships across and between organisations where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued
• Able to think creatively to come up with new ideas, good problem-solving skills and an ability to imagine beyond the status quo
• Attention to detail
• A proven ability to be adaptable, innovative and proactive in project work
• An energetic and “can do” approach which will inspire and enthuse others; ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with others
• Enthusiasm to undertake training and learn new skills

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent level qualification plus experience in a similar role or significant vocational experience

Desirable

• Project 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 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: 27757