Research Assistant / Research Associate / Senior Research Associate - Workforce Inclusion

Salary:

Research Assistant: £33,002 to £34,610 per annum

Research Associate: £35,608 to £46,049 per annum

Senior Research Associate: £47,389 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: 15 April 2026

The Role

Our plans for our next funding period – from April 2026 to March 2031

The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria has been awarded funding for five years, starting on 1 April 2026.

Our vision is to achieve: Better, fairer health and care, at all ages and in all places.

We are an inclusive and welcoming research collaboration offering opportunities for development for our research community.

To find out more about the opportunities available, please see here: NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria - 2026 to 2031 - ARC 

Applications are invited for an ambitious Research Assistant/associate/senior research associate to work across nationally-leading health and care research programmes funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), as part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria. The researcher will support the ARC in joining national research networks to deliver impactful research and knowledge mobilisation activities with partners across the health and care system.

The post holder(s) will work within the Workforce Inclusion and Innovation for Impact theme and establish inclusive communities of practice, and lead programmes of research across the North East and North Cumbria and nationally, in line with the strategic aims of the theme. Researchers working in this theme will address one or more of the interconnected challenges of how we create more inclusive health and social care workforces and workplaces, diversify where and how care is delivered, and enable workforce transformation and system change at pace and scale.

The research themes led from Newcastle University are:

1. Prevention including multiple long-term conditions (1 post available)
2. Addressing inequity in health and care systems (2 posts available)
3. Supporting children, women, and family health (3 posts available)
4. Workforce Inclusion and Innovation for Impact (2 posts available)

A further theme on Care Improvement and Safety is led by Northumbria university.

You will be expected to have existing and well-established networks with a range of health, social care and community based collaborators, including across other NIHR infrastructures. You will develop your own specialist research leadership while working in a pro-active and collaborative way to deliver work addressing critical national and regional priorities. You will be adaptive and responsive to emerging system needs, benefitting from the outstanding mentoring and support environment to secure additional grant funding over the 4.5-year period of the role. The role holder will be required to spend 50% of their time working responsively with health and social care partners to design and deliver programmes of work.

As part of our commitment to grow our applied research community and promote a supportive research culture, the role holder will be required to spend a minimum of 50% of their contracted hours per week in person in the university or at relevant ARC events.

As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and working in partnership across research infrastructure, we welcome part-time applications with a minimum of 50% FTE. Please state your desired working arrangements in your application.

Further information can be obtained by contacting the theme co-lead Simon Hackett simon.hackett@newcastle.ac.uk

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Key Accountabilities 

Research Assistant 

• Contribute to applied health research projects aligned to ARC research themes under the guidance of senior staff and within agreed timelines
• Support work around the development of inclusive, resilient and diverse workforces and the health and care workforce in underserved or under-represented areas, gathering evidence that can support large-scale system change and workforce sustainability
• Assist in developing research objectives, study designs and funding proposals
• Collect, organise, analyse and interpret research data in line with governance and data protection requirements
• Work responsively with health and care partners, members of the public and community stakeholders to support inclusive and impactful research
• Support in preparing papers for publication in high quality peer reviewed journals, and disseminating findings at conferences and events as required
• Contribute to training and capacity‑building related to applied health, public health and social care
• Contribute to knowledge mobilisation activities to ensure research impact, including working with Knowledge Mobilisation team and Fellows
• Identify and undertake a programme of professional development, including further training in research methods and other transferable skills
• Contribute to research inclusion activities
• Develop and maintain inclusive regional and national collaborator networks
• Attend meetings and other events appropriate to the Applied Research Collaboration and its programmes of work
• To contribute to wider ARC activities, including with other relevant research infrastructures regionally and nationally
• Contribute to events celebrating public involvement and engagement, and research and practice specifically aimed at tackling social injustices
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
• Undertake administrative tasks and other duties to support the ARC as required by the theme lead, co-lead or the ARC NENC Directors

Research Associate 

• Lead defined elements of applied health research projects aligned to ARC research themes under the guidance of senior staff and within agreed timelines 

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the methodological aspects of the project, focused on the development of inclusive, resilient and diverse workforces and gathering evidence that can support large-scale system change and workforce sustainability
• Assist in developing research objectives, study designs and funding proposals
• Collect, organise, analyse and interpret research data in line with governance and data protection requirements
• Work responsively with health and care partners, members of the public and community stakeholders to support inclusive and impactful research
• Contribute to grant applications and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either as papers for publication in high quality peer reviewed journals, or at conferences presentations
• Lead on training and capacity‑building related to applied health, public health and social care
• Support knowledge mobilisation activities to ensure research impact, including working with Knowledge Mobilisation team and Fellows
• Contribute to research inclusion activities
• Develop and maintain inclusive regional and national collaborator networks
• Attend meetings and other events appropriate to the Applied Research Collaboration and its programmes of work
• To contribute to wider ARC activities, including with other relevant research infrastructures regionally and nationally
• Contribute to events celebrating public involvement and engagement, and research and practice specifically aimed at tackling social injustices
• Provide supervision and support to students and early‑career researchers
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

Senior Research Associate 

• Plan and lead high quality research aligned to ARC themes, taking responsibility for shaping approaches, project managing the research activity and ensuring high‑quality delivery
• Develop research objectives, study designs and funding proposals, contributing methodological insight, critical analysis and original ideas to strengthen bids and project plans
• Oversee data collection, management, analysis and interpretation, ensuring methodological rigour and compliance with government regulation
• Lead aspects of public involvement, community engagement and research inclusion, developing approaches that enhance representation and equity across ARC research
• Build and maintain effective relationships with health and care partners, public contributors and community stakeholders, ensuring their perspectives shape research design and impact
• Coordinate and guide day‑to‑day project activity, anticipating risks, resolving issues and supporting colleagues to achieve research objectives
• Identify and undertake a programme of professional development, including further training in research methods and other transferable skills
• Attract funding for research from a range of peer reviewed external sources in line with the aims of the ARC
• Support academic outputs and dissemination, including preparing publications, presenting findings at conferences
• Contribute to research inclusion activities
• Develop and maintain inclusive regional and national collaborator networks
• Attend meetings and other events appropriate to the Applied Research Collaboration and its programmes of work
• Contribute to wider ARC activities, including with other relevant research infrastructures regionally and nationally
• Contribute to events celebrating public involvement and engagement, and research and practice specifically aimed at tackling social injustices
• Provide supervision and support to students and early‑career researchers
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Clear understanding of the current UK health, public health and social care system, and of the existence and impact of societal inequalities
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect research/personal data according to protocols and principles of good research practice
• Evidence of delivering research projects to agreed timelines, meeting milestones and writing up results to an appropriate standard
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

In addition for Research Associate

• Experience of conducting and/or leading high-quality research working across applied health, public health and social care, with a wide range of external partners
• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications
• Experience of contributing to grant applications and/or securing funding from external sources (e.g. travel grants, studentships)

In addition for Senior Research Associate

• A strong publication record in high-quality peer-reviewed journals
• Evidence of securing external research funding
• Experience of leading high-quality research working across applied health, public health and social care, with a wide range of external partners

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity
• Motivation to secure a personal fellowship or external funding from an external, national panel or via NIHR infrastructure or programmes opportunities

Qualifications 

Research Assistant

• A Master’s degree in a relevant subject area
• A PhD submitted for examination, in a subject related to health / public health and social care as well as statistics / data science / economics relating to the health and care arena. Candidates with formal confirmation of the completion of their studies who are within a writing-up year are also welcome to apply

In addition for Research Associate and Senior Research Associate

• PhD in a subject related to health / public health and social care as well as statistics / data science / economics relating to the health and care arena

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: 29192