SCENE Partnership Manager

Salary: £35,608 to £37,694 with progression to £42,254 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: 22 October 2025

The role

Working as part of the Company Creation team at Newcastle University, this is a new post focussed on supporting a North-East Universities collaborative project called SCENE.

This programme represents the creation and development of a structured and connected ecosystem around University research commercialisation, collaborating with business, investors and institutions to drive a sustainable step-change in our impact.

This is an exciting new role leading on and managing the work of the SCENE Partnership at Newcastle University on behalf of the partnership with Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside and Sunderland universities.  

You will be responsible for overseeing the development, delivery and evaluation of the SCENE commercialisation of research activities as agreed by the Partnership including drawing together partnerships with business, investors and institutions to drive a sustainable step-change in our impact.   

This is a full time, fixed term position for the duration of 5 years.

Please contact Rick McCordall rick.mccordall@newcastle.ac.uk for further information

Key Accountabilities

•    Lead the development and delivery of the SCENE programme of activity at Newcastle University as agreed with our Partner institutions
•    Lead on the development and delivery of specific targeted projects to develop the commercialisation ecosystem
•    To support the Partnership to develop and implement a regional step change in the commercialisation ecosystem
•    To supervise project delivery staff to ensure SCENE is able to deliver on agreed activities
•    To monitor and evaluate the impact of our programmes reporting to the Partnership including providing evidence to illustrate progress against collaborative targets/outputs
•    To update and develop the SCENE delivery plan on an annual basis to ensure delivery targets meet the partners’ needs
•    To service the SCENE Strategy and Management Group providing an effective secretariat service including creation of meeting papers and reports to ensure transparent oversight of progress and financial monitoring
•    Lead the development of appropriate online and printed marketing and publicity materials to promote the programme of activities to stakeholders including business, investors, and advisers
•    To develop relationships with appropriate networks, organisations and individuals across the Partnership

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Substantial experience of leading commercialisation projects and developing project plans
•    Substantial, current experience of developing and delivering activity to drive the commercialisation of research
•    Knowledge and understanding of academic spin outs in higher education and strategies to support particularly in relation to Northern Accelerator and other funded initiatives
•    Experience of working with local authorities and regional key stakeholders to support the development and delivery of the SCENE programmes
•    Project management and governance experience including servicing Partnership committees, producing reports and briefings for senior management
•    Line management and staff development experience

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Demonstrable evidence of leading outreach programme development in an educational context
•    Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
•    Experience of managing complex workloads and working flexibly to changing requirements
•    Ability to set own priorities in conjunction with team and area objectives
•    Willingness to travel across the region and work within Partner institutions including the occasional weekend/evening to support project delivery

Qualifications

•    Degree level 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: 28688