Senior Administrator

Salary: £32,080 to £33,002 with progression to £34,610 per annum, pro rata

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: 19 October 2026

The Role

The NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) provides expert guidance and input to applied health, public health and social care researchers on the design and delivery of research and the development of research funding applications. The RSS operates as a national service allowing researchers to access the most appropriate support, irrespective of location and is delivered through RSS Hubs and Specialist Centres (in Public Health and Social Care), each a partnership of research organisations and groups.

The Senior Administrator is a key operational post within the NIHR RSS team, hosted within the Population Health Sciences Institute, at Newcastle University. You will work with the Operations Manager, Senior Administrators, Methodologists and Strategic Leads to support the strategic aims and activities of the NIHR RSS and will provide comprehensive, high level administrative support to its colleagues.

You will be responsible for a diverse range of administrative tasks including being a first point of contact for stakeholders, methodologists and researchers, responding to queries, arranging meetings, taking minutes, drafting reports and other materials, and maintaining the RSS database and reporting metrics. A high level of confidentiality will be required, and attention to detail is critical.

You will work within the RSS Operations team to support the coordination and delivery of capacity-building initiatives, including the organisation, promotion and delivery of events, workshops and training courses, and creation of relevant documents and training resources.

You will need a proactive approach to your work, independently prioritising workload and reporting on milestones as appropriate. Some tasks will need to be completed to tight deadlines and will require self-motivation and the ability to take responsibility for getting the job done.

This is a part-time (0.6FTE), fixed-term position until 30 September 2028.

The successful candidate is expected to work in the office approximately 50% of their working week. To meet RSS service needs, the successful candidate will be expected to work Monday and Wednesday each week, plus either Thursday or Friday. Please contact Niesha Doyle (niesha.doyle@newcastle.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.

Please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria required for the role outlined in ‘The Person’ by uploading a letter of application (no more than 2 single sides of A4) along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Key Accountabilities

• To support the RSS Hub Chief Operating Officer, Operations Manager, Methodologists and Strategic Leads to coordinate and deliver administrative tasks within the RSS
• To represent the RSS and support the organisation and delivery of events, training sessions and engagement activities both regionally and nationally, engaging with stakeholders at the most senior levels in partner organisations, as well as members of the public
• To contribute to the development of online learning and development resources including the creation and maintenance of digital training packages
• To coordinate high level meetings and events, including production of draft agendas and minutes, making room bookings and catering arrangements, issuing paperwork, setting up meeting rooms, promoting events and facilitating arrangements to allow hybrid attendance
• To assist with the management of the web-based database which hosts researcher and other information, including maintaining accurate and up to date records and liaising with web-developers to improve and enhance the database and reporting mechanisms
• To respond to queries from a broad range of stakeholders and teams (both regional and national) in a proactive, timely manner
• To maintain oversight of invoices, expense claims and other financial tasks on behalf of the RSS Hub, ensuring all expenditure is identified against correct budget sub-headings and ensuring early escalation of all financial queries to the Operations Manager where necessary
• To be a first point of contact for the team, dealing directly with enquiries from academic and clinical staff, and members of the public, including dealing with routine email queries and redirecting enquiries to appropriate experts, ensuring queries are handled efficiently, confidentially and in a timely manner
• To provide organisational support to the team including diary management, arranging travel/appointments to ensure that the service runs smoothly and assisting colleagues with any other general office duties
• To support the Service by developing, reviewing and maintaining systems to manage and store confidential information (e.g. researchers’ details) in accordance with the University requirements and data protection legislation and ensuring compliance with Information Governance and Freedom of Information legislation
• To assist with the recruitment of RSS Hub staff and liaise with the Chief Operating Officer and Operations Manager on appointments, resignations and contract renewals for RSS Hub staff
• To provide communications support to the team including liaising with internal and external contacts e.g. collaborating institutions/colleagues, NHS Trust partners and funder (NIHR/DHSC)
• Support the Operations Team in the development and implementation of effective administrative systems and procedures to ensure an efficient service is provided to colleagues and stakeholders
• Contributing to the management of the NIHR RSS shared email inbox, ensuring timely and accurate responses to emails and escalating complex queries to appropriate team members when necessary
• Participate in duties common to the work environment and taking part in cross- cover arrangements with other staff as requested

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Excellent IT skills including knowledge of MS Office applications ( (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) in an administrative or customer-facing role)
• Experience of producing online training guides and communication material
• Experience of supporting committees, meetings and events, including production of agendas, drafting reports and minute taking
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information to large audiences online and face-to-face
• Experience of maintaining a database and thorough understanding of the importance of attention to detail, including the ability to demonstrate evidence of activities undertaken to ensure data accuracy
• Experience of all aspects of large-scale event coordination, demonstrating professionalism and excellent customer service
• Good organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities, working effectively both independently and as part of a team

Attributes and Behaviour

• Reliable and positive attitude
• Proactive and detail orientated, with a high degree of personal responsibility, initiative, and professional discretion
• Ability to work creatively and consultatively to find solutions
• Proven ability to use initiative to deliver work independently

Desirable

• Experience working in a support service setting.
• Knowledge of research processes within Higher Education or NIHR and/or understanding of funding programmes related to health and care

Qualifications

• Grades A-C in English Language and Mathematics GCSE (or equivalent) or vocational qualifications, plus work experience in a relevant role; or substantial relevant work experience in a comparable setting

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: 29775