Salary: £45,585 to £48,350 with progression to £54,395 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: 11 June 2024
The Role
We have an exciting opportunity to join the new NIHR Research Support Service National Specialist Centre for Public Health as a Public Involvement and Community Engagement Manager.
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.
This is a key role in this new National Specialist Centre for Public Health. You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and work closely with the Centre’s Strategic lead for Public Involvement and Community Engagement and stakeholders across England. You will contribute to and work to realise the Centre’s PICE and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategic aims and objectives and will be the Centre’s first point of contact for PICE/EDI.
We are looking for candidates who have an extensive understanding, and experience of Public Involvement and Community Engagement and/or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement; of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and ensuring that research is inclusive. We are particularly keen to hear from people who have a high level of decision making and problem-solving skills who have an energetic and “can do” approach which will inspire and enthuse others. Experience of public health research would be desirable but is not essential.
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 full time, fixed term position available until 30th September 2028.
Interviews will take place on the 03 July 2024.
For more information and an informal discussion please contact Kay Howes, Chief Operating Officer,
Key Accountabilities
* Work across the NIHR RSS nationally, through the National Collaborative function, to support the implementation of the NIHR RSS PPIE and EDI Strategies. Adapt the national strategy to develop and implement the Centre’s Public Involvement and Community Engagement and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plans across England, to ensure that PICE/EDI is embedded in all of the Centre’s activity
* Work with the Centre’s Strategic lead for Public Involvement and Community Engagement and Research Design lead to support the development and co-ordination of a diverse national Public Advisory Board to ensure that PICE/EDI underpin the centres activities and that there is equitable access to the Centre’s service
* Work with the Centre’s Satellites and across the NIHR RSS nationally, to lead and coordinate a programme of public involvement and community engagement activity, focused on public health outside of the NHS, building on existing networks and partnerships with community and voluntary groups and developing new opportunities for involvement in both the centre’s capacity building programme with Local Authorities and the design and delivery of public health research
* Develop and co-ordinate a programme of national events, training and capacity building activities and resources around PICE/EDI for researchers, local authority colleagues, public health professionals, the Centre’s methodologists, and public partners, including horizon scanning to identify priority areas. Work with the Centre’s Communications Manager to promote events and resources through appropriate communication channels
* Manage the Centre’s overall Public Involvement Support including access by researchers to funding for public involvement and EDI activities both to inform the development of funding applications and to trial new approaches to public involvement and community engagement
* Develop and implement resources to facilitate reporting, monitoring and evaluation of PICE and EDI activities including appropriate data capture systems to monitor requirements and activity with a particular focus on demonstrating and recording impact
* Represent the Centre at a national level pertaining to PICE/EDI and deliver presentations at events, conferences, and meetings to promote the centre to a wide range of stakeholders
* Remain up to date with RSS and NIHR national developments on PPIE/EDI, sharing details with researchers, local authority colleagues, public health professionals and RSS colleagues
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
* Experience of successfully developing and implementing Public Involvement and Community Engagement and/or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement strategies
* Experience of leading successful PPIE projects ideally in or transferrable to a public health setting
* Experience of working with public contributors and a diverse range of marginalised groups to develop processes and practices to achieve agreed objectives
* Experience in developing, facilitating and delivering training on topics related to PICE/PPIE/EDI for researchers and/or the public
* 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, across a range of disciplines and with the public contributors
* Experience of training public contributors
* Excellent organisational and time management skills to manage and deliver a range of initiatives and projects to tight deadlines
* Experienced financial manager
* Ability to work independently, and to make decisions on complex or overlapping matters
* Ability to understand and interpret complex ideas and communicate these simply to broad audiences, whilst maintaining meticulous attention to detail
Desirable
* Knowledge of public health or applied health related research field
* Experience of working in or with local government and/or voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) or evidence of an understanding of local government and VCSE
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
* Ability to track and analyse data, identify trends, and present insights to inform decision-making
* 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 role or significant vocational experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles
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: 27096