Research & Innovation Lead – Collaborative Partnerships in Manchester

Elrha is a global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation. We are looking to recruit a Research & Innovation Manager (Collaborative Partnerships) to join our Programmes team on a fixed-term basis (to 31 December 2026). This is an exciting opportunity for a technically-minded professional with a passion for health research and developing collaborative research and innovation initiatives.

You will be leading the scoping, co-design and coordination of the Humanitarian Health and Climate Collaborative Learning Partnerships (HHCC) and supporting the mortality estimation work. In this role you will provide senior oversight of multi-stakeholder partnerships, ensuring high-quality co-design, collective learning and positive partner engagement, acting as the primary operational contact for implementation partners.

Contribute to the development and positioning of Elrha's partnership frameworks and approaches under the leadership of the Head of Humanitarian Futures.

Your application will need to demonstrate:

• Experience managing complex, multi-year research and innovation partnerships, including coordinating delivery, supporting capacity strengthening and knowledge exchange, managing risk, and ensuring high-quality outputs.
• Strong understanding of research methods and evidence generation in humanitarian or global health contexts, with the ability to assess research quality and translate findings into practical policy or operational guidance.
• Knowledge of localisation, equitable partnerships, and ethical research practice, including safeguarding, diversity, and inclusion considerations.
• Excellent relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience working with donors and representing programmes externally.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce accessible outputs for technical and non-technical audiences.
• A postgraduate qualification in public health, international development, non-communicable diseases, or another relevant field, or equivalent professional experience.

If you want to be part of an organisation that creates positive change in the humanitarian sector, then join us and we'll give you every opportunity to succeed.

We offer:

• Remote working as standard – staff can access office bases in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester if required/appropriate.
• 35 hours per week with flexible working patterns available.
• Minimum 5% employer pension contribution (3% employee contribution), life cover, organisational sick pay, family friendly pay and leave schemes.
• 26-day basic annual leave entitlement with incremental increase depending on length of service.
• Opportunities for learning and development, a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and retail discounts platform.

Note for applicants: Candidates must have the independent right to work in the UK, and be resident in the UK, at the time of appointment as we are unable to support visa sponsorship for this role.

Elrha is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal. We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups.

Please ensure you read the full job description, the Candidate Pack, and complete the Personal Statement as requested in the application process. We look forward to hearing from you.