Engagement Coordinator in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: £31,236 to £32,080 with progression to £34,610 per annum

Closing Date: 6 February 2026

Introduction

The NIHR Innovation Observatory (IO) is a world‑leading health and care innovation horizon scanning research centre based at Newcastle University. Our work supports government agencies, industry, regulators, charities, and researchers by delivering timely, actionable insights that inform strategic decision‑making, policy development, investment guidance, funding programs and improve alignment across agencies. We work across the health, life sciences and wider care ecosystem to identify innovation, gaps and unmet needs, follow trends and signal potentially game‑changing innovations. Our work fosters national and international collaboration supporting the growth of the UK health and life sciences sector, and is a beacon for cross‑sector, interdisciplinary training and capacity building in horizon scanning and foresight. We are at the forefront of developing approaches and people to identify and analyse emerging health and care technologies, ensuring the UK is prepared to leverage scientific breakthroughs that improve patient outcomes and support system readiness.

The Role

The Engagement Coordinator(s) will play a key supporting role within the Engagement team, enabling effective delivery of strategic partnership and stakeholder engagement activities across the Innovation Observatory. Working closely with the Strategic Partner Coordinator and the Communications and Marketing Manager and across our internal portfolio teams, the postholder will contribute to ensuring that engagement efforts are well‑organised, insight‑driven, and aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives.

This is a hands‑on administrative role requiring excellent attention to detail, time management, and communication skills. The postholder(s) will take responsibility for maintaining and updating the organisation’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, ensuring data accuracy and supporting the tracking of engagement and relationship development. They will provide logistical and administrative support for the Innovation Observatory’s engagement related meetings, workshops, and events, including those hosted in partnership with our external partners.

The Engagement Coordinator(s) will also support financial processes related to partnership activities, including the processing of reimbursements (e.g. payments to public contributors and community organisations), and contribute to internal monitoring and reporting by collating and presenting engagement data.

The postholder(s) will work collaboratively across multiple teams and job families, acting as a key link in enabling cross‑sector engagement and ensuring that operational systems are functioning efficiently to support the organisation’s long‑term goals. The role will report to either the Communications and Marketing Manager or the Strategic Partner Manager.

The post is full time, fixed term until 31st March 2031.

To apply for this role, please submit a CV and covering letter with your application.

Key Accountabilities

• With oversight from the Communications and Marketing Manager/Strategic Partner Manager, lead and coordinate all engagement activities across the Innovation Observatory, to enable high quality delivery
• Plan, organise and deliver all engagement events and activities (e.g. Public, Patient, Community and Industry involvement), including providing end‑to‑end logistical support e.g. sourcing venue arrangements, preparing presentation materials, technical support, attendee coordination and post event evaluation
• Manage and support internal and external communications across a broad network of partners to ensure consistent messaging, foster strong relationships and advance engagement priorities
• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records within the CRM system, ensuring all strategic partner, stakeholder and wider ecosystem engagement activities and communications are consistently logged and monitored
• Record and track all engagement activities within the CRM to enhance strategic relationship management, enable data‑driven decision making and support long‑term partnerships
• Lead the collation, structuring and analysis of engagement data to ensure accuracy, completeness and actionable insights
• Process and track all financial transactions related to engagement activities, including raising payment requests and completing PPCIE payment documentation, monitoring financial expenditure and supporting quarterly and annual cost projections
• Support the development of insight‑driven reports, executive summaries and performance updates to inform strategic oversight of engagement activities
• Provide project assistance, including preparing meeting documentation such as slide decks, and background materials in advance of partner interactions to support successful engagement collaborations
• Provide general administrative support to the Communications and Marketing Manager/Strategic Partner Manager and the wider engagement and communications team as required to ensure delivery of the Innovation Observatory’s goals

This job description identifies the key responsibilities of the post. It is not an exhaustive list of duties and is subject to amendment as necessary, in consultation with the postholder.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of working in an outwardly facing engagement role, in higher education, public sector, health, care and/or life sciences or research organisations
• Experience in organising and delivering logistical and technical support for externally facing engagement activities, including workshops, events and/or interactive sessions both in person and hybrid
• Experience maintaining and updating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to record partner activity, contact history and to inform relationship building
• Demonstrated ability to provide project assistance support to enable effective delivery of cross‑portfolio engagement activity
• Competence in collecting, organising and presenting data to inform reports, dashboards or evaluations
• Experience processing financial transactions or payments, ideally using structured systems and in accordance with institutional policies (e.g. PPCIE or equivalent)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint

Attributes and Behaviour

• Exceptional attention to detail in all administrative, data entry and documentation tasks
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and meet deadlines
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication style, suitable for both internal and external audiences
• Proactive, adaptable and solution‑focused, with a willingness to take initiative in a dynamic work environment and an ability to influence others positively
• Discreet and dependable when working with sensitive information or financial records
• A collaborative team player, open to learning and committed to supporting shared goals
• Demonstrates professional integrity, reliability and a stakeholder‑centred mindset
• Shows interest in and awareness of the broader health, life sciences, care, or research ecosystems

Qualifications

• Educated to A level/HNC standard or significant experience in a similar role
• Certification or formal training in CRM software (e.g. Dynamics, Salesforce, etc.) – desirable
• Financial administration training or experience of using procurement/payment systems – desirable

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 GoldAthena 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.