Senior Research Associate - Horizon Scanning & Evidence Synthesis (Qualitative) in Newcastle upon Tyne

We are seeking a highly motivated and methodologically skilled Senior Research Associate with a strong interest in Sustainability (e.g. planetary health, circular economy, social sustainability) to lead and contribute to a dynamic portfolio of horizon scanning and foresight projects. This is a key leadership role, offering the opportunity to shape and advance innovative methods in a rapidly evolving field (Horizon Scanning & Foresight). You will lead multidisciplinary, cross-sector projects in priority areas, ensuring timely delivery within scope and resource, and producing high-quality, tailored outputs that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders.

The successful candidate will play a central role in developing approaches that translate early signals into timely, relevant, and actionable outputs for policymakers, practitioners, and innovation stakeholders. This includes ensuring methodological rigour, clarity, and strategic value in all outputs, with a particular focus on generating actionable insights to inform strategic policy decision making around the regulation and adoption of new technologies.

You will work closely with other project and programme leads to foster cross-programme collaboration, support capacity building, and promote a culture of transparent, inclusive working. You will also be responsible for project governance, including risk, resource, and quality management, and will provide mentoring and line management to early career research colleagues, supporting their development and contributing to a positive, high-performing team environment.

The post holder has a responsibility for promoting the values of the NIHR Innovation Observatory through appropriate and visible leadership behaviours and actions. They will have a particular responsibility to:

• Teamwork: Collaborate with kindness, value and respect everyone, offering help and support. Actively promoting an open flow of information and seeking to partner with external interest holders/stakeholders in all our activities.
• Courage and Ambition: Operate at the top of your game, valuing and actively seeking out learning and development opportunities. Giving and receiving feedback with honesty and reflecting on your approaches.
• Curiosity and Open-mindedness: Embrace creativity and value originality, seizing opportunities to learn and innovate.
• Integrity and Quality: Walk the talk and be well-prepared and robust in your approach, delivering high quality timely outputs, and managing your time and resources effectively.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the scoping, design, delivery and dissemination of cross-agency, complex horizon scanning, and foresight projects focused on emerging health and care technologies, aligned to agreed priorities.
• Ensure cross portfolio project delivery against agreed timelines, milestones and quality standards, effectively managing risk and upholding ethical and responsible research practices.
• Provide oversight and leadership on rapid foresight and horizon scanning research projects, mostly delivered internally.
• Lead the development of mixed methods approaches for horizon scanning that embed sustainability principles such as resilience, equity, circularity, and planetary health. Use participatory foresight techniques and diverse evidence sources to identify emerging trends and inform strategic responses aligned with sustainable development goals.
• Design and implement evidence synthesis frameworks that incorporate sustainability-focused data and insights, from policy documents to stakeholder visions and systems models enhancing horizon scanning outputs by embedding contextual relevance, interdisciplinary perspectives, and actionable pathways toward sustainable futures.
• Translate horizon scanning and foresight intelligence into structured, accessible outputs tailored to diverse audiences, including policymakers, regulators, innovators, and health system leaders.
• Provide academic leadership in foresight, horizon scanning, and sustainability, contributing to methodological advancement and thought leadership in the application and use of mixed methods and intelligence in this space.
• Lead and collaborate on funding development activities, leveraging strategic partnerships and foresight expertise to secure research funding aligned with the Innovation Observatory’s scope and ambition. This includes preparing and leading funding proposals to prestigious national and international funders that allow IO to drive methods in this space.
• Publish high-quality research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, policy briefings, and methodological papers, and present findings at national and international conferences.
• Regularly engage with IO’s ecosystem, including academic, clinical, policy, industry, charities, public and community stakeholders alongside the wider NIHR infrastructure to ensure research outputs are timely, relevant, and impactful.
• Collaborate with experts across disciplines to co-create horizon scanning and foresight tools that draw on diverse methods to embed sustainability considerations.
• Mentor and supervise early career researchers, supporting their development in horizon scanning and foresight mixed methods, project management and delivery, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communication.
• Contribute to capacity building through our Learning Hub contributing to training, workshops, and knowledge exchange activities that advance foresight and horizon scanning methods in health and care innovation.

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

• Methodological Expertise: Demonstrable expertise in mixed methods and/or evidence synthesis methods, with a track record of pragmatically applying and advancing these approaches to inform strategic, policy-relevant outputs. Demonstrable understanding of sustainability frameworks (e.g. planetary health, circular economy, social sustainability) as they apply to health and care. Proven ability to identify and interpret weak signals, emerging trends, and contextual drivers of change using structured and interpretive approaches. Extensive experience synthesising intelligence from diverse and non-traditional sources (e.g. innovation pipelines, expert panels, regulatory documents) to generate actionable insights for policy, innovation, or investment decisions. High-level of proficiency in triangulating intelligence using structured methods and frameworks, with experience using tools for evidence mapping and visualisation. Demonstrable ability to think long-term and systemically, identifying interdependencies and unintended consequences, with experience applying both quantitative and qualitative methods to support strategic planning and innovation in complex environments. A strong awareness of climate-health intersections, health equity, and long-term system resilience.
• Regulatory Knowledge: An understanding of regulatory and innovation pathways for health and care technologies, including the processes and frameworks that govern their development, evaluation, and adoption. Advanced understanding of how early-stage intelligence can shape research, policy, and innovation in health and care, particularly in relation to emerging technologies and system transformation.
• Project & People Leadership: Demonstrable experience in leading the design and delivery of foresight or horizon scanning or similar research projects, including scoping, protocol development, stakeholder engagement, and output delivery. Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, balance competing demands, and support others in doing the same. Alongside, demonstrable experience of using project and programme management approaches to deliver work to time and budget. Proven ability to maintain high standards of quality and delivery under pressure. Proven ability to mentor and supervise early career researchers, support professional development, and contribute to capacity building through training, workshops, or knowledge exchange activities.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Strong ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, clinicians, industry, charities, and public partners, through co-production, expert elicitation, and participatory approaches. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex intelligence into accessible, policy-relevant outputs tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Academic & Strategic Experience: Established track record of academic dissemination, including peer-reviewed publications, methodological papers, and presentations at national and international conferences. Evidence of contributing to national or international discourse through advisory roles, invited talks, or expert panels. Evidence of delivering research that has influenced policy or innovation adoption, and of translating foresight insights into real-world impact. Demonstrable ability to work independently and collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams, bridging technical, regulatory, and strategic perspectives across sectors.
• Desirable Criteria: Proven success in securing or leading research funding, including preparation of competitive proposals to national and international funders. Experience aligning funding strategies with institutional priorities and leveraging strategic partnerships.

Attributes and Behaviour:

• Analytical mindset with proven ability to interpret complex or incomplete data and generate meaningful insights to inform strategic decision making.
• Demonstrating curiosity and initiative, proactively exploring new evidence and trends to inform research and practice.
• Adaptability, demonstrating confidence when working in dynamic environments with evolving priorities.
• Strong communication skills, with a proven ability to translate technical findings into accessible outputs for a wide range of audiences and using different techniques.
• Collaborative approach, working effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Integrity and discretion, able to maintain high standards of ethical conduct and confidentiality.

Qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent demonstrable professional expertise in a relevant social science field (e.g. Sociology, Anthropology, Social Medicine, Geography).
• Desirable: Programme or Project Management 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 award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are an 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.