NICRE Rural Innovation Associate

Salary: £36,636 to £38,784 with progression to £46,049 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: 19 July 2026.

The Role

Do you enjoy working collaboratively with diverse groups to find solutions that help rural places thrive? Are you energised by a fast‑paced team environment: working flexibly across a wide variety of topics? Are you organised and detail‑oriented, with a track record of turning plans into tangible outcomes for customers and communities? The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) is a national research and innovation centre working with a unique network of university, business, policy and rural community partners across the UK. NICRE brings together research, practical innovation and stakeholder engagement to support thriving rural economies and unlock the potential of rural enterprise.

NICRE is looking to appoint an enthusiastic and dedicated Rural Innovation Associate. Your main area of responsibility will be to facilitate activity for a variety of NICRE innovation projects in the North East of England and around the UK. Your role will entail stimulating and delivering a portfolio of innovative pilot demonstration and consultancy projects as well as carrying out associated applied/action research, evaluation and evidence gathering. Part of your role will be to liaise with partners to complete existing projects and to generate ideas for, develop, seek funding for and take forward new innovation projects. You will also provide support for the development of business cases for funding and associated partnerships in support of the regional and national work of NICRE.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working. This post is full time, offered on a fixed‑term contract to 31 July 2027. Interviews will be held on 29 and 30 July 2026.

Key Accountabilities

• Manage, catalyse, conduct, and monitor progress of innovation projects.
• Maintain/develop effective relationships and engagement with key stakeholders (practitioners, communities, policy staff, academics).
• Liaise with other NICRE research, innovation associates and project leads to help oversee the overall portfolio of projects.
• Organise knowledge exchange events with communities, businesses, their representatives and policy makers and help to host discussions and facilitate productive debate.
• Contribute to, develop and lead as appropriate actions to capture and share learning from innovation projects and evidence of the associated impacts, via appropriate measures, case studies and preparation of resources for the NICRE Innovation Portal.
• Utilise appropriate frameworks, methods and techniques for evidence collection – including surveys, focus groups and interviews, submissions, conferences, policy workshops, blogs, web‑based resources etc.
• Help identify funding opportunities and contribute to preparation of funding applications / business case development to support innovation activities nationally and regionally.
• Facilitate links between innovation projects and research expertise within the University and wider university partners by working alongside academic staff and Newcastle University’s other National Innovation Centres, as necessary, to support a pipeline of development opportunities for NICRE and its partners, as well as NICRE’s key academic partners (Warwick, Gloucester, RAU).
• Attend NICRE team and project‑specific meetings as required, and assist with the day‑to‑day running of the team’s broader portfolio, reporting and other operational matters.
• Work with NICRE’s lead academics and management team to support, develop and implement strategies for the achievement of NICRE’s aims and objectives.
• Travel locally, nationally and on occasion internationally to visit collaborators, present findings, and attend conferences, involving short stays away from home and occasional weekend working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the role and grade, as required.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work effectively in a team, building working relationships with colleagues and external contacts.
• An interest in, and subject knowledge relating to themes such as: rural development, innovation, community development, enterprise performance in a UK context.
• Experienced in preparing detailed project work plans and delivery timelines, project monitoring and evaluation on a continuous basis, with a clear understanding of any impacts on critical path.
• Excellent project management and organisation skills, with experience of managing complex projects successfully.
• Experience of organising workshops and knowledge sharing events.
• Experience of working with stakeholders in local communities or businesses, development organisations, and funders.
• Ability to act as a main point of contact for all parties involved in specific projects.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written, with an ability to present material clearly to a variety of audiences, and to prepare high quality outputs to meet the needs of funders and other stakeholders.
• Ability to collate, analyse and evaluate research and evidence from a variety of sources, both qualitative and quantitative, to support project implementation, analysis and writing of project reports.
• High level of organisational skills including IT skills and use of MS Office.
• Experience in preparation of proposals / business cases for funding.
• Experience in action‑, ‘living lab’, participatory- or intervention‑oriented project delivery methods (desirable).
• Experience in practice or research linked to business or local community development.
• Subject knowledge relating to one or more of the following areas: Net zero and clean growth; Energy; Agricultural transition; Agri‑food systems or supply chains; Digitalisation and data economy; Health and Care; Transport; Housing.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Works collaboratively with others, playing a positive role in teams and establishing and growing relationships internally and externally across organisations and functions where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued.
• Effective at organising, coordinating, and managing diverse and complex workloads within tight deadlines.
• Has the ability to think strategically and to manage complex problems and issues.
• Understands and makes sense of complex or conflicting data and different perspectives.
• Clear, concise and accurate communication, tailoring the approach accordingly using appropriate media and encouraging an overall effective communication process.
• Sets own priorities in conjunction with team and area objectives to meet deadlines.
• Encourages creative and innovative thinking in self and others.
• A pro‑active, positive, motivated individual with a ‘can do’ attitude and the ability to remain calm and focused.
• Confidence and professionalism in personal interactions, able to establish and maintain good working relationships with colleagues and others at all levels whilst having the ability to negotiate and influence where appropriate.
• Resilient, reliable and ethical team player with an ability to work well under pressure.
• Ability to make decisions independently, using own initiative, but also know when to seek wider input.
• Willingness to travel to delivery sites and events and NICRE partner institutions throughout the UK and beyond (the post is based at Newcastle, but the role will involve work across NICRE, HEIs and partners/stakeholders).

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant discipline or significant appropriate work experience.
• Relevant higher degree (desirable but not essential).

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.