Programme Manager: Access and Impact in Newcastle upon Tyne

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.

The Role

We are excited to launch this new opportunity for a Programme Manager to join us in the school of History Classics and Archaeology to work on the next phase of the RICHeS funded project Transforming Access to Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Science Collections. You will join a research team across Newcastle University and the British School at Athens who in collaboration with the British Institute at Ankara and the British School at Rome have built a versatile and powerful heritage science collections management system for hosting and sharing previously unavailable heritage science collections. The next phase of the project will offer further institutions the opportunity to transform their digital humanities capabilities; structuring their previously unavailable digital data to make their collections available online efficiently for the benefit of researchers, schools and members of the public.

The Programme Manager (PM) for this initiative, working out of Newcastle University, will be responsible for driving forward the intellectual agenda of the project, alongside the PL, as well as responsible for ongoing governance of the shared infrastructure and coordinating engagement with stakeholders and prospective partners. You will support the PL’s communication and outreach activities, supporting their research vision. The PM will ensure effective financial reporting, progress tracking, governance, and project planning of the programme. Given the objectives of the programme to involve multiple institutions across multiple phases, your focus will be on maintaining clear communication and coordination among the various stakeholders to ensure the project meets its milestones and research goals within budget and timeline constraints. You will also lead efforts in collaboration with the Education Access Research Associate and Digital Access IT lead in increasing access to the infrastructure, tracking impact, and in identifying and building applications for additional funding in support of incorporating Cultural Heritage Science datasets and developing resources for educators. A key element of the role will be to manage risks, resolve issues, and report on progress, in addition to driving the research agenda forward.

The role is part time at 0.3FTE, fixed term appointment ending 31 March 2031. The estimated start date will be 1st September 2026. We are open to conversations discussing flexible and hybrid working patterns.

Key Accountabilities

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Track progress of component elements of programme across academic, heritage and education sectors
• Identify avenues for further funding to extend capacity in education access
• Identify and communicate with potential external partners in driving uptake of infrastructure
• Contribute to the production and delivery of project dissemination strategy
• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of digital humanities
• Interest in machine readable data and AI powered learning
• Experience managing a budget
• Experience of Programme Management
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences and to frame a dissemination strategy for the project including social media
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
• Aware of the research environment
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

• Honours degree in any field related to Cultural Heritage Science
• PhD in any field related to Cultural Heritage Science

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 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. 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.