Public Involvement and Community Engagement Manager

We have an exciting opportunity to join the new NIHR Research Support Service National Specialist Centre for Public Health as a Public Involvement and Community Engagement Manager.

Our vision is to develop the infrastructure, capacity and capability to support practitioners and researchers to carry out high quality public health research, outside the NHS, to produce robust evidence to improve population health and reduce health and care inequalities.

This is a key role in this new National Specialist Centre for Public Health. You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and work closely with the Centre's Strategic lead for Public Involvement and Community Engagement and stakeholders across England. You will contribute to and work to realise the Centre's PICE and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategic aims and objectives and will be the Centre's first point of contact for PICE/EDI.

We are looking for candidates who have an extensive understanding, and experience of Public Involvement and Community Engagement and/or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement; of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and ensuring that research is inclusive. We are particularly keen to hear from people who have a high level of decision making and problem-solving skills who have an energetic and "can do" approach which will inspire and enthuse others. Experience of public health research would be desirable but is not essential., Work across the NIHR RSS nationally, through the National Collaborative function, to support the implementation of the NIHR RSS PPIE and EDI Strategies. Adapt the national strategy to develop and implement the Centre's Public Involvement and Community Engagement and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plans across England, to ensure that PICE/EDI is embedded in all of the Centre's activity
Work with the Centre's Strategic lead for Public Involvement and Community Engagement and Research Design lead to support the development and co-ordination of a diverse national Public Advisory Board to ensure that PICE/EDI underpin the centres activities and that there is equitable access to the Centre's service
Work with the Centre's Satellites and across the NIHR RSS nationally, to lead and coordinate a programme of public involvement and community engagement activity, focused on public health outside of the NHS, building on existing networks and partnerships with community and voluntary groups and developing new opportunities for involvement in both the centre's capacity building programme with Local Authorities and the design and delivery of public health research
Develop and co-ordinate a programme of national events, training and capacity building activities and resources around PICE/EDI for researchers, local authority colleagues, public health professionals, the Centre's methodologists, and public partners, including horizon scanning to identify priority areas. Work with the Centre's Communications Manager to promote events and resources through appropriate communication channels
Manage the Centre's overall Public Involvement Support including access by researchers to funding for public involvement and EDI activities both to inform the development of funding applications and to trial new approaches to public involvement and community engagement
Develop and implement resources to facilitate reporting, monitoring and evaluation of PICE and EDI activities including appropriate data capture systems to monitor requirements and activity with a particular focus on demonstrating and recording impact
Represent the Centre at a national level pertaining to PICE/EDI and deliver presentations at events, conferences, and meetings to promote the centre to a wide range of stakeholders
Remain up to date with RSS and NIHR national developments on PPIE/EDI, sharing details with researchers, local authority colleagues, public health professionals and RSS colleagues

Experience of successfully developing and implementing Public Involvement and Community Engagement and/or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement strategies
Experience of leading successful PPIE projects ideally in or transferrable to a public health setting
Experience of working with public contributors and a diverse range of marginalised groups to develop processes and practices to achieve agreed objectives
Experience in developing, facilitating and delivering training on topics related to PICE/PPIE/EDI for researchers and/or the public
High level of decision making and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrable ability to lead initiatives, prioritise and plan appropriately within a strategic framework
Strong communication and interpersonal skills including diplomacy, motivation, negotiating and influencing
Success in developing effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels, across a range of disciplines and with the public contributors
Experience of training public contributors
Excellent organisational and time management skills to manage and deliver a range of initiatives and projects to tight deadlines
Experienced financial manager
Ability to work independently, and to make decisions on complex or overlapping matters
Ability to understand and interpret complex ideas and communicate these simply to broad audiences, whilst maintaining meticulous attention to detail
Desirable
Knowledge of public health or applied health related research field
Experience of working in or with local government and/or voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) or evidence of an understanding of local government and VCSE

Attributes and Behaviour
Able to effectively collaborate and communicate with a variety of colleagues and stakeholders. Acts in a collaborative, inclusive, transparent and open manner, acting with integrity and able to build high levels of trust
Able to see the "big picture", to think strategically and to consider the detail in complex situations, including where there are conflicting priorities
Ability to think creatively to come up with new ideas, good problem-solving skills and ability to imagine beyond the status quo
Ability to track and analyse data, identify trends, and present insights to inform decision-making
An articulate, confident and politically adept communicator, ready and able to deal with difficult situations and to challenge where necessary
Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued
An energetic and "can do" approach which will inspire and enthuse others, ready to take the lead in driving forward initiatives, Degree or equivalent level qualification plus experience in a similar role or significant vocational experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles

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 silver 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 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.

Salary: £45,585 to £48,350 with progression to £54,395 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.