Partnership and Involvement Officer

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 26 July 2026.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide comprehensive support for the external engagement activities of the Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (ARC NENC), funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).

ARC NENC brings together six universities, health and social care providers, voluntary and community organisations, patients, and members of the public across the North East and North Cumbria. Our vision is to deliver "better, fairer health and care at all ages and in all places" and our work is organised around five research themes.

Based in the Core Team you will work alongside internal and external colleagues at universities, members of the public, Health Innovation Networks and industry partners. You will also support our events and activities with public partners and community organisations, working closely with the Public Involvement and Community Engagement Manager and the Communications Manager.

We are looking for someone with experience of working in a collaborative research environment. You should be approachable, organised and comfortable working with people at all levels externally and internally.

We can offer a varied working environment with access to training and development opportunities and a chance to contribute to impactful research.

Provide comprehensive support for the Applied Research Collaboration’s external engagement work and reporting.

• Act as the first point of contact for enquiries, providing professionalism and positive customer service.
• Monitor research activity, collate data and produce reports to the Chief Operating Officer in line with funder requirements.
• Maintain effective communication channels with stakeholders, including health and care professionals, service users, carers, industry, the voluntary sector and the public.
• Coordinate events and engagement activities, occasionally working outside core hours to support meetings, workshops and community events.
• Liaise with partner organisations, including the Health Innovation Network and the ARC’s Business, Industry and Social Enterprise engagement activities.
• Provide pro‑active and comprehensive administrative support to the Core Team, including organising meetings, taking minutes and following up on actions.

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce. We offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re‑Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant subject such as science, social science, research, healthcare or management.

• Ability to travel across the North East and North Cumbria, with occasional national travel for events.

• Experience of working with external partners such as universities, charities, businesses and local employers.
• Experience of providing proactive professional support to a distributed, multi‑organisation team.
• Experience of working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of working in a research, evaluation or innovation support role.
• Experience of data collection to support reporting, e.g. collating information for annual reports.
• Understanding of the role of communications via digital channels in an organisation.
• Understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion.

• Excellent IT skills across Microsoft Office packages.
• Strong organisational, time‑management and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including investigators, research teams, R&D staff and external partners.
• Presentation skills, including the use of PowerPoint.
• Attention to detail when presenting and communicating information.
• Demonstrable understanding of the importance of continued and timely communication with external partners.
• Experience or enthusiasm for…