Policy Advisor (Local & Regional) PEC

Salary: 35608 to 37694 with progression to 46049 per annum (pro rata)

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: 28 September 2025

We are looking for an outstanding policy advisor with a passion for the North Easts creative industries to join our supportive and high-performing Policy Unit. You will have strong policy and public affairs skills and enjoy working with rigorous academic research to develop and advocate for policy recommendations that support the growth of the creative industries.

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) is a world-leading independent research centre led by Newcastle University with the Royal Society of Arts in London. We work closely with government and industry to shape creative industries policy across the UK and in the region. Our research and advice regularly feature in national and local government policy including the UKs recent Creative Industries Sector Plan and the North of Englands One Creative North initiative. We have an active programme of policy engagement in the North East and are developing new region-focused research projects.

You will play a pivotal role in growing the Creative PECs policy impact in the North East of England as well as strengthening our engagement with local government across the country. You will develop and nurture key stakeholder relationships; develop and manage regional policy impact initiatives; collaborate with partners across the University; and pro-actively identify and to act on new opportunities for policy impact.

The Role

This Policy Advisor (Local and Regional) role is a part of the Creative PECs Policy Unit which is responsible for maximising the policy impact of the Creative PECs work. The Policy Unit collaborates with Creative PEC researchers translating research in an engaging way for our policy and industry audiences and provides policymakers with recommendations and strategic advice to ultimately enact policy change for the creative industries.

The Policy Unit is based across the Creative PECs twin hubs in RSA House in London and Newcastle University. This role is based at Newcastle University.

Reporting to the Head of Policy - and working closely with colleagues based in Newcastle University - this role is responsible for managing the Creative PECs policy development and impact activities in the North East of England as well as with local government across the country.

You will identify and develop relationships with key stakeholders; advise and provide management on regional policy impact initiatives; pro-actively identify opportunities for policy impact; and coordinate with Creative PECs Research and Communications Units to effectively disseminate Creative PEC research to our local and regional policy audiences.

This role is based in our Newcastle University office and is a part time (22.2 hours per week) fixed term opportunity available until 31st May 2028. Our preference is for fixed working days (Monday to Wednesday) however we can be flexible and this can be discussed further at interview stage.

As an employee of the University you will have access to a range of excellent benefits including generous holiday pension and health and wellbeing packages.

To apply please complete the online application and upload a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role detailed in the person specification section.

If you are selected for interview you will also be asked to complete a short task before the interview. You will be assessed on how well you complete the task as well as your performance in the interview.

For informal enquiries regarding the role please contact Bernard Hay Head of Policy

For more information about the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre see:

Key Accountabilities

• Support the Head of Policy to develop a forward programme of policy-development and engagement activities in the North East to support regional creative industries growth drawing on the PECs wider resources at Newcastle University and its broader research programme
• Build relationships with relevant policy stakeholders in the North East of England as well as key stakeholders in the University including the Universitys Policy Academy and Insights North East
• Pro-actively identify relevant opportunities for local and regional policy impact in the North East and with other local and combined authorities across the UK
• Research and author high-quality policy briefs blogs and government submissions that draw out key messages from Creative PEC and wider research
• Represent the Creative PEC at external meetings and events
• Provide policy reviews on relevant Creative PEC research outputs and provide editorial support on policy-focused reports
• Provide regular and timely policy updates to the Creative PEC core team and research consortium including advising research colleagues on evidence gaps policymakers are facing
• Contribute to and help organise policy-focused events for example policy roundtables and networking events
• Develop communication and engagement strategies for relevant Creative PEC reports working with the Communications Unit to disseminate research to key stakeholders
• Collect monitoring and evaluation data on our policy impact particularly with local and regional policy audiences
• Take on other duties as reasonably required

The Person

Knowledge Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable knowledge of UK policy and political landscape particularly related to devolution in England and/or culture and creative industries
• Demonstrable experience of working with policy makers and/or industry stakeholders to successfully influence policy in a relevant area
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to influence senior policy stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative approach able to build effective relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders
• Able to rapidly understand and translate academic research for diverse audiences particularly from economics and social sciences
• A strong copy editor with an excellent attention to detail
• Highly organised and comfortable juggling different projects
• Demonstrable experience in project management including events planning
• Prior experience in a policy or public affairs related role is preferred but not essential

Attributes and Behaviour

• Proactively identifies opportunities for policy impact and able to understand the implications of political developments for their own work and that of colleagues
• Works in a planned and structured way and uses own and others time efficiently
• Sets own priorities in conjunction with Policy Unit and wider organisation objectives
• Acts in a collaborative inclusive collegiate transparent and open manner acting with integrity and able to build trust with colleagues and partners
• An energetic and can do approach which will inspire and enthuse others ready to take the lead in driving forward initiatives
• Remains calm when responding to high-pressured situations and tight deadlines
• An articulate and confident communicator able to deal with difficult situations and to challenge where necessary
• An ability to act objectively in dealing with complex problems issues and decision making
• Strives to deliver highest quality results and has a positive attitude for adopting better ways to work

Qualifications

• First Degree or equivalent level qualification and/or experience in a similar role

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 silverAthena 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.

In addition we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 28544