Research Associate Policy Challenge

Salary:35608.00 - 36636.00 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: 30 November 2025

About Insights North East

Launched in 2022 Insights North East is a policy hub created through a partnership between the regions universities the North East Combined Authority local government and the NHS to bridge the gap between policy research and practice and support regional policymakers in better design policies that address the needs of local communities. Supported by an investment of 2.78m from the Research England Development (RED) fund INE was initially established as a demonstrator to develop methods for delivering actionable insights to the regions policymakers and to develop capability for evidence-based policymaking.

The Role

The Policy Challenge Research Associate is central to Insights North Easts (INE) mission of mobilising knowledge to shape better outcomes for people and places across the region. Drawing on deep networks and a strong understanding of the policy environment the role will act as both connector and catalystbrokering relationships triaging policy challenges and curating research outputs that offer clear actionable insights. From leading evidence reviews and coordinating cross-sector networks to representing INE on regional and national platforms the successful candidate will bring a rare combination of intellectual rigour political acuity and collaborative skill. They will be instrumental in defining and delivering a high-quality responsive policy offersupporting long-term change in the North East while helping to establish INE as a nationally recognised leader in knowledge mobilisation for place-based policy innovation.

Launched in 2022 Insights North East is a policy hub created through a partnership between the regions universities the North East Combined Authority local government and the NHS to bridge the gap between policy research and practice and support regional policymakers in better design policies that address the needs of local communities. Supported by an investment of 2.78m from the Research England Development (RED) fund INE was initially established as a demonstrator to develop methods for delivering actionable insights to the regions policymakers and to develop capability for evidence-based policymaking.

The Policy Challenge Research Associate will sit at the heart of INEs work acting as both connector and catalyst across the regions policy academic and civic ecosystems. You will use your understanding of the policy landscapeand your ability to translate complex evidence into practical insightsto support and shape the regions policy and decision-makers.

You will lead the development and delivery of high-quality responsive research projects that tackle real policy challenges. From curating evidence syntheses and coordinating stakeholder workshops to representing INE on regional and national platforms youll ensure that our work has meaningful measurable impact.

This is a role for someone who thrives on collaboration enjoys complexity and is motivated by the potential of evidence to drive long-term systemic change.

This is a full time position available until 31 July 2026.

For all informal equiries please contact

Key Responsibilities

• Build and manage relationships with policymakers decision-makers and researchers across sectors.
• Broker and triage policy challenges designing and facilitating workshops that help define problems and shape INEs response.
• Lead evidence reviews and syntheses producing accessible outputs with clear actionable insights.
• Coordinate and deliver INE projects ensuring they meet deadlines budgets and impact goals.
• Work with INEs Research Engagement and Policy Leads to curate knowledge and mobilise expertise across the INE Associates Network.
• Represent INE at regional national and global levels through events publications and digital engagement.
• Contribute to the sustainability and evolution of INEs model helping to develop funding bids and refine our approach to knowledge mobilisation.

About You

You are an experienced at knowledge mobilisation and policy-relevent evidence based outputs. You bring intellectual rigour political awareness and an instinct for collaboration.

You will have:

• Proven experience building and managing relationships with policymakers or practitioners.
• Strong analytical and research skills with experience conducting or managing evidence. reviews resulting in a portfolio of academic and policy facing outputs.

• Experience identifying actionable insights for policy and practice audiences.

• Excellent communication skillsable to write speak and present with clarity across audiences.
• Experience managing complex multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience of organising and running events.
• A sound understanding of UK policy environments especially at regional or local levels.
• A PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field with strong research design knowledge.
• A genuine passion for improving outcomes for people and places in the North East.

Key accountabilities:

Providing high quality knowledge mobilisation service

• Relationship and network management with specific set of policy / decision-maker stakeholders.
• Upfront brokerage and triage for INE projects identifying response mode and delivering workshops to help define the challenge where appropriate.
• Development of pipeline policy challenges /Areas of Research Interest
• Work closely with Policy & Insights Lead to establish high-quality offer for the regions policy organisations and professionals.
• Drawing on network relationships and understanding of policy environment to spot opportunities for INE projects.
• Support development ofINE Associates network particularly in relation to policy / decision maker members and coordination of topic-based sub-groups.

Writing and curating strong outputs with clear actionable insights

• Lead on policy-challenge based evidence syntheses with support from academic specialists.
• Project management & delivery of specific projects on INE workplan within budget
• Engagement across INE Associates network to support engagement on INE projects and helpdevelop project pipeline.
• Work closely with Research & Evidence Lead to mobilise and curate academic expertise and evidence.
• Work closely on outputs with Engagement & Content Coordinator from early stage in project development.
• Support curation of evidence to support long-term change in the region.

Supporting role of INE as a leading knowledge mobilisation organisation

• Representing INE at regional national and global level through speaking opportunities writing blogs and other outputs to support.
• Follow national and regional policy developments
• Provide flexible support both leadership and hands on as needed across INE.
• Contribute to reflective practice of INE and iteration of INE model.
• Contribute to development of policy engagement practice & field of research working to help establish INE as a leader of policy and practice in place.
• Contribute to research funding bid development in support of the future sustainability of INE

The Person:

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 goldAthena 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: 28772