Centre Administrator

Salary: £29,588.00 per annum with progression to £31,236.00

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: 1 October 2026

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity to join the NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health as a Centre Administrator.

This is a key role in the Specialist Centre for Public Health. Reporting to the Senior Research Administrator, you will provide administrative support to this £22 million NIHR investment.

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.

The successful candidate will be interested in working in a fast-paced and varied environment. As the Centre’s first point of contact, you will develop excellent working relationships with stakeholders across England. You must therefore be a confident communicator, with a passion for outstanding customer service. You will have a keen eye for detail, developing and implementing effective and efficient administrative systems. Excellent time management and organisational skills are essential, as well as the ability to manage a diverse workload.

To apply for the position, we will need your CV and a personal statement outlining how you are suitable for the role, using evidence to highlight how you meet the essential criteria as listed in the job description.

This is a full-time position, fixed term until 30th September 2028.

For more information and an informal discussion, please contact Laura Lewis, Senior Research Administrator laura.lewis@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

• Provide administrative support to the Director and Deputy Director of the Centre, Chief Operating Officer and Centre team as required, including (but not exclusively) diary support, meeting coordination, travel arrangements and booking accommodation to ensure that the Centre runs smoothly. This may also include collating information and drafting correspondence which may be incorporated in reports, letters, proposals, or presentations.
• Co-ordinate and support Centre meetings and working groups including arranging meetings, coordinating papers, drafting agendas, taking minutes, maintaining and proactively managing actions.
• Provide administrative support to the Centre’s Pre-Award Research Design Advice Team to ensure the timely provision of research advice. Administer appropriate systems for triage; response to clients; and the allocation of workload across the Centre and Satellites’ methodological expertise, including inputting and capturing information on the Centre database in accordance with research governance and data protection legislation, and funder (NIHR) reporting requirements.
• Lead the administration of designated processes within the Centre, including receiving initial enquiries; application of standard operating procedures (escalating as appropriate) and monitoring of progress.
• Be the first point of contact for the Centre communicating clearly with the Centre team, Satellites, collaborators and stakeholders and University professional services staff.
• Support the reporting of management information including taking responsibility for maintaining database(s) of information; gathering data from multiple sources, extracting reports as required and ensuring the integrity of data entered / recorded and that data is managed in accordance with data protection legislation and funder guidelines.
• Manage the procurement of consumables and equipment and ensure efficient distribution of items.
• Process and monitor payments including invoices and expense claims ensuring that all expenditure is against the correct budget sub-headings. Ensure that the receipt of goods and/or services is confirmed, and assist in the resolution of invoicing, coding or expenses queries, to provide an efficient service and assist the Centre in adhering to the University’s Procurement Regulations. Early escalation of all financial queries to the Senior Research Administrator.
• Organise meetings, conferences and other stakeholder engagement events e.g. Public Involvement and Community Engagement (PICE) events led by the Centre team.
• Develop, implement and maintain effective office procedures and systems to ensure that support is efficient, timely and accurate.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and participate in Professional Support Staff working groups as required.