Facilities & Innovation Connector

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking a proactive Facilities and Innovation Connector to grow engagement with its world-leading facilities and expertise. You will manage external partnerships, identify collaboration opportunities, and oversee outreach activities across faculties and external partners.

You will articulate value, nurture relationships and contribute to an ambitious knowledge exchange agenda, driving impact and income generation.

Qualifications

• Experience of stakeholder engagement, partnership development, business development or customer-facing relationship management.
• Ability to articulate the value and capabilities of Newcastle University's facilities to external audiences.
• Experience in developing outreach activities to promote services and opportunities.
• Strong interpersonal, networking and negotiation skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple enquiries, projects and relationships simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive, solution-focused, and capable of working independently or across teams.
• Enthusiasm for innovation, knowledge exchange and creating meaningful connections between the University and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Act as a key contact for external organisations seeking access to university facilities.
• Deliver an outstanding partner experience and progress opportunities efficiently.
• Develop outreach, marketing and engagement activities to increase awareness and utilisation.
• Identify and develop opportunities for collaboration, commercialisation and external engagement.
• Build relationships with businesses and public sector organisations as a trusted advisor.
• Support development of partnerships, proposals and agreements aligned with priorities.
• Represent Newcastle University at external events and networks to promote capabilities.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Partnership development

Business development

Customer-facing relations

Negotiation

Multi-project management

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Salary: £36,636 to £38,784 with progression to £46,049 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: 18 October 2026

From Newcastle. For the world.

Help shape the next generation of innovation

At Newcastle University, we are redefining what it means to be a world-class civic university. Through our Next Generation Newcastle transformation, we are making a generational commitment to shape a better future-delivering research, education and innovation that creates real-world impact locally and globally.

This is a moment of exciting change. We are strengthening our focus on partnerships, place and innovation to unlock the full value of our research and talent-working with business, government and communities to tackle the challenges that matter most.

As part of this, we have transformed our Knowledge Exchange function and created Newcastle Innovations -bringing together expertise in commercialisation, partnerships and engagement into a more integrated, ambitious and outward-facing model. We are building a dynamic innovation ecosystem that accelerates the journey from discovery to impact, connecting our strengths in health, energy, data and creative practice with real-world needs and opportunities.

If you are ambitious about innovation with purpose-and want to shape how a leading university delivers growth, impact and societal benefit-this is your opportunity.

Facilities and Innovation Connector

We are seeking an enthusiastic and relationship-focused professional to join the Newcastle Innovations Innovation Partnerships team and play a key role in growing engagement with the university's unique portfolio of scientific, analytical, cultural and creative, nutrition, and sport and exercise facilities.

Working across faculties, technical services, facility teams and external partners, you will help create a seamless and responsive experience for organisations seeking access to Newcastle University's facilities and expertise. You will raise awareness of our facilities offer, identify commercial opportunities, support partnership development and help maximise the impact and income generated through our world-leading infrastructure.

As a trusted connector, you will build relationships with businesses, public sector organisations and other stakeholders, ensuring that opportunities are efficiently routed, developed and translated into successful projects and collaborations.

Working closely with colleagues across Newcastle Innovations and the wider university, you will:

• Act as a key point of contact for external organisations seeking to access and collaborate through the university's facilities
• Deliver an outstanding partner experience, ensuring enquiries are managed efficiently and opportunities are progressed effectively
• Develop and deliver targeted outreach, marketing and engagement activities that increase awareness, enquiries and utilisation of university facilities
• Identify and develop opportunities for collaboration, commercialisation and external engagement, connecting organisations with relevant facility leads and academic expertise
• Build and maintain strong relationships with businesses, public sector organisations and other external stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor and connector
• Support the development of new partnerships, proposals and agreements aligned with university and faculty priorities
• Represent Newcastle University at external events, networks and showcase activities, promoting our capabilities and strengthening our reputation
• Work with colleagues to improve systems and processes that support facility management, partner engagement and operational efficiency
• Maintain accurate records of engagement activity through CRM systems and provide reporting on trends, opportunities and impact
• Contribute to the measurement and reporting of partnership outcomes and performance indicators, including those linked to knowledge exchange and external engagement

About you

You will bring:

• Experience of stakeholder engagement, partnership development, business development or customer-facing relationship management
• The ability to articulate the value and capabilities of Newcastle University's facilities and expertise to external audiences
• Experience of developing outreach activities to promote services and opportunities
• Strong interpersonal, networking and negotiation skills, with the confidence to engage a wide range of stakeholders
• The ability to manage multiple enquiries, projects and relationships simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• A proactive and solution-focused approach, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively across complex organisations
• An enthusiasm for innovation, knowledge exchange and creating meaningful connections between the University and external partners

Why join us?

You will be part of a University that is:

• A trusted civic partner with global reach
• Committed to turning research into real-world impact
• Investing in a bold, integrated approach to innovation
• Focused on delivering economic, social and environmental benefit

Together, we are building the next generation of innovation-connecting people, ideas and opportunities to shape a better future.

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 Gold 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.

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