Strategic Partner Manager

Description:

The Strategic Partner Manager will play a vital enabling role in supporting and strengthening the Innovation Observatory’s external partnerships across the health, life sciences, care, and research ecosystem. The postholder will proactively manage the organisation’s relationship portfolio to ensure that all engagement activities are strategically aligned, operationally efficient, and well-coordinated across teams.

Working collaboratively across internal teams including across all job families and roles, the postholder will support an extensive programme of cross-portfolio engagement initiatives and provide oversight of financial agreements and contracts that underpin strategic partnership contracts and activities. This includes aligning activities nationally across the National Institute of Health and Care infrastructure, alongside the health, life sciences and social care ecosystems to maximise the Innovation Observatory’s ability to join up at a system level and reduce potential for duplication.

The role also contributes to identifying and advancing new partnership opportunities that align with and support the Innovation Observatory’s long-term strategic vision. Regular travel and national-level representation of the Innovation Observatory will be required. Strong planning, organisational and project management skills are critical, alongside the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, and make sound decisions under pressure.

The role reports directly to the External Relations and Knowledge Mobilisation Manger and will have line management responsibility for one our Engagement Coordinator(s).

The post is full time, fixed term until 31st March 2031.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Dominic Lamb ( dominic.lamb@newcastle.ac.uk ) or Professor Dawn Craig ( dawn.craig@newcastle.ac.uk ).

To apply for this role, please submit a CV and covering letter with your application.

Key Accountabilities

Partner and Stakeholder Management:
 

• Proactively manage the Innovation Observatory’s portfolio of strategic delivery partners, monitoring the health and progress of relationships.
• Support the development of partnerships, through the identification of opportunities for collaborative working across priorities and programmes.
• Act as the primary point of contact for key partners, ensuring timely communication and follow up, for productive relationship development.
• Coordinate and oversee the Innovation Observatory’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, maintaining high level quality standards, and regularly mapping and monitoring new and emerging relationships.
• Maintain operational oversight of financial agreements and contracts related to strategic partnership activity, including the monitoring of timelines, deliverables, and compliance processes.
   

Sector And Partner Intelligence
 

• Lead on the organisation and support delivery of cross-sectoral and cross-portfolio engagement activities — such as meetings, workshops, roundtables, listening exercises, discovery sessions, collaborative forums — working with both internal colleagues, strategic delivery partners and external stakeholders.
• Gather, synthesise, and report intelligence about stakeholders, policy developments, and sector opportunities to support strategic planning and partnership development.
• Produce concise and accurate briefings, summaries, and reports on partnership activity for internal use, governance, reporting and planning.
   

Brand Promotion/Business Development
 

• Support the creation and delivery of partnership-facing communications and documentation, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with organisational values.
• Contribute to the identification and development of new strategic relationships, supporting the Innovation Observatory’s long-term goals for collaboration and impact.