Job Description

Salary: Reserach Assistant - £33,951 - £35,608 per annum

Research Associate - £36,636 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: 08 October 2026

The Role

Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies invites applications for a Research Assistant or Associate to join the ESRC New Investigator project ‘Growing Green Talent: Building Local Skills Ecosystems to Connect Young People to Low Carbon Jobs’. You will be working alongside the project PI to examine how local skills ecosystems in England are responding to the growth of low carbon jobs by creating and adapting skills provision for young people. The project will involve qualitative interviews with policymakers and employment and skills stakeholders in two English case study regions to understand skills initiatives and strategies around growth sectors like carbon capture, electric vehicles, and heat pumps, and what impacts this is having on local skills outcomes. Additionally, the project will interview young people pursuing education or training for these emerging sectors, or considering doing so, to examine their experiences and perceptions.

We are looking for someone with an interest in and knowledge of green sectors and industries, the further education system, and local and regional economic development. Importantly, you will have experience of conducting qualitative research involving interviews and focus groups. Alongside the project PI you will arrange and conduct interviews with research participants, which may involve some travelling to regions of the UK. You will code the data in NVivo or other suitable software, and deliver high-quality analysis of the data. You will share research findings, in collaboration with the PI, in academic presentations, policy workshops, and in peer reviewed academic journals. You do not need to live in Newcastle but will be expected to work on campus at least several days a month, and be present for any in-person interviews which will likely be in the North East of England and the West Midlands. There is also likely to be some travel to academic conferences in the UK and abroad.

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. You will also be given opportunities to progress your own career development through training and through dedicating some of your time to career development activities.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Newcastle University is committed to the responsible use of research metrics as part of our research culture and research strategy. We advocate for the transparent, appropriate, and inclusive use of metrics, guided by expert judgment, to support high-quality, impactful research that is open, collaborative and sustainable. Click here for our full policy statement on the Responsible use of Research Metrics. Click here for a self-study e-learning module on the Responsible Use of Research Metrics.

Find out more about the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/hass/.

Find out more about the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/.

Find out more about the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/.

Find out more about the Department of Geography : https://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/about/geography/.

Contact for the post is sanne.velthuis@newcastle.ac.uk.

Duration of post: until 31 April 2028 (17 months based on a start date of 01 December 2026).

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the conceptual or methodological aspects of the project.
• Collect, analyse and interpret qualitative research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes. Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• To lead on organising two policy workshops, with support of the PI
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Knowledge of at least one of: local skills ecosystems and English skills policy; green industries and sectors; local and regional economic development
• Experience of conducting qualitative research (interviews and/or focus groups) with a variety of groups
• Experience of qualitative analysis
• Experience of engaging with policy audiences (desirable)
• Experience of event organisation (desirable)
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences including at academic conferences
• Proven ability to analyse and interpret data and write-up results for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capacity

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team.
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• Honours degree in human/economic geography or related social science discipline

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in human/economic geography or related social science discipline

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.

Requisition ID: 29716