Business Development Manager – Newcastle University

We are looking to appoint a Business Development Manager to lead and manage the ongoing development of business relationships of the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), funded by Research England and led by Newcastle University, through nurturing new and leveraging existing partnerships.

You will be part of the coordinating team of NICRE and will work with NICRE staff and business partners to develop associated and compatible new income generation to support the Centre’s long-term sustainability. The role will include scoping, co-creating and facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities targeted especially to SME representatives and advisors.

CPD will support and build upon NICRE’s business-facing work streams and emphasise pooling of experience and good practice, drawing upon exemplar enterprise and innovation support networks, services and initiatives and sharing these for wider benefit. This activity’s foundation is the need to foster rural productivity and innovation through upgrading competences of SME owners, managers and staff, as well as those of mainstream economic development officers and others in the public, private and third sectors who advise and assist businesses, in order to improve how enterprise development and innovation are best supported in rural areas.

NICRE will undertake research and knowledge exchange to inform policy, foster the innovation and resilience of rural businesses, and unlock the potential of rural economies across the UK. It is funded by Research England and founding University Partners. NICRE builds on three leading centres of expertise: (Centre for Rural Economy and Newcastle University Business School, the Enterprise Research Centre at Warwick and the Countryside and Community Research Institute at Gloucestershire/Royal Agricultural University).It involves a partnership between Universities, Government departments, local authorities and enterprise partnerships, businesses organisations, rural stakeholders and enterprises. Baldwins Accountants and Strutt & Parker Property consultants are its founding national professional business service partners. 

This position is available full time, fixed term from the 01 September 2020, and tenable for 30 months in the first instance, or until the 31 August 2023. 

For any informal enquiries, please contact by email:

Mr. Martin Cox, Director of Business Development and Enterprise, Martin.Cox@newcastle.co.uk  

Prof. Matthew Gorton, Professor of Marketing matthew.gorton@newcastle.ac.uk

Prof. Jeremy Phillipson, Professor of Rural Economy jeremy.phillipson@newcastle.ac.uk