We are the University of Cumbria, for and from Cumbria and our localities, rooted in serving our communities, with people, place and partnership at our heart. 

Now is a very exciting time to be joining us because we are delivering a new "Towards 2030" strategic plan focused on making the most of our three most valuable assets; People, Place and Partnerships, to become a catalyst for economic well-being for our region, nationally and internationally. 

We are looking for an experienced programme leader to partner with our leadership team, to support our business growth with strong interpersonal and leadership skills.  You will bring with you experience of driving people initiatives/actions that enable business growth and productivity initiatives.  You will be skilled at driving change and talent development.

This is a fantastic time to join the University where significant investment and transformation change is taking place meaning you will be heavily involved in People and Culture projects from the start.

Within this role, the successful post holder will manage the Innovation for Conservation (ICON) Programme. Positioned within the Institute of Science and Environment, the ICON Programme is a research-informed conservation initiative situated in the human communities that live adjacent to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. With a base established in the south of Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda and a northern field camp inside of the park, ICON develops tangible mechanisms for local people to benefit from living adjacent to protected areas via innovation, technical training, capacity building, and sustainability enterprises. Local people don’t presently benefit from the ecotourism activities inside the park and often experience negative interactions with wildlife via crop raiding and carnivore depredation of livestock. By facilitating opportunities for local people to directly benefit from this biodiverse-rich landscape, ICON strengthens resilience, improves human well-being via entrepreneurship, and reverses species loss via the implementation of novel conservation practice.

Working from the University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus, this Programme Coordinator position will manage the research administration at the site. This will include invoicing and receipting of programmatic expenses, developing new procurement contracts for various suppliers, and general financial management. The successful post holder will also be expected to develop an impact tracking data system for monitoring the progress made across a number of key performance indicators in the ICON Programme. Quarterly technical reports, along with more glossy annual reports, will be expected to be compiled. The successful post holder will provide leadership in donor engagement and event coordination and will be expected to travel to the site in Uganda annually. As part of this role, the successful post holder will also effectively engage and contribute to the Institute of Science and Environment and the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas at the University of Cumbria. 

This role is fixed term until December 31, 2027 with possibility of extension pending contract renewal with the funder. 

This role is based on-site due to the practical nature of the work.

Informal Enquiries: Prof. Robert A. Montgomery | Professor of Conservation Science | Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange and the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas | +44 1228242470 | robert.montgomery@cumbria.ac.uk

We offer a comprehensive set of staff benefits which includes a competitive salary, 35 days holiday plus bank holidays, hybrid working in line with business need, and an excellent pension scheme with 8% employer contribution. 

For more information about the University of Cumbria, click here.