The Irishman has been interim manager since Kevin Keegan left the club in September.
Kinnear said: “Ever since I came to Newcastle United I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“The players have been great to work with and the fans have made me feel at home since day one.
“We have a big challenge ahead of us for the rest of the season but together I’m confident we will make good progress.
“We have some very good players already at this club and hopefully we can further strengthen the squad in January and I will be working very closely with the directors to try to achieve that.”
