PPIE and/or EDI Methodologist

Salary: £46,485 - £49,250 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: 13 January 2025

The Role

We are looking for a PPIE and/or EDI Methodologist to join the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) delivered by Newcastle University and Partners, hosted within the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. You will support delivery of the strategic aims and activities of the NIHR Research Support Service. They will be a first point of contact within the Research Support Service team for researchers from NHS, public health, social care, and Higher Education Institutions who are preparing applications for national peer-reviewed funding for health and social care research, and require guidance in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement and Equality and Diversity and Inclusion. 

You will have specialist skills in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) and/ or Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and will work closely with the PPIE Strategic Lead, the Directors, and other individuals and partner organisations. They will continue to advance their research portfolio outside their RSS role.   

You will be joining a team of around 100 staff, based locally and in partner and stakeholder organisations regionally and nationally.  

This is a full-time post (37 hours per week), fixed term until 30 September 2028.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Jo Lally at joanne.lally@ncl.ac.uk 

To apply, please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria required for the role outlined below by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Key Accountabilities

• As part of the Research Support Service (RSS) team, provide a point of contact for clinicians, academic staff and researchers developing research proposals for submission to nationally peer reviewed funding bodies
• Work closely with the RSS PPIE/EDI Strategic Lead to implement activities in support of RSS strategic aims, ensuring ongoing development, and identifying and mitigating risk to ensure successful delivery of the NIHR contract
• Plan and lead high quality research, project managing the research activity, supervising and taking responsibility for the research team.  Plan the research to be undertaken, as a self-contained item or as part of a broader programme
• Develop research proposals and funding bids to develop own research objectives and proposals for funding, as a self-contained item or as part of a broader programme
• Lead the writing up of own/collaborative research and publish in high quality peer reviewed journals and disseminate findings at conferences nationally and internationally
• Support methodologists to embed public involvement and research inclusion advice across the research spectrum, working to enable efficient and equitable access to the service
• Alongside methodologists (including statisticians, health economists, social care leads, clinical trials units, and other stakeholder organisations), provide high level advice to researchers including on research questions, methods and impact
• Co-ordinate and Chair meetings with patients and members of the public, researchers and a range of methodologists to ensure these are constructive and efficient and that actions are clear
• Remain up to date with RSS and national NIHR developments, including leading on the requirements of funding programmes, sharing details with researchers and RSS colleagues
• Work with others in the RSS team to develop and operationalise common processes across the region and enable equity in service provision and access
• Work as part of the RSS team to promote access to the RSS service in NHS, higher education, public health and social care settings and other relevant settings by engaging in events and activities 
• Play an active part in local, regional and national research networks, developing contacts with external bodies including funders and research leads locally, regionally and nationally
• Promote the RSS at national events, including leading discussions or chairing sessions at national RSS workstream events, conferences, playing a prominent role in driving forward the national work programme of the RSS
• Ensure that RSS activities are achieved to quality standards and deadlines, ensuring these data are recorded in an accurate, timely manner in the RSS database
• Regularly review individual and collective data on RSS, analysing and monitoring own and RSS performance against projected milestones to inform focused action within the region, and reports
• Deputise for the RSS PPIE/EDI Strategic Lead at regional and national forums as appropriate
• Work alongside the PPIE/EDI Strategic Lead and Chief Operating Officer to manage and monitor PPIE and/or EDI budgets
• Undertake appropriate continuing professional development in order to remain up to date with research methods and to continue to develop leadership skills
• Contribute to activities associated with the running and administration of the Institute, or perform other duties as required by the Directors

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Substantial experience of leading successful PPIE and/or EDI projects in a health and social care setting, and able to advise RSS researchers regarding theirs
• Substantial experience developing, facilitating and delivering training on topics related to PPIE and/or EDI, for researchers and/or public partners
• Expertise in one or more methodologies relevant to applied health and social care research (for example clinical trials, systematic reviews, qualitative research and community engagement)
• Proven knowledge of funding environment in social care research and applied health research, including experience of successfully preparing and securing external research funding as lead or co-investigator
• Track record of winning research grants as a lead or co-applicant
• A significant publication record in peer-reviewed journals, showing evidence of work of at least national/international quality
• High level of peer-review activities, including membership of research funding boards / committees
• Extensive knowledge of the processes and requirements of conducting health and social care related research
• Experience of managing, mentoring or supervising staff or students
• Vast experience of health research in an academic environment, including an understanding of issues in higher education, plus the research, social and political environments to inform own research and advise researchers
• Significant methodological experience and hands on experience of designing and delivering research and PPIE and/or EDI projects
• Familiarity with the range of methods used in applied health and social care research (including clinical trials, systematic reviews and qualitative research)
• Experience of acting as a peer reviewer, for grant awarding bodies and/or academic journals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills evidenced by contributions to publishing in peer-reviewed scientific articles, presentations etc.
• Ability to independently work efficiently under pressure and to multiple deadlines as well as strong planning and team working skills
• Ability and evidence to lead research teams
• Ability to understand and interpret complex ideas and communicate these simply to broad audiences, whilst maintaining meticulous attention to detail
• Experience of equality, diversity and inclusion issues in research involvement and participation

Attributes and Behaviour 

• Willingness to travel frequently within the North East and North Cumbria region and occasionally within the UK
• Self-motivated and pro-active
• Enthusiastic, innovative approach to challenges
• Ability to provide leadership in multi-disciplinary settings
• Ability to work with colleagues from a wide range of professional, research and public backgrounds and roles
• Ability to manage own workload and prioritise a complex set of responsibilities
• Flexibility with respect to working hours (in exceptional circumstances)
• Enthusiastic, innovative approach to challenges

Qualifications 

• Postgraduate qualification relevant to applied health and care research
• PhD in social care research, health research or related discipline e.g. health services research, health economics, health psychology, human nutrition, public health, medical sociology, health technology assessment, statistics
• Significant training and experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods and patient and public involvement and engagement

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 silver 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: 27821