Research Assistant/Associate (Health Services Research)

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum, pro rata

Research Associate: £33,966 to £41,732 per annum, pro rata

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: 07 October 2024

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join a research team based at Newcastle University working to work on one or both of the following projects. The first study aims to improve palliative care for people with multiple long-term conditions, The second will investigate support for spiritual health in primary care. You will work with the leads, Dr Felicity Dewhurst, and Dr Orla Whitehead, along with Professors Barbara Hanratty, Katie Brittain and Amy O’Donnell. These projects are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the John Templeton Foundation, USA.

Both posts are fixed term until 31st December 2025. One 100% full time equivalent is available across the two projects. The palliative care post has the possibility of extension beyond 2025.  We will welcome applications from people who wish to work less than full time.

Enquiries can be directed to Dr Felicity Dewhurst (Email felicity.dewhurst1@newcastle.ac.uk), Dr Orla Whitehead (Orla.Whitehead@newcastle.ac.uk) or Professor Barbara Hanratty (Barbara.hanratty@newcastle.ac.uk)

The Population Health Sciences Institute is committed to supporting equality, diversity and inclusion for all staff and students.  Applications for part time/flexible working are welcome; please state your desired working arrangements in your application.

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

Key Accountabilities

You will take a leading role in the study conduct, including data collection and analysis, to ensure the aims and objectives of the study are addressed. This will include some or all of the following tasks.

• Obtaining ethical approvals
• Leading an evidence synthesis project
• Planning and executing  surveys
• Recruiting and interviewing study participants
• Working with our experts by experience including our lay co-applicants and expert stakeholder group
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records to document the research progress. Report progress regularly to the PI and other members of the team.
• Compiling reports for funder and peer reviewed publications, presenting data at group meetings and conferences, and preparing feedback for participants.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of conducting high quality research in an academic environment
• Experience of conducting applied health research on sensitive topics
• Experience of evidence synthesis, qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting
• Ability to carry out research project work within agreed timelines, meeting project milestones and producing research to an appropriate standard
• Ability to prioritise key tasks
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect research/personal data according to protocols and principles of good research practice
• Demonstrable ability to work in a range of settings and situations across disciplines. 
• Ability to prepare reports and papers for presentation at national and international conferences and meetings
• Evidence of ability to write for high quality peer reviewed publications
• Ability to present findings at leading health, public health and social science conferences
• Evidence of skills in empirical research involving primary data collection using qualitative techniques
• Evidence of skills in using relevant software data management packages (e.g. STATA, R, NVivo, EPPI-Reviewer) 
• Commitment to own personal development

Desirable

• Experience of survey design
• Experience of conducting applied health research in sensitive areas (e.g. end of life and palliative care)
• Experience of preparing research proposals and securing grant income

Attributes and Behaviours

• Ability to work independently and as part of the research project team
• Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with others
• A willingness to seek help when unsure of next steps
• A willingness to travel within the UK if required

Qualifications

• For appointment at research associate level, a PhD in a subject relevant to multi-method research on palliative and end of life care for people with multiple long-term conditions e.g. public health, social gerontology, epidemiology or a closely related subject
• For appointment at research assistant level, first and masters degrees in a subject relevant to multi-method research on palliative and end of life care for people with multiple long-term conditions
• Demonstrable training in qualitative and/or quantitative + mixed and/or evidence synthesis methods relevant to palliative and end of life care research

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: 26961