Research Associate

Role Description

Department

This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established multi-disciplinary research team to work on two studies concerned with the care and support of children with life-threatening and life-shortening conditions. One, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, is investigating spiritual care, including the role of NHS and hospice chaplaincy services.  The other, funded by the Martin House Research Centre, is developing a measure of ‘patient experience’ for use in paediatric palliative care settings. We are looking to appoint a skilled and experienced qualitative researcher interested in these topic areas. The studies are part of a portfolio of research on children’s palliative care being carried out by the cross-departmental Martin House Research Centre. You will be based in the Social Policy Research Unit (within the Department of Social Policy and Social Work) which has a longstanding track record of applied and impactful health and care services research.

Role

Your main role will be as one of the qualitative researchers working on these studies. Study participants are children, young people, parents and NHS and children’s hospice staff.  You will also support public patient involvement work associated with both studies, and make a substantive contribution to disseminating study findings to a range of audiences. There will also be opportunities to contribute to efforts to secure further research funding for studies in this area.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications needed

• You will have a first degree in a relevant social science or humanities subject, and a PhD relevant to/related to the research programme (or equivalent post-graduate research experience).
• Your research experience to date will cover all aspects of the qualitative research process and you will have IT skills necessary to manage your work and conduct qualitative analysis.
• You will have experience of carrying out research on sensitive topics and focus groups methodologies.
• Ideally, you will have experience of patient/public involvement, doing qualitative research with children/young people, and conducting research in NHS/hospice or similar settings. 
• You will have led, or played a significant role in, writing up research for publication. You will be comfortable working independently and as part of a team.
• You will have excellent communication skills, and experience of using these skills across the entire research process.
• You will have experience of, or be strongly committed to securing experience of, involvement in developing research funding applications.
• You will be able to travel throughout England for fieldwork.

Condition of appointment

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Consequently, all applicants will be asked to declare both unspent and spent convictions on their application form.

Appointment of the successful candidate will be conditional on a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

This is a fixed term post for 17 months from 1 May 2021 to 30 September 2022. (Some flexibility re start date may be possible.)

Interview date: 24 February 2021

For informal enquiries: please contact Professor Bryony Beresford at bryony.beresford@york.ac.uk

We may be able to offer flexible working and would welcome applications from candidates looking to job share.