Local Authority Research Practitioner

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Help Staffordshire achieve our ambition of good health and wellbeing for all.

You’ll be working in the Public Health Team within the Health and Care Directorate focusing on embedding a culture of research. Our team provides oversight and delivery of the county’s public health responsibilities.

We provide specialist input, technical expertise, and leadership for a range of programme areas, working ‘upstream’ to prevent ill health and enable good health and wellbeing. Our focus is on prevention, improving health outcomes and reducing health inequities for all of Staffordshire’s residents.

This is available as a full-time role but we are happy to consider part‑time applications. please make it clear in your application if you would like to be considered for part‑time working.

This role is fixed term for 18 months.

This is an opportunity to be part of our exciting programmes of work. You will be working to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities across Staffordshire by embedding a culture of research, to ensure local decision‑making on public health and the wider determinants of health is grounded in robust evidence.

To achieve this, you will:

• work with colleagues to foster the development and integration of research skills, processes, capacity, and infrastructure throughout the team.
• build collaborative working relationships with colleagues across the County Council, local stakeholders and wider academic networks, to promote the use of equity‑sensitive research.
• use your experience of working in an academic setting to connect into existing regional and national research and academic networks to foster collaborative opportunities.
• provide guidance and support for colleagues looking to evaluate their work and engage in research, through networking and sharing of knowledge and best practice.
• lead on the identification of external funding sources to take forward research activities within the county council, and take a lead role in applying for funding.

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

First degree or equivalent in a relevant subject (i.e. research) and experience of conducting research (ideally on the wider determinants of health)

• Experience of working autonomously, in complex environments and reporting structures, delivering a range of targets and work plans simultaneously.
• Demonstrable experience of working within, or with, academic or research institutions or networks.
• Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of applicable research methods, including approaches to identifying and critically appraising evidence and its application and planning and evaluating interventions and governance processes.
• Understanding of the different qualitative and quantitative sources of data and methods that can be used for measuring, analysing and interpreting health and wellbeing, needs and outcomes.
• Experience of preparing applications for external funding
• Evidence of contributions to published scientific work.
• Demonstrable knowledge of research terminology and the ability to translate research language and findings for a range of audiences.

The ideal candidate

• Academic research experience and networks -Substantial experience of working within an academic research setting. You’ll have a solid understanding and experience of the practicalities of research, including publishing, ethical review, grant applications etc.
• Strategic thinker
  – You need to be able to work at a strategic level whilst also using your strong project management skills to refine and deliver objectives.
• Passionate -You will be passionate about improving public health and reducing health inequalities…