Research Associate / Research Fellow in the Department of Health Services & Population Research – Maternity Cover

Job id: 074965. Salary: £42,405 – £60,221 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 13 October 2023. Closing date: 12 November 2023.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Health Services & Population Research.

Contact details:Professor Claire Henderson. [email protected]

Location: Denmark Hill Campus. Category: Research.

Job description

This is a 12-month maternity cover post. 

The overall purpose of the job is to co-ordinate all aspects of the study, including managing the research team. Position allocated will depend on relevant experience.

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) funded Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing 2 (RECOLLECT2, grant reference NIHR200605) to study the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Recovery Colleges and to identify how they can be optimised to maximise the benefit they confer to people who use mental health services. Recovery Colleges provide adult education to mental health service users, carers and staff, to support personal recovery (living as well as possible) and the recovery orientation of staff and affiliated services (supporting illness self-management and community participation). They are run jointly by mental health professionals and people with personal experience of mental illness.

RECOLLECT 2 is a mixed-methods study informed by a theory-based approach to evaluation. Further information about the RECOLLECT project can be found here:https://www.researchintorecovery.com/research/recollect/

We seek to identify the expected relationships between multiple service components and potential outcomes, while considering contextual factors potentially influencing the relationship between Recovery Colleges and outcomes.

The post-holder will bring and further develop substantial experience in a range of research methodologies, including qualitative data collection, longitudinal observational quantitative research, standardised measures, and outcome / process / economic evaluation. They will co-ordinate data collection involving multiple stakeholders, e.g. people using services, Recovery College staff, and Mental Health Trust Research and Development department staff. The post-holder will consolidate transferable skills, including people / project / finance management, international collaborations, working with people with lived experience of mental illness and recovery, and Good Clinical Practice. Career development support will be provided, including writing academic papers and submitting fellowship / grant proposals.

The post will be of interest to someone with mental health service research experience, an academic record shown by doctoral qualification and peer-reviewed publications, and a desire to become a world-class mental health service researcher in an internationally competitive research team. The candidate should have a commitment to recovery (whether developed through personal experience of mental illness and recovery or previous work in the area) and show evidence of the ability to engage productively with mental health service users, workers and managers.

This post allows for some flexibility in working hours and patterns. The post holder will be expected to work from our offices in Denmark Hill, south London for around 40-60% of their time, and may be required to attend site visits with partner organisations. The post holder will be able to work remotely from home for the remainder of their time if they wish to do so. King’s College London offers a pay and benefits package and information about these can be found here: https://jobs.kcl.ac.uk/gb/en/king-s-benefits . We welcome applications from diverse communities and backgrounds, including those with disabilities. 

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract until 16th December 2024.

Key responsibilities

Grade 6 Post-Doctoral Research Associate

• To proactively manage all operational aspects of the RECOLLECT 2 study, including protocol, ethics and timeline amendments, monitoring of KPIs, database management and, ensuring deadlines are met.  
• In collaboration with the Co-Principal Investigator and the Programme Administrator, to manage the financial and budgetary aspects of the study, specifically including proactive monitoring of expenditure to avoid cost over-runs and the use of research resources to ensure that effective use is made of them. 
• Providing supervision and line management for researchers working on the study 
• Co-ordinating the RECOLLECT 2: co-applicant group and individual consultants to the study; Lived Experience Advisory Panel; International Advisory Board; and Programme Steering Committee 
• Identifying and meeting professional development needs, especially in relation to acquiring a full range of methodological expertise and continuing to develop skills in and knowledge of research methods and techniques and contribute to the development of/or choice of techniques, models, methods, critiques and approaches. 
• Producing reports (e.g. for NIHR, CRN portfolio returns, HRA) and actively contributing to knowledge mobilisation activities, including organising conference presentations and disseminating research findings through leading peer-reviewed high impact factor academic publications throughout the programme. 
• To lead (both by involvement and through co-ordination) all aspects of data collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination, bringing personal expertise and harnessing the skills of other team members. 
• To work in conjunction with others in the research team in order to achieve objectives and deadlines of the study. To be responsible for resolving problems to meet research objectives and deadlines. 
• To communicate complex and conceptual ideas to those with limited knowledge and understanding as well as to other researchers, using a range of media. 
• Be responsible for the safe conduct of all work, consistent with School and University safety policies. 

Grade 7 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

All the above, plus: 

• Deputising for Prof Claire Henderson as Public Mental Health Theme Lead 
• Prepare and submit high quality and accurate applications for grants.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria for Grade 6 Post-Doctoral Research Associate:  

1.       PhD in a relevant field, for example epidemiology, statistics, psychology or public health. 

2.       Good interpersonal skills 

3.       Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with proven ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships both within and across organisational boundaries, report writing and presentation skills 

4.       Knowledge of all and expertise in some of the methods to be used in RECOLLECT 2 

5.       Experience and knowledge of mental health services research and health care systems.  

6.       Evidence of high-quality writing for academic and practitioner audiences, with evidence of ability to publish. 

7.       Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload, comfortable with changing agendas and re-prioritisation of workloads whilst meeting performance targets and milestones 

Essential criteria for Grade 7 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow:

All the above, plus: 

8.       Experience of supervising and managing research staff 

9.       Experience managing large multi-faceted projects 

10.     Involvement in successful funding applications 

Desirable criteria for both Grade 6 Post-Doctoral Research Associate and Grade 7 Research Fellow role:

1.   Clinical Qualification 

2.   Experience of working on a multi-site project 

3.    Personal experience of a mental health problem and recovery

Interviews will take place in November 2023.

Site visits may be required to recovery colleges affiliated to NHS trusts, and these may require covid vaccination. 

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.