Job description

We would like to invite applications for a Research Assistant, working on the Integrating our Mental and Physical Healthcare Systems Programme (IMPHS). This is a Maudsley Charity funded research programme running in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), which has the aim of improving the physical health of people using SLaM service. Academically, the role will be hosted within the Centre for Implementation Science at KCL, which leads on the overall evaluation of the IMPHS programme.  

The post holder will work across multiple workstreams and interventions. This involves the recruitment of research participants, liaising with key stakeholders including clinical staff, patient and carers, qualitative and quantitative data collection and entry, report and paper writing and dissemination of results. This post will be based at the Centre for Implementation Science, Health Service and Population Department at the Denmark Hill campus (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience) of King’s. The postholder will have excellent written and oral communication and organisation skills and will demonstrate motivation and enthusiasm. Previous experience of working with people with serious mental illness is essential. 

This is a full-time post but we will consider part time applicants and job shares. This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 11 months, with likely extension until December 2022 

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent 

We encourage applications from people who are underrepresented at our university, such as those from a Minority Ethnic background.

Key responsibilities

• The post holder will be required to work flexibly and collaboratively across different workstreams to: 
• Assist with recruitment of research participants (service users and staff)
• Assist with the design of interviews and surveys
• Collect both quantitative and quantitative data
• Assist with data management and analysis
• Assist with public and patient involvement and engagement
• Assist with writing academic papers
• Assist with the dissemination of research
• Data entry and management

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 

Qualifications/training

•         Minimum 2:1 degree in Psychology, Social Sciences, Health Sciences  or other relevant area

Skills/experience

•         Relevant research experience, e.g. conducting and designing quantitative and qualitative research, designing and managing online surveys

•         Experience or knowledge of writing academic papers

•         Excellent written and oral communication skills, including communication with patients,  carers and clinical staff

•         Experience of working with people with mental health conditions

•         Experience developing frameworks and conducting qualitative analysis on Nvivo or equivalent software 

Knowledge 

•         Knowledge of serious mental illness and health inequalities

•         Experience of working with people with serious mental illness

•         Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of colleagues

•         Demonstrated ability to multi-task and prioritise different task demands

•         Excellent working knowledge of MS Office, particularly the use of Excel for data management

Competency

•         Ability to demonstrate flexible and collaborative working, and living the KCL values

Desirable criteria

•         Experience of involving people with mental health conditions in research

•         Knowledge of the relationship between physical health and serious mental illness

•         Experience of working across organisational boundaries / on collaborative projects

•         Lived experience of mental health issues, and experience of using mental health services

•         Working knowledge of statistical packages (e.g. Stata, SPSS, R, etc) 

•         Working knowledge of the NHS