Research Associate - Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation

Job description

We are really pleased to offer this excellent opportunity to join our growing team in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care as a Research Associate within the NIHR Policy Research Unit for Palliative and End of Life Care. This new Policy Research Unit (PRU) is funded for three years, in the first instance. It will provide policy-makers at the Department of Health and Social Care with timely, relevant, and rapidly-accessible evidence to help them make policy decisions that improve care for patients with advanced illness and their families/carers.

The Policy Research Unit for Palliative and End-of-Life Care is a collaboration led from King’s College London and Hull York Medical School at University of Hull, working in collaboration with the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University and partners from other Universities. We are currently advertising several posts across these three universities; the focus of this post is quantitative research methods including routine data analysis.

The Policy Research Unit will undertake a core programme of policy research, informed by current and future needs of patients and their families/carers. The PRU will also have a Rapid Response facility that delivers timely, high-quality evidence summaries tailored to policy-makers’ needs. The Policy Research Unit will deliver findings directly to users of the research (particularly policy-makers) through a range of outputs including policy briefings, reports and academic papers.health and social care professionals, and patients and family carer

esearch and the Rapid Response facility. They will support the wider dissemination and engagement activiThe post hlder will lead on quantitative analysis, utilising varied datasets including routine data, to support the core programme ofo policy rsociated with the work of the PRU, with a focus on the quantitative research stream. The post holder will lead the dayties as-to-day management of the quantitative research, ensuring that high quality research is delivered on time. They will demonstrate excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work alongside a range of colleagues including academalongsideic staff, policy makers,

s.  This is an excellent opportunity to build research skills and work internationally renowned groups of researchers. The post holder will report to, and work closely with, the PRU Director Professor Katherine Sleeman.

You must have a doctoral degree level qualification in a relevant discipline and experience of conducting research in health care environments. Ideally, you will have experience in palliative or end of life care research. Writing skills are valued, and experience of authoring papers for publication, and research protocols is critical. Experience of working collaboratively in large multi-disciplinary research teams, and service users/relatives, clinicians and service providers, would be a definite advantage. We are looking for an energetic dynamic, self-directed and committed individual with an interest in becoming a key part of our end-of-life care research team.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract till December 2026.

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

Key responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day management of the quantitative research stream of the core PRU programme, ensuring that high quality research is delivered on time.
• Work as part of a team contributing to the rapid response PRU facility, pivoting to new work strands rapidly and effectively, with a focus on quantitative research approaches.
• Lead on gaining access to relevant data (e.g. CPRD) and ensure data management procedures are followed.
• Conduct quantitative data analysis using appropriate statistical software (e.g. Stata or R).
• Draft publications for peer reviewed journals and reports for policy makers.
• Assist in the dissemination of research through conference presentations and other outputs (e.g. blogs).
• Support the research, dissemination and engagement activities associated with the work of the NIHR Palliative and End of Life Care Policy Research Unit (PRU).
• Assist in the development and monitoring of impact for past, current and planned research.
• Contribute to research and education activities within the Cicely Saunders Institute.

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

1. PhD with focus on quantitative methods, and a track record of scientific publications.
2. Degree in health or social sciences or similar, awarded to a high level (e.g. first or 2:1).
3. Experience in quantitative data analysis, including routine data, management of large datasets and data linkage, and use of statistical software (such as Stata, R or equivalent).
4. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Able to produce high quality reports and academic papers, demonstrating attention to detail and accuracy.
5. Highly organized, self-motivated, ability to work independently as well as part of a team, ability to work to deadlines and prioritise competing workloads, flexible and able to meet tight deadlines.
6. Demonstrates a commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity

Desirable criteria

1. Experience in policy research and/or policy engagement.
2. An understanding of issues relating to palliative/end-of-life care.
3. MSc in a relevant subject (e.g. Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics).

*Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information

We are committed to continually improving the diversity of our workforce, and therefore we encourage applications from all groups. This includes from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups, the LGBTQI+ community, those who are neurodiverse and those with a disability. King’s considers the professional and personal development of our staff a priority and we offer an inspiring range of opportunities for training and career progression. Our Organisational Development team provide in-house and bespoke learning.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearance.