Research Associate

The Edinburgh Napier Business School situated on our Craiglockhart campus, is one of the largest modern Business Schools in Scotland. Our industry links are second to none and we have developed excellent connections with the corporate community and organisations such as Scottish Enterprise, and the Chamber of Commerce. We also act as official advisers to the Scottish Government.

Our Centre for Military Research, Education & Public Engagement is currently the only research, education, public engagement, and practice unit in Scotland dedicated to the armed forces and we are currently recruiting a Research Fellow to support the research team over a 24-month period, in conjunction with The Armed Forces Covenant, NHS Lothian and the Scottish Veterans Wellbeing Alliance. The post holder will provide support on two separate projects.

The Projects

One is Too Many project - ALERT – act together to prevent suicide:

Working across the Scottish public and 3rd sector and informed by veterans, ALERT will deliver, research, innovate, teach, and disseminate evidence-based innovations which support veterans at risk of suicide ensuring a specific focus on veterans who are most at risk, whether that is through identity, interest, or place.

AFFIRM ‘Armed Forces First Interaction, Resolution and Management’:

This project will design, implement, and evaluate new procedures and training to improve the identification and follow on interventions of veterans utilising unscheduled care capabilities. Raising awareness around the armed forces community is a key priority for our health and social care system. Affirm through the well-established Scottish Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Alliance will work with a range of new partners who provide unscheduled care and crisis responses to ensure that veterans who utilise the services are connected to organisations and partnerships which deliver a wide range of support interventions and services to veterans and their families.

The Role:

As a Research Fellow, you will be in an excellent position to use your experience of collecting and organising data to organise and conduct interviews and focus groups, assist in fieldwork, as well as manage and process the data collected from the study.

Your experience of recruiting participants to research studies will serve you well as you use a realist evaluation design method to conduct appreciative inquiry workshops with key stakeholders, veterans, and respondents.

Furthermore, you will have opportunity to take a leading role in collecting and organising the data, assisting with submission bids for research funding and reporting to the research steering group. This will see you building valuable working relationships with internal stakeholders, as well as participants in the study (military personnel, local council and Government, third sector charities related to military lives).

This is a rewarding role that will allow you to truly make a difference to our military veterans and their families by examining the effectiveness of existing social prescribing initiatives delivered by the Wellbeing Alliance, and working across the Scottish public and 3rd sector to make significant improvements to the services that will most positively impact those at risk.

What we will need from you:

• Experience of recruiting participants for research studies
• Experience of data collection skills, including interviews
• Able to process and manage data collected during the course of a study
• Understanding of veterans landscape in Scotland, including support related to mental health and wellbeing
• Experience of Armed Forces Covenant Fund programmes

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