Research Fellow NIHR Partnership Grant (Maternity cover)

This is a fixed-term post for 1 year in the first instance. There may be other posts later in the project. Full and part-time applications will be considered. Remote or hybrid working possible. 

We are seeking an experienced Research Fellow to work on a partnership project with NHS and healthcare organisations to systemically improve the wellbeing of healthcare staff so that they can thrive.   

You will be responsible for the smooth running of this National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded research project that aims to improve the wellbeing of the UK healthcare workforce.  A key aim of the partnership is to ensure inclusion of ‘seldom heard’ groups, who are likely to include staff from racially minoritised groups, internationally recruited and disabled staff.

The reasons underpinning the current NHS workforce crisis are complex and nuanced and so we will take a mixed methods realist research approach to address knowledge gaps, and identify, develop and evaluate promising interventions. We are particularly interested in systems-level interventions that target multiple levels (e.g. individual, team, organisational) concurrently. We will use traditional and non-traditional approaches to develop interventions to improve staff wellbeing including co-design activities and will work with stakeholders including experts by experience to summarise and share our findings, to reach the widest possible audience, and optimise the likelihood of positive changes to practice, drawing on our collective national and international networks. 

We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher with mixed methods research skills, realist methodology experience, excellent project management and organisational skills. The successful applicant will be responsible for primary and secondary data collection and ensuring the smooth running of this large-scale workforce research partnership project, with strong supervision and support from an experienced wider research team.  

You will work as part of a national team and will be part of a vibrant wider research community at the University of Surrey through the Workforce Organisation and Wellbeing (WOW) expert group (https://www.surrey.ac.uk/school-health-sciences/research/workforce-organisation-and-wellbeing) and the Care Under Pressure research (https://workforceresearchsurrey.health/projects-resources/cup2/).

About the University of Surrey and School of Health Sciences

Sitting within the University’s Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences has achieved substantial success and is a leading provider of undergraduate and postgraduate education and is in the top 10 in the UK for research following the recent Research Excellence Framework assessment. 

As a Silver Athena SWAN award holder, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Disability Confident employer, we are committed to supporting equality, diversity and inclusion.

Studies have shown that women and other minoritised groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single criteria. In the School of Health Sciences, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with what is stated, we encourage you to contact us to discuss. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

Further information about the University and the School of Health Sciences can be found at http://www.surrey.ac.uk/school-health-sciences.

For an informal discussion please contact:

Professor Cath Taylor, cath.taylor@surrey.ac.uk, Jill Maben, j.maben@surrey.ac.uk or

Dr Ruth Abrams r.abrams@surrey.ac.uk.

Interviews: 21^st or 22^nd January 2025

Further details: Job Description

For more information and to apply online, please download the further details and click on the 'Apply' button above.

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