Research Fellow in Implementation Science

About the role

This thirty-month post will enable you to explore the implementation of a new approach to identifying and offering early help to young children who are likely to have difficulties with language and communication as part of a larger multi-method study across England.

We want to work with a great qualitative researcher, who has excellent practical, analytic, and conceptual skills. You will be working as part of friendly and supportive multi-disciplinary team including academics and national project partners. You will be based in the Implementation and Innovation Research Group (IIR) at Northumbria University, working primarily with Sebastian Potthoff and Tim Rapley.

Working as part of multi-disciplinary team, you will support the delivery of qualitative work on the NIHR PRP funded ELIM-I research project by undertaking research activity, writing up research work for publication and collaborating with project partners. The qualitative work will involve interviews, focus groups and observation with front line and managerial staff and parents, carers, and children over multiple sites across England. Some of the fieldwork will be conducted in person, so at times there will be travel to different parts of England, some will also be conducted remotely.

The ELIM-I study seeks to understand and explore how a new approach to identifying and offering early help to young children who are likely to have difficulties with language and communication – ELIM-I: Early Language Identification Measure and Intervention – has been implemented.

Initially, the ELIM-I team will map the diversity of the implementation across England. It will them formally evaluate the implementation process, impact on services, families and children and estimate costs. The qualitative work will explore the implementation processes across a range of sites.

For further detail see the job description.

This role is fixed term for 30 months and will start in May 2025.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 therefore the successful candidate will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

About the team

The study is a collaboration between University partners – Oxford University, Newcastle University and Northumbria University - alongside a national project partner - Institute of Health Visiting.

You will be will embedded in the Implementation and Innovation Research Group (IIR) - a small friendly cross departmental group between Nursing, Midwifery and Health and Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing at Northumbria University.

You will be formally based in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University.

About you

To be successful in the role you will have:

• Excellent practical, analytic, and conceptual skills in multi-method qualitative research.
• Knowledge of contemporary debates in implementation in health and/or social care is essential, and knowledge of debates and challenges relating to speech, language and communication needs is desirable.
• Ability to travel for purpose of data collection to various locations in the UK is essential.

You will hold a PhD, have submitted your PhD or be about to submit your PhD in the next two months, or have equivalent experience, in a health and/or social science related discipline.

Further information is available in the person specification.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Sebastian Potthoff - sebastian.potthoff@northumbria.ac.uk or Professor Tim Rapley -tim.rapley@northumbria.ac.uk

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