Senior Research Associate in Social Care Research

The role

The School for Policy Studies undertakes research in a wide range of policy areas that affect us all in day-to-day life, ranging from housing and neighbourhoods to public health, family policy to social justice, health inequalities to domestic violence, child welfare to social care for adults, poverty to social work, governance to criminology.

The Senior Research Associate will be part of a team exploring the past, current, and potential role, of Meals on Wheels services within social care in England. The study will have two elements: (i) an analysis of trends in Meals on Wheels provision and uptake over time, predictors of service use and associations of service use with social-care-related outcomes, and; (ii) in-depth qualitative research to explore how different Meals on Wheels provision models operate, including how decisions about running services are made, what each model provides, required resources, costs for recipients, social care benefits, challenges, and service aspirations, to help identify efficient practices for running Meals on Wheels and the wider implications these have for policy and practice development. The main purpose of the role is to undertake the qualitative element of the study.

A DBS check will be required for the role.

What will you be doing?

Over 24 months you will:

Take responsibility for finalising and piloting the interview schedules, identify and contact potential Meals on Wheels providers to discuss participation in the study, arrange data collection and undertake interviews (either in person or online) with staff, service users and people who refer them to Meals on Wheels. You will also manage the qualitative data, undertake the data analysis and interpretation of findings, and lead and/or contribute to writing up papers.

You will be responsible for organising and actively participate in our advisory group meetings. You will be involved in all knowledge exchange and engagement activities.

You should apply if

• You are excited and interested in undertaking research in social care for adults.
• You have a track record of excellence in qualitative research and strong project management skills.
• You can build and maintain strong, effective relationships with a range of people from different sectors and levels of seniority.
• You have excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing.
• You are someone who can take initiative, has excellent organisational skills, is mindful of competing priorities and, enjoys working in a team.  

Additional information

For informal enquiries please contact: Dr Angeliki Papadaki (angeliki.papadaki@bristol.ac.uk)

Contract type: Open ended with fixed funding for two years

Work pattern: 100% time

Grade: J

Salary: £42,632 - £47,874 per annum

School/Unit: School for Policy Studies 

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 30/03/2025

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