Senior Research Associate Connecting Evidence to Decision-Making project

The role

We are looking to recruit experienced researchers to join the ConnectED (Connecting Evidence to Decision-Making) project. ConnectED is a partnership project led from the University of Bristol and includes the University of West of England, the Adult Social Care departments of Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire; and Sirona Care and Health (a large independent social care provider) and Dhek Bhal (a smaller social care provider), and the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

The project aims to support the integration of research and practice in adult social care; to build research capacity within social care practitioners; and to evaluate project activities.

What will you be doing?

• Work closely with a range of agency decision-makers to increase the use of research in decision-making
• Work collaboratively with practitioners, service users and carers, and the wider research team on a range of activities designed to develop research capacity and research use.These will include assisting with literature reviews and evaluations, conducting training in research methods, arranging workshops to share learning across partners and supporting the development of research funding proposals. The post holders will collect qualitative and quantitative data on research evidence use within the LAs and social care providers at the start of the project and again at the end.

You should apply if

• You want to help social care managers and practitioners use research to make the best decisions they can in order to improve outcomes for service users and carers
• You enjoy building research capacity amongst key decision-makers in social care, from front-line practitioners to the most senior managers
• You understand the challenges of implementing research into front-line practice
• You can build strong, effective relationships with a range of people from different sectors and levels of seniority.
• You want to ensure that researchers address the things that matter to service users and carers and practitioners
• You are familiar with a broad range of research methods, including systematic reviews
• You are someone who can get up to speed quickly, thrives on digesting lots of information, is mindful of competing priorities, and can drive activity forward in a sustainable manner.
• You have a track record of excellence in research and strong project management skills

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.