HDRC Research Lead (Qualitative)

This role has a starting salary of £45,680 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

This is a 2-year fixed term contract/secondment opportunity.

Are you looking for a role that can influence and improve how research and evidence is used in decision-making? Are you interested in addressing the unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes? We are hiring a new Research Lead (Qualitative) to join HDRC Surrey. You will be part of the HDRC Surrey research team, supporting organisations in Surrey to become more research-active and to help us bring together evidence for what works best to improve and protect the health of our residents. By working together, we aim to achieve a research-led and evidence-based approach to meeting health priorities in Surrey.

The team is based in Reigate; however, this is a hybrid role and you will have the option of working from home or from another Surrey County Council office. You will be expected to attend an office at least two days per week.

Rewards and Benefits:

• 26 days\’ holiday (prorated for part-time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years\’ service and 30 days after 5 years\’ service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer\’s leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary-related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Surrey County Council has been awarded £5m from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to implement a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). This is a 5-year initiative aiming to boost research capacity and capability within local government and embed a culture of always using evidence when making decisions. HDRC Surrey will be delivered through five workstreams:

• Research infrastructure and governance: Improving tools, processes and support systems to help people conduct research and gather evidence.
• Capacity building: Supporting local authority staff, communities and residents to develop and build the research skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to carry out effective research on important issues and find potential solutions.
• Knowledge sharing: Promoting research and evidence, ensuring it is seen as important and relevant, and supporting knowledge mobilisation, transfer and dissemination.
• Research practice, evaluation and impact: Embedding research evidence in everyday practice at the local authority, focusing on conducting robust research, impact assessments and evaluations to measure effectiveness and impact.
• Public involvement: Embedding meaningful public involvement at the heart of Surrey HDRC\’s work, ensuring the voice of people drives HDRC Surrey\’s strategies and methods.

About the Role

You will be providing essential qualitative research skills to the HDRC team. You will use your theoretical knowledge and practical experience of qualitative research approaches and methods to lead on the development and implementation of research projects. As part of this role, you will also support local authority staff and wider partners in building their qualitative research capacity and capabilities.

The Research Lead (Qualitative) post will form an integral part of the workstreams, with a predominant focus on research design, delivery and implementation. You will also have opportunities to be involved in developing processes for research ethics, supporting research skills training, contributing to funding applications, and conducting evaluations.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Postgraduate qualification, or equivalent relevant experience, reflecting strong research skills.
• Specialist knowledge and experience of qualitative research methods.
• Experience in developing, delivering and evaluating formal project evaluations and/or research projects and/or research funding applications with robust methods and ensure they will be of benefit to the Council.

As part of your application, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• What has motivated you to apply for this position?
• Please provide examples of your specialist knowledge and experience with qualitative research methods. How have you applied these methods in previous research projects?
• Tell us about a time where you were responsible for developing, delivering, and evaluating a formal project evaluation or research project. What methods did you use, and what were the outcomes?
• Using specific examples, how have you supported local authority staff or wider partners in building their qualitative research capacity and capabilities?

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 20/04/2025 with interviews planned from 12/05/2025. We look forward to receiving your application; please click on the apply online button below to submit.

If you are an internal candidate applying for a new position/secondment, please discuss your intention to apply with your line manager before submitting your application.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application.
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form.

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.

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