We have an exciting job opportunity for a 2 year fixed-term Research Fellow!
Part time contract for 2.5 days per week (.5 FTE)
Salary £59,850.00 pro rata.
This part time role is part of a collaborative partnership between Affinity Health at Work, UCLH and the London Centre for Work and Health (LCWH), bringing together expertise in workforce health and wellbeing, organisational psychology, occupational health and applied research.
The postholder will be employed by Affinity Health at Work (on a fixed term basis for two years), and work collaboratively with the team at UCLH to support the development and evaluation of staff health wellbeing initiatives, contribute to high-impact research and funding applications, and help shape sustainable approaches to staff health and wellbeing within the NHS and wider work and health sector.
About the role
The role is part of a collaborative partnership between Affinity Health at Work, UCLH and the London Centre for Work and Health (LCWH), bringing together expertise in workforce health and wellbeing, organisational psychology, occupational health and applied research. The postholder will be employed by Affinity Health at Work (on a fixed term, part time basis for two years), and work collaboratively with the team at UCLH to support the development and evaluation of staff health wellbeing initiatives, contribute to high-impact research and funding applications, and help shape sustainable approaches to staff health and wellbeing within the NHS and the wider work and health sector.
The role forms part of a broader initiative to strengthen workforce research and evaluation capacity and to help establish a sustainable, externally funded workforce evaluation and research programme within UCLH in collaboration with academic and clinical partners. The postholder will contribute to high‑impact research, stakeholder engagement, grant development and collaborative funding applications, helping shape future approaches to staff health, wellbeing and organisational support.
The Research Fellow will support the design, delivery and dissemination of applied work and health research including evaluation of organisational and psychologically informed workforce wellbeing interventions within NHS settings. Responsibilities will include coordinating day‑to‑day research activity, contributing to study set‑up and governance, collecting and analysing data, supporting stakeholder engagement, preparing reports and publications, and contributing to the planning, scoping and development of future research proposals and funding applications.
The role would suit someone with experience in occupational health, work and health, psychology, public health, rehabilitation, long‑term conditions, mental health, workforce wellbeing, or a related applied research field.
Key responsibilities
- Support grant planning, funding scoping and development of research proposals, including identifying funding opportunities and contributing to grant applications (e.g. NIHR and charitable funders).
- Assist in developing future collaborative research programmes and strategic research partnerships.
- Coordinate and manage key components of work and health research projects.
- Support study set‑up, including preparation of research documentation, ethics and governance applications.
- Develop and maintain study materials, databases, records and project documentation.
- Collect, manage, analyse and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data.
- Undertake literature searches, evidence reviews and synthesis to inform project delivery.
- Support recruitment, data collection and engagement with participating organisations or stakeholders.
- Organise and contribute to project meetings, advisory groups and steering groups.
- Draft, prepare and support the submission of academic publications, reports, conference abstracts and practitioner outputs.
- Contribute to the preparation of manuscripts for peer‑reviewed journals and dissemination to academic, professional and policy audiences.
- Prepare presentations, briefings and summaries for a range of academic, clinical and organisational audiences.
- Communicate research findings clearly to internal and external stakeholders.
- Maintain high standards of research governance, confidentiality, data protection and ethical practice.
- Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, including researchers, clinicians, practitioners, employers and policy stakeholders.
- Contribute ideas to future research development, funding applications and knowledge mobilisation.
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific, professional and policy developments in work and health.
Candidates should have:
- A degree in a relevant subject, with a master’s degree or equivalent research experience.
- Experience planning, coordinating or delivering applied research.
- Experience working as part of a research team.
- Knowledge of occupational health, work and health, psychology, public health, long‑term conditions, mental health, rehabilitation or related fields.
- Experience preparing research documentation, reports or academic outputs.
- Ability to collect, analyse and interpret research data.
- Understanding of research ethics, governance, confidentiality and data protection.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to build productive working relationships.
- Ability to work independently with appropriate supervision.
- Flexible approach and willingness to learn new research methods, systems and applications.
- PhD/ Doctorate in a relevant subject.
- Publications or conference presentations in work and health, occupational health, psychology, mental health or related areas.
- Experience of systematic reviews or evidence synthesis.
- Experience of mixed‑methods research.
- Experience of trials, feasibility studies, implementation studies or service evaluation research.
- Experience working in complex healthcare or organisational environments.
- Knowledge of statistics or biostatistics.
- Experience using statistical or qualitative analysis software.
- Experience working with employers, healthcare organisations, policy stakeholders or practitioner groups.
- Experience supporting grant applications or research funding proposals.
Personal attributes
- Rigorous and organised.
- Collaborative and approachable.
- Confident working with diverse stakeholders.
- Able to translate evidence into practical outputs.
- Comfortable balancing research quality with real‑world delivery.
- Proactive, flexible and able to work with uncertainty.
- Committed to improving work, health and wellbeing through applied research.
Working Arrangements and Supervision
- The post will be located at Affinity Health at work and will operate as part of the wider Affinity Health at Work team.
- The post holder will work collaboratively with UCLH and the London Centre for Work and Health (LCWH).
- Regular partnership meetings will take place every two weeks initially, moving to monthly as required.
- The post holder will contribute to collaborative research activity, stakeholder engagement and funding development across organisations; this will require on‑site working at UCLH.
- The role will include research supervision and support of a Research Assistant based at UCLH.
- The role will be hybrid, working at home and onsite at UCLH.
- Day‑to‑day working arrangements, reporting lines and supervision structures will be agreed collaboratively across partner organisations.
Salary and benefits
The salary for this role is £59,850 pro rata (aligned to NHS Band 7 including Inner London Weighting Allowance). Fixed‑term contract of 2 years at .5FTE (2.5 days a week) annual salary of £29,925.00.
Please note: due to the nature of this role we only consider applicants who meet the essential job criteria above and are based in the UK/EU. We are unable to offer Visa Sponsorship or relocation.
Disability Confident Employer
We are a Disability Confident Employer and are committed to inclusive and accessible recruitment. We actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and from people with long‑term health conditions or neurodivergent identities. As part of our commitment, any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview. We are also happy to discuss and provide reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process or during the internship, to ensure everyone has a fair and positive experience.
