Psychology Assistant

Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university is seeking a Psychology Assistant to support research in behavioural science and applied health. The role involves data analysis, participant recruitment, and administrative tasks, contributing to impactful studies on health psychology. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits, including generous annual leave and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

40 days annual leave

Local pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Annual increments within pay scale

Qualifications

• Degree (2.1 or above) in Psychology or related subject.
• Proficiency in IT, including Email, Internet, Microsoft Office, SPSS or R.

Responsibilities

• Support systematic reviews, data entry, and analysis.
• Participant recruitment and delivery of research projects.
• Maintain confidentiality and professional standards.

Skills

Communication

Planning

Problem Solving

Education

Degree in Psychology

Tools

SPSS

Microsoft Office

Job description

20079BR

School of Psychology

Technical

Advert

Psychology Assistant

School of Psychology

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, highly motivated graduate with a behavioural science background (e.g., psychology) with an interest in developing a research career in behavioural science and applied health research. You will join a growing team of researchers undertaking studies into psychological and behavioural influences on physical health in the School of Psychology. You will have an interest in growing your academic understanding of the research area and developing skills in behavioural science and applied health research by providing comprehensive and professional support to the group in terms of research and administration. This will include supporting systematic reviews, data entry and analysis, preparation of reports and manuscripts for publication, participant recruitment and delivery of research projects and support patient and public involvement in projects as required.

This position is full time and fixed term for 15 months or until 30 November 2026 (Whichever is soonest) and available from 10 June 2025.

Secondment opportunity welcome - please note for Cardiff University members of staff interested in this post on a secondment basis, permission will need to be sought from your current Line Manager before applying.

Salary: £27,644 - £30,805 per annum (Grade 4). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

For informal enquiries please contact - Professor Kavita Vedhara - [e-mail]

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 40 days annual leave (incl. bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It's an exciting and vibrant place to work with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

Date advert posted: Monday, 12 May 2025

Closing date: Monday, 16 June 2025

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Providing comprehensive and professional support to the group in terms of research and administration. This will include supporting systematic reviews, data entry and analysis, preparation of reports and manuscripts for publication, participant recruitment and delivery of research projects and support patient and public involvement in projects as required.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To develop a deep and critical understanding of literature in key areas.
• To become familiar and proficient in relevant research methods (training and support provided).
• To gain expertise across a range of recruitment methods suitable for patients and healthy volunteers
• To undertake recruitment and assessments of participants (e.g. survey completion; online testing, telephone follow-up)
• To understand and convey project information, which may need careful explanation or interpretation.
• Establish productive relationships with key individuals (University colleagues and external contacts) to ensure delivery of research.
• To ensure that participant recruitment targets are met, maintain confidentiality and professional standards and work as an effective member of the overall team effort.
• To participate in and convene regular team meetings by presenting progress updates (including, for example, numbers recruited, problems encountered) and contributing ideas.
• To carry out administrative tasks such as data collection, recording and maintaining records and data as required for the proficient running on the project, with supervision.
• To support and train others in the project team as required in the project procedures.
• To ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in respect of equality and diversity, data protection, copyright and licensing, security, financial and other University policies, procedures and codes as appropriate.
• To work flexibly as part of a team to achieve the study objectives, adapting to new procedures, taking on new tasks consistent with the role, and facilitating the development of the study.
• To perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
• Gather and analyse data (e.g., questionnaire and biological data) so that informed decisions can be made, establishing basic trends and patterns in the data and providing reports and recommendations for management
  
  

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
• Uphold the Professional Services Values & Behaviours or local equivalent
  
  

Person Specification

Person Specification

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criteria as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below each sub-heading. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (e.g. 20079BR) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education

• A degree (2.1 or above) in Psychology or related subject
• Proficiency in IT, including experience of using Email, Internet, Microsoft Office, SPSS or R (data entry and analysis).
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Specialist knowledge of behavioural science/health psychology and applied health research, particularly in the area of psychological behavioural science/health psychology and applied health research, particularly in the area of psychological influences on physical health
• Experience of working in an administrative role or environment and ability to set up standard office systems and procedures, making improvements to these as appropriate.
  
  

Communication and Team working

• Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding.
  
  

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving

• Proven ability to work on own initiative and unsupervised to strict deadlines, planning, organising and setting priorities for own work appropriately and demonstrating accuracy and attention to detail at all times, proposing practical solutions.
• Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose practical solutions and to resolve problems where there are a range of potential options available monitoring priorities.
• Experience of conducting own research or supporting research of others (e.g., participant recruitment, testing, ethics applications, contributing to research papers)
  
  

Desirable Criteria

• Masters in Health Psychology, public health or related subject areas.
• Experience of designing own research projects
• Evidence of authorship of peer reviewed publications
• Experience of research in NHS settings
• Experience of recruiting patients to research studies.
• Experience of working in a higher education environment
  
  

Salary Range Min.

27,644

Salary Range Max.

30,805

Job Category

Technical

Grade

Grade 4