Local Authority Research Practitioner

Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; Salisbury; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a committed professional to join the Public Health Team within the Health and Care Directorate. The role focuses on embedding a culture of research to ground local decision-making in robust evidence and reduce health inequalities across Staffordshire.

You will work to foster research skills, build partnerships with academic networks, and lead funding initiatives to advance county-wide health outcomes.

Qualifications

• First degree or equivalent in a relevant subject and research experience.
• Experience working autonomously in complex environments and delivering multiple targets.
• Experience with academic or research institutions and networks.
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data sources and methods for health outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Foster development of research skills, processes, capacity and infrastructure in the team.
• Build collaborative relationships with county council, local stakeholders and academic networks to promote equity-focused research.
• Connect with regional and national research networks to foster collaborations.
• Provide guidance for colleagues to evaluate their work and engage in research via networking and knowledge sharing.
• Lead on identifying external funding sources and spearhead funding applications.

Skills

Academic research experience

Strategic thinking

Public health passion

Project management

Education

First degree or equivalent in a relevant subject

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - SP1

Help Staffordshire achieve our ambition of good health and wellbeing for all.

You’ll be working in the Public Health Team within the Health and Care Directorate focusing on embedding a culture of research. Our team provides oversight and delivery of the county’s public health responsibilities.

We provide specialist input, technical expertise, and leadership for a range of programme areas, working ‘upstream’ to prevent ill health and enable good health and wellbeing. Our focus is on prevention, improving health outcomes and reducing health inequities for all of Staffordshire’s residents.

This is available as a full-time role but we are happy to consider part‑time applications. please make it clear in your application if you would like to be considered for part‑time working.

This role is fixed term for 18 months.

Main Responsibilities

This is an opportunity to be part of our exciting programmes of work. You will be working to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities across Staffordshire by embedding a culture of research, to ensure local decision‑making on public health and the wider determinants of health is grounded in robust evidence.

To achieve this, you will:

• work with colleagues to foster the development and integration of research skills, processes, capacity, and infrastructure throughout the team.
• build collaborative working relationships with colleagues across the County Council, local stakeholders and wider academic networks, to promote the use of equity‑sensitive research.
• use your experience of working in an academic setting to connect into existing regional and national research and academic networks to foster collaborative opportunities.
• provide guidance and support for colleagues looking to evaluate their work and engage in research, through networking and sharing of knowledge and best practice.
• lead on the identification of external funding sources to take forward research activities within the county council, and take a lead role in applying for funding.

The Ideal Candidate

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

First degree or equivalent in a relevant subject (i.e. research) and experience of conducting research (ideally on the wider determinants of health)

• Experience of working autonomously, in complex environments and reporting structures, delivering a range of targets and work plans simultaneously.
• Demonstrable experience of working within, or with, academic or research institutions or networks.
• Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of applicable research methods, including approaches to identifying and critically appraising evidence and its application and planning and evaluating interventions and governance processes.
• Understanding of the different qualitative and quantitative sources of data and methods that can be used for measuring, analysing and interpreting health and wellbeing, needs and outcomes.
• Experience of preparing applications for external funding
• Evidence of contributions to published scientific work.
• Demonstrable knowledge of research terminology and the ability to translate research language and findings for a range of audiences.

The ideal candidate

• Academic research experience and networks -Substantial experience of working within an academic research setting. You’ll have a solid understanding and experience of the practicalities of research, including publishing, ethical review, grant applications etc.
• Strategic thinker– You need to be able to work at a strategic level whilst also using your strong project management skills to refine and deliver objectives.
• Passionate -You will be passionate about improving public health and reducing health inequalities and be committed to community engagement and coproduction.
• Committed-You will also be able to work effectively as part of the team to deliver our objectives and outcomes, with a high level of personal drive and integrity, and committed to proactively solving problems and developing innovative solutions to improve outcomes.

Interviews will be held on 5th November 2026

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

Please note: The minimum criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes, detailed below.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work‑life balance.

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer.

We encourage applications from all background and communities.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as yourapplication meets the minimum criteria for the post.