Post Doctoral Research Associate

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 61,000; Part time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate individual to join their research team in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. This role offers a unique opportunity to work alongside world leaders in the field, contributing to groundbreaking studies that aim to improve patient outcomes. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in both qualitative and quantitative research, with a focus on project management and data analysis. This position not only allows for flexible working arrangements but also provides a supportive environment for career progression within a diverse and inclusive organization. If you are ready to make a meaningful impact, this role could be the perfect fit for you.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Generous annual leave entitlement

Pension scheme

Access to NHS discount schemes

Health and wellbeing services

Qualifications

• Experience in conducting independent mixed methods research.
• Strong project management and supervision skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the NSIC Psychology Team in delivering research projects.
• Conduct focus group analysis and survey development.

Skills

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Project Management

Data Analysis

Statistical Packages (SPSS, R)

Office 365

NVIVO

Thematic Analysis

Communication Skills

Education

Doctoral Qualification in Clinical Psychology

Clinically Relevant PhD

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Forms

Excel

Job description

Band 7 or 8A depending on research experience

Main area Clinical Health Psychology Grade Band 7 or 8A depending on research experience Contract 12 months (Fixed Term contract/Secondment: Renewable pending award renewal from external funder) Hours

• Part time
• Home or remote working

7.5 hours per week (Tuesday or Wednesday due to other researchers' availability). Onsite or remote (if remote, occasional onsite working). Resident in the UK. Occasional evening work due to international partners and time zones (time can be taken back).

Job ref: 434-C7058913

Site: Stoke Mandeville Hospital

Town: Aylesbury

Salary: £46,148 - £60,504 per annum pro rata

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 07/04/2025 23:59

Be part of our BHT family

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) is an integrated provider of acute hospital and community services for people living in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area. We care for over half a million patients every year.

• Provide specialist spinal services at our world-renowned National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympics.
• Nationally recognised for urology and skin cancer services.
• Regional specialist centre for burns, plastic surgery, dermatology, stroke and cardiac services.
• Deliver community services in health centres, schools, patients’ own homes, community hospitals and community hubs.

More than 6,500 people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds work for us. We would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options. We strive to be a family-friendly, inclusive employer.

If you require any assistance in making this application, please contact [e-mail] or phone [phone].

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work – and invite you to join our BHT family.

Job overview

This post provides a unique opportunity for someone resident in the UK to work alongside world leaders in spinal cord injury research and contribute to the first international study looking at rehabilitation outcome and length of inpatient admission. We are seeking someone with strong qualitative and quantitative research knowledge, project management and supervision skills who can produce high-quality publications from this research.

The ideal candidate will have a doctoral qualification in Clinical or Health Psychology, or clinically relevant PhD, have experience of conducting independent mixed methods research, including coding and analysing complex data sets.

The postholder will support the NSIC Psychology Team to deliver research funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The grant is led by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago. Other psychology collaborators work in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, sites in the USA, alongside the NSIC. The total grant is $4.2 million. The NSIC is partnering with 8 spinal cord injury centres in England, who are Patient Identification Centres, user charities and professional groups for recruitment. The contract is fixed term as the grant is re-awarded annually, the overall project is scheduled to run until September 2028.

Main duties of the job

The project commenced 18 months ago, and the current post holder is relocating abroad and is unable to continue. Phase one of the project involved people with spinal cord injury, their care partners and rehabilitation professionals, with representation being sought from across the 8 NHS England commissioned spinal cord injury centres.

The post holder will be involved with focus group analysis and survey development, recruitment, delivery, and analysis. Specifically, this will involve the post holder coding alongside the clinical research assistant and international partners, the phase one focus group discussion, which will inform the survey. The second phase will involve development and piloting of the survey with people with spinal cord injury. The third phase will involve recruiting 500 people who have experienced SCIC based rehabilitation from one of the centres in England and survey their experience and preparedness for community transition and life with injury.

The postholder will be working under the supervision of Dr Jane Duff, Head of the NSIC Psychology Service, Principal Investigator for the grant, and working alongside/provide clinical supervision alongside Dr Duff to a Clinical Research Assistant.

The post holder will need some flexibility as there will be occasional evening work due to the international nature of this research, such time can be taken back flexibly. The postholder will need to be able to work Tuesday or Wednesdays and be resident in the UK.

What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?

• As part of our BHT family, you’ll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
• We offer flexible and agile working opportunities, alongside your NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement, pension and access to NHS discount schemes.
• We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.

Why work for us?

• We’re committed to promoting inclusion and making sure all colleagues feel they belong. We encourage new colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply.
• As an employer, we aim to create a workplace where differences are valued and colleagues treat one another with dignity and respect.
• Greater diversity within our BHT family improves positive outcomes for the people and communities we serve.

What do we stand for?

• Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.
• Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.
• Our CARE values are collaborate, aspire, respect and enable.

Proposed interview date: April 2025

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

If you have a disability that makes submitting this online application difficult and would like assistance, please contact us on [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number.

Person specification

EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING

• Post Graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology, health psychology or clinically relevant PhD

EXPERIENCE

• Experience as part of a research team/clinical trial or post graduate applied psychology research
• Experience of undertaking research in NHS settings
• Experience of reviewing study documents and conducting systematic literature reviews, conference presentations, papers for publication.
• Experience of project management with excellent organisational and planning skills
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with combined psychological and physical problems
• Experience of providing research supervision to colleagues with varied experience of research
• Highly specialist knowledge of psychological theory and its application to people with spinal cord injury, their families and carers and ability to integrate this with wider psychological and disability theory
• Experience of working with patients or family members who have lived experience of spinal cord injury, in a clinical or research capacity.

SKILLS, ABILITIES & KNOWLEDGE

• Excellent working knowledge and experience in using Office 365, including Microsoft Teams/Forms.
• Excellent knowledge and experience in understanding and implementing qualitative methodology, experience of transcription and using NVIVO for coding of qualitative data, Thematic Analysis and Directed Content Analysis.
• Excellent operational knowledge of handling large quantitative data sets, data storage and management.
• Knowledge of and proven use of statistical packages such as Excel, SPSS, and R and parametric and non-parametric analysis.
• Evidence of recent GCP training and knowledge of ethical and legal protocols and maintaining a site and project log.
• Proven ability to work to multiple deadlines, work effectively under pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
• Experience with social media, website design, and research impact.
• Skills in working alongside and liaise with other multidisciplinary staff based at the NSIC and wider national partners such as user stakeholder groups and international collaborators.
• Ability to work autonomously within the structure of clinical supervision.

Special circumstances

• Ability to work remotely with occasional travel to Stoke Mandeville Hospital (or onsite working).
• Ability to work Tuesday / Wednesday.
• Ability to do occasional evening work to collaborate with international partners (time to be taken back as part of working hours).
• Resident in the UK.

PPE requirements: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust requires all colleagues to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with our infection prevention and control procedures.

COVID-19 and Flu vaccinations remain the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the viruses when working in our healthcare settings. We encourage our staff to be vaccinated when recommended.

If you are successful at interview, we will require you to complete a Covid-19 risk assessment document.

Application deadline: This post will close on the closing date stated at midnight. If we receive a large number of applications or there is a change in circumstance, we may be required to close a job before the closing date.

Contacting you: We will contact candidates through the email address supplied on their application form. Please make sure you check this regularly.

Application information: If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Shortlisting: The monitoring and safeguarding sections are not made visible to the shortlisting panel. The safeguarding section may be made visible to the interview panel, dependent on the role being recruited into.

Travel expenses: It is Trust policy that travel expenses for interview will not be reimbursed.

Smoking: All Trust sites are NO SMOKING. Smoking in all areas of the buildings and premises is prohibited.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Contact Information:

Name: Dr Jane Duff

Job title: Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Email address: [e-mail]

Telephone number: 01296 838355

Additional information: Applicants are welcome to contact Dr Jane Duff for further information - 01296 838355 or email [e-mail].