Research Associate - Cell Soothe

Greater Manchester Mental Health; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community health organization in Manchester is seeking a dedicated individual to join their multi-disciplinary research team investigating digital interventions for women in prison who self-harm. The successful candidate will engage in participant recruitment, data collection, and contribute to writing research papers. This role includes traveling to various prisons, and offers a supportive environment with opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Excellent pension

Cycle to work scheme

Wellbeing programme

Qualifications

• Knowledge/experience of analysis and interpretation of statistical/analytical research outcomes.
• Proven track record of high quality publications in peer review journals.
• Reliable means for traveling independently across the Trust.

Responsibilities

• Contribute towards the day-to-day operation of the study.
• Assist with writing funding applications for research.
• Regularly liaise with study collaborators to recruit eligible study participants.
• Conduct and write systematic reviews for publication.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to form effective working relationships

Computer literacy

Excellent organisational skills

Ability to work under time-pressure

Education

Good Honours Degree in Psychology

Master’s Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job overview

The Cell‑Soothe project aims to co‑develop content for a digital self‑harm intervention for women in prison and to understand barriers and facilitators to the use of digital interventions within a custodial setting. This preliminary project will :

• Establish the model of change and theoretical underpinnings of the intervention;
• Determine preferable and permissible app content and content safeguards;
• Develop an understanding of prison specific technical requirements and limitations; and
• Establish a feasible way to deploy and evaluate the app within a prison context.

Job Summary / Purpose

The post-holder will form part of a multi-disciplinary research team that is investigating how to develop and evaluate a digital intervention for women in prison who self-harm. The successful candidate will contribute towards the day-to-day operation of the study. The post-holder will be involved with participant recruitment, data collection, analysis and write-up.

The role will include travel to prisons within the women’s estate where the post-holder will be expected to help establish and maintain good relationships between the research team, prison staff and participants.

Main duties of the job

The role will include travel to prisons within the women’s estate where the post-holder will be expected to help establish and maintain good relationships between the research team, prison staff and participants.

The post-holder will receive line management support from the Chief Investigator / Project Manager, Forensic Research Unit in Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). This includes regular line management supervision, clear objective setting for 3, 6 and 12 months and annual appraisals thereafter (depending on continued funding for the post).

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust operates across Greater Manchester, delivering inpatient and community-based mental health care, specialist services and substance misuse services. We support a diverse workforce and encourage innovative ideas to improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Research grants writing

• Assist with writing funding applications for research.

Communication and networking

• Regularly liaise with study collaborators and other stakeholders to identify and recruit eligible study participants.
• Assist with the promotion of the research to stakeholders.
• Contribute to and write papers about the research in high profile reports and publications.
• Present information research progress and outcomes to management groups.
• Assist with the presentation of research findings at internal and external meetings, conferences nationally and internationally.
• Liaise with research colleagues and support administrative staff on routine matters.

Research and administrative activities to support funding bids

• Conduct and write systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses for publication and to inform future research and grant applications.
• Contribute to the development/design of qualitative and quantitative studies with the members of the team.
• Assist with the running of any pilot trials or research studies conducted within the team.
• Liaise with relevant funding bodies, research support network (NIHR Research Design Service) and R&I departments of partner organisations.
• Assist with the of any focus groups or consultation groups with service users and/or other stakeholders to inform research.
• Assist in servicing meetings, including production of agendas, writing of minutes and reports and taking follow-up action as required.
• Support the Lead and team members on other relevant research/administrative activities as required.

Staff benefits

• Pay Enhancements
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
• Excellent pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Wellbeing programme
• fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria:

• Good Honours Degree in Psychology (2 : 1 or above) and a Master’s Degree or equivalent experience.

Desirable criteria:

• Possessing or working towards a higher research degree.

Knowledge

Essential criteria:

• Knowledge/experience of analysis and interpretation of statistical/analytical research outcomes.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of digital mental health research.

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria:

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to form effective working relationships with colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Computer literacy – advanced skills in database (e.g. Microsoft Excel) and word processing packages.
• Ability to prepare and present research reports and presentations.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Ability to work under time-pressure and meet strict deadlines and prioritise accordingly.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience extracting and coding data from clinical case notes.
• Experience of writing to publications.

Other Requirements

Essential criteria:

• Proven track record of high quality publications in peer review journals.
• Reliable means for traveling independently across the wide footprint of the Trust and occasionally the North West region to attend meetings and events relevant to the role.

Desirable criteria:

• Evidence of national and international research collaborations.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click.

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are actively ensuring our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under‑represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.