Research Data Scientist HDRC North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Council; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

North Yorkshire Council seeks a Research Data Scientist to advance their Health Determinants Research Collaboration. This pivotal role will involve data analysis and collaboration with local partners to tackle health inequalities and improve health outcomes across North Yorkshire. The successful candidate will help develop a research culture and data infrastructure while utilizing their expertise in data visualization and statistical methods.

Benefits

Market-leading pension scheme

Generous leave entitlement

Retail and travel discounts

Access to modern technologies

Commitment to staff development

Green travel loan scheme

Free eye test for computer users

Qualifications

• Knowledge of wider determinants of health and health inequalities.
• Experience supporting development of data infrastructure.
• Skilled in collecting and analysing data for real-world problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop data infrastructure to support research.
• Analyze and visualize data linking public sector sources.
• Collaborate with local partners on research initiatives.

Skills

Data analysis

Data visualisation

Statistical research methods

Project management

Communication skills

Job description

North Yorkshire Council has secured £5 million to tackle inequalities and improve health outcomes across North Yorkshire through research. The funding has been awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to create a pioneering Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) in North Yorkshire.

This collaboration will undertakeground-breaking workwith the Universities of Hull and York to develop the research culture of the Council and build partnerships to conduct and use research on the health and wellbeing issues that matter to communities, and which reduce inequalities.

HDRC North Yorkshire is part of a wider £105 million investment from the NIHR for a series of local government partnerships across the country to improve local authorities’ capacity and capability to conduct high-quality research to tackle health inequalities. A core element of this investment is to make it easier for council staff and our partners to access, share and use data for research. The investment will embed a culture of evidence-informed decision-making within local government and will help to stimulate economic growth, particularly in some of the UK’s most deprived areas.

The HDRCs, spanning the length and breadth of the UK, follow a major drive for enabling research to address wider determinants of population health and health inequalities. Working in partnership with residents, including diverse and seldom heard communities and the voluntary sector, HDRC North Yorkshire will focus on identifying local solutions to tackle health inequalities and improve health outcomes.

What is the job role?

Developing a research culture is central to the delivery of HDRC North Yorkshire, and the Data Scientist role is pivotal to the delivery of our research ambitions. We are recruiting a Research Data Scientist in a joint appointment, working across the Council’s Data & Insight and core HDRC team.

The postholder will work at the interface of research, policy, and practice with a focus on inter-council data linkage: identifying and sourcing data, analysing, visualising and interpreting data on the wider determinants of health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities.

The postholder will be responsible for developing data infrastructure, architecture, and systems to support the Council on its journey to becoming more research active. They will connect with local and regional partners to explore opportunities for collaboration and data sharing across the evolving research ecosystem to enhance our understanding of wider determinants of health and wellbeing.

The postholder will work collaboratively with frontline Council staff, managers, and leaders, supported by our growing research community of practice. You will work alongside other HDRC NY staff leading work areas of behavioural science, health economics, public involvement in research and research governance. The postholder will lead and develop research data related activities that meet the Council’s research needs and help ensure that outputs from HDRC NY are impactful. The postholder will receive an honorary contract with the University of Hull and access to academic support and supervision through our wider HDRC partnership.

Who are we looking for?

You will:

• Have knowledge of the wider determinants of health and health inequalities, and the role local government and other agencies play in addressing them.
• Have experience of supporting the development and continuous improvement of data infrastructure and systems.
• Have experience of managing the development and review of systems, and working in a Trusted Research Environment, to analyse a range of research data and other intelligence, identifying trends, emergent issues, risk factors, and areas for further research.
• Be skilled in collecting, cleaning, organising and analysing information about North Yorkshire population health, linking data sources across the public sector, and insight from our communities, with the purpose of solving real-world problems and answering priority research questions.
• Be proficient in data processing, data visualisation and statistical/analytical research methods using a variety of technologies and approaches.
• Possess knowledge of data quality, approaches that enable researchers to gain access to data in a safe way, and techniques to assess data suitability and enhance quality.
• Possess strong data interpretation skills, for generating accurate and relevant conclusions and actionable recommendations.
• Be a motivated, independent, collaborative data scientist, with excellent time management and project management skills.
• Possess excellent communication skills and the ability to lead, motivate and influence others.
• Have experience of partnership working, collaborating with colleagues across departments, organisations, and sectors to maximise the research potential of linked data.

Benefits of Working for NYC

• A market-leading pension scheme
• Generous leave entitlement
• Retail, travel and leisure discounts and salary sacrifice discount schemes through our Everybody Benefits offer
• Commitment to staff development and continuous learning
• Progression and career-enhancement opportunities
• Access to modern technologies to aid flexible working practices
• As a Mindful Employer, we are committed to promoting and protecting your mental health and wellbeing at work, find out more on theMindful Employer website
• Green travel loan scheme which offers interest-free loan towards an annual season ticket to get you from home to work
• In addition to in-house occupational health services, preferential rates on a private health scheme are available through payroll deductions
• Staff who use a computer as a regular part of their job are entitled to a free eye test and potentially computer-specific glasses
• Further training and development opportunities
• Work with multi-agency partners including Health, Police, and the Third Sector.

For an informal conversation about the role please contact Joanne Smithson, Senior Manager HDRC [e-mail]

Key Documents

Job Description Research Data Scientist HDRC-North Yorkshire Grade M.docx