Research Associate

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate to join a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded project led by a midwifery lecturer/researcher. The post will be based in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care.

This research study will provide the necessary developmental work required for a future grant application. In this project, we are focusing on PPI/staff engagement and the conduct of a realist review into safety in maternity care. Our framing is informed by ‘Safety II’ principles which centres understanding what works well and what goes wrong, rather than focusing exclusively on what goes wrong on and why. Therefore, the realist review will aim to explore the best available evidence of ‘what works well, for who, why and in what circumstances’ to inform future work of ascertaining where it works well to study those maternity units in greater depth.

This study begins 1st September 2024 and will run for 15 months. During that time, we will conduct extensive PPI /staff engagement activities, a realist review, develop an assessment tool and write a further grant application to carry out primary research. Therefore, this post requires systematic review experience, with the ideal candidate having experience of conducting realist reviews.

The post requires qualitative research skills and is designed to support the successful set-up and running of the research project. The postholder will have the opportunity to contribute to a range of tasks related to the PPI/staff engagement activities, organising workshops, conducting a realist review (searches, data gathering, analysis, write up, publication preparation), developing a novel assessment tool with stakeholder involvement and grant application development. There will be opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in these areas.

The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, have attention to detail and be proactive. They will have an interest in using research to help improve care. They will be very organised with excellent communication and engagement skills. They will be able to work well both with others and independently, show initiative when faced with challenges, and have good problem-solving skills.

The postholder will work under the supervision of Principal Investigator Dr Claire Feeley and Joint Principal Investigator, Professor Soo Downe. They will be required to travel to team meetings (Waterloo, London). The post holder also will have the opportunity to work as part of King’s hybrid working model, where you can work between your home and the office throughout the week.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 15 months.

This is a part-time post - 60% full time equivalent.