Research Assistant

Exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant – make an impact today!

Anna Freud is seeking a Research Assistant to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website: www.annafreud.org/about/.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve.

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

You will join a small research team who are passionate about making a meaningful impact in the field of perinatal mental health. This is a distinctive opportunity to engage in a study that integrates a coproduction methodology across all phases, collaboratively developing a peer-led intervention that reflects and addresses the diverse experiences and needs of various communities. The study will also include participants who are healthcare professionals working with people who have experienced pregnancy loss.

We also offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

What you’ll do

You will support the delivery of the Linking Loss project, a study focused on co-producing a peer-led, group intervention for people experiencing mental health difficulties following early pregnancy loss that is inclusive of marginalised communities. Working under the supervision of the Research Programme Coordinator, and alongside a multidisciplinary team that includes the Principal and Co-Investigators, experts with lived experience of pregnancy loss and mental health difficulties, you will contribute to a range of research activities. These include recruiting participants, conducting qualitative interviews with people who have experienced pregnancy loss, liaising with NHS services, managing data in line with GDPR and ethical guidelines, and ensuring adherence to study protocols.

What you’ll bring

You will have a background in psychology or a related field, with experience in clinical or qualitative research involving parents and young children, particularly within mental health contexts.

Essential skills and experience:

• Clinical research experience in perinatal mental health, health psychology, or health inequalities;
• Proficiency in collecting, analysing, and managing qualitative data;
• Strong understanding of participant and patient confidentiality and ethical research practices;
• Experience in effectively engaging parents as participants in research studies.

You will be self-motivated and organised with a strong understanding of qualitative research methods. This exciting opportunity would suit someone committed to reflective action and equity, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from candidates from marginalised communities or with lived experience of mental health difficulties following early pregnancy loss.

Key details

Hours: Part-time (21 hours per week) – including Wednesdays.

Salary: £29,904 per annum FTE, plus 6% contributory pension scheme

Location: Hybrid working (a mixture of onsite and home/remote working). Staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours, either at our London site (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH) or our Northern Hub (Huckletree, The Express Building, 9 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AD).

Contract type: Fixed-term, 15 months.

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Tuesday 10 June 2025. Due to a high level of interest for our research vacancies, we will only be able to accept a total of 100 applications. Therefore we may close this advert early and encourage you to apply promptly to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Wednesday 18 June 2025. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: will be held remotely on Wednesday 25 June 2025.

How to apply: Apply online via the above ‘Apply’ button. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions?

Please email recruitment@annafreud.org with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.