Research Fellow

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to May 2026

Background

Women’s Centres in the UK are third sector organisations that provide practical and emotional support to women with complex needs. Typically service users present with personal histories that are marked by interconnected experiences of physical/sexual abuse, substance use, poor mental health and social marginalisation. Narrow service eligibility criteria often mean that these women are considered ‘too challenging’ to work with, leading to exclusion from statutory services. To date a range of assessment tools are used to work with women facing these issues. Consequently, the ‘Women, Crime & Justice Research Group’ have recently developed the Gendered Well Being Assessment which is a comprehensive trauma-informed quality of life assessment, suitable for women with complex needs, without current criminal justice involvement. The assessment is intended to inform effective support plans and to detailed referrals to statutory services and agencies. 

The post holder will form part of the WCJ Research Group and will contribute to the GWA validation study. The study seeks to test the reliability of the tool based on assessments collected in participating Women’s Centres, with the predictive validity of the tool tested with outcomes arising from linked administrative data. The post holder will be responsible for data checks in the data collection phase, as well as queries that might result from implementation of the tool. As part of the validation, the post holder will conduct cognitive interviews to test specific scales in the GWA.

Role Summary

• Work as part of the ‘Women, Crime & Justice Research Group’ contributing to the ‘Effective Women’s Centre’ project (funded by The JABBS Foundation)
• Operate within specialised areas of Criminology and Social Policy
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
• Contribute to generating funding 
• Contribute to public understanding of issues impacting criminal justice involved women

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively 
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly
• We also welcome applications from those with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System
• This post is open to women only due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies

Informal enquiries can be made to Professor Simon Pemberton, email: s.pemberton.1@bham.ac.uk 

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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