Postdoctoral Research Associate

About us:

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the Improving Communication with Adults with Learning Disabilities (ICALD) research programme, funded by the National Institute of Health & Care Research (NIHR).

The aim of this programme is to improve the delivery and implementation of communication support for adults with learning disabilities living in social care settings.

About the role:

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual who will be responsible for recruitment and data collection in the final work package of the ICALD programme: a randomised trial with stepped wedge design evaluating the delivery and implementation of an intervention package aimed to improve communication between social care staff and the adults with learning disabilities that they support.

The post requires experience of conducting recruitment and data collection in large studies and previous experience of working with or supporting people with learning disabilities and/or people that care for them and support them.

The post holder will contribute to recruitment of adults with learning disabilities, their family members and the staff that support them, and conduct assessment, interviews and observations.

The postholder will contribute to the preparation of high quality outputs, disseminating  research findings to different audiences and completing administrative tasks related to the study.

You will gain experience of conducting research in different settings, using different techniques to understand the support needs of adults with learning disabilities who experience difficulties with communication.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31st May 2028.

About you:

Essential criteria

• PhD awarded in Psychology or Health or Social Sciences or similar qualification in a relevant subject.
• Proven experience of carrying out research and participant recruitment within large organisations such as social care settings, NHS trusts, schools, or similar.
• Strong knowledge of trial design, methodology, monitoring, data management and regulatory requirements (e.g. Good Clinical Practice)
• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail when managing data.
• Previous experience in learning disabilities research and/or working with people with learning disabilities or those who care for and support them in other contexts
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to quickly build rapport with people from all backgrounds and walks of life and engage them respectfully and effectively in the research activities
• Ability to manage own workload, including competing priorities and deadlines and remain calm under pressure.
• Willingness to travel for data collection and conferences as required, including data collection out of typical working hours. Occasional overnight stays will be required.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of collecting, managing and analysing qualitative data in range of formats.
• Proven experience of conducting research within the UK Governance framework
• Knowledge of and/or experience in developing accessible materials and resources (i.e. in easy read format).
• Knowledge of the UK Social Care context

*Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

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