Research Assistant

About the role

We are seeking a research assistant to support the co-production of a sleep resource with family support workers and parents/carers of children accessing services at the Leicester City Family Hubs. This post is funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Award at the University of Leicester. The role will involve leading in-person focus groups to co-produce the content of the sleep resource. This is an opportunity to gain experience using qualitative data collection methods and contribute to the impact of research. Literature searching and summarising research findings in a lay-friendly way will be a key component of this role.

The post-holder will work closely with Nicola Bassindale and Lynda Hartley within the Leicester City Family support service, alongside cluster managers and support workers. The post-holder will also work closely with Dr Imad Ahmed, from the University Hospitals of Leicester Paediatric Sleep Service. The post-holder will be line-managed by the PI on the Impact Acceleration Award- Dr Jayne Spiller, lecturer within the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences at the University of Leicester.

This role will be hybrid, with the majority of work undertaken remote at home, and up to 8 visits to the Leicester City Family Hubs for meetings, and workshops. This post for two days a week (15 hours a week) for 5 months, the hours can be worked flexibly, although the post holder will need to be available to attend the workshops and meetings at the Leicester City Family Hubs, in standard working hours.

About you

You will have an Honours degree in a relevant discipline such as Psychology, with substantial research training or equivalent professional experience. You will bring strong research skills, including the ability to collect and analyse data, conduct literature searches, and produce accurate, accessible summaries of research findings. Your communication skills—both written and verbal—will be excellent, enabling you to engage effectively with colleagues, families, and members of the public.

 You will be enthusiastic about sleep research and committed to delivering high-quality work within agreed timeframes. The role requires sensitivity to cultural diversity, professionalism when working with families, and the ability to work collaboratively within a team. A commitment to continuous professional development is essential, and a Masters qualification, current PhD study, or experience conducting high-quality literature reviews would be advantageous. As this role involves substantial access to vulnerable groups, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with barred list check will be required.