Community Public Health and Wellbeing Research Associate

HEIF
The Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) supports knowledge exchange between higher education providers and the wider world that benefits society and the economy.

Further information is available: https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/higher-education-innovation-fund/.

THE PROJECT
We are seeking an individual to lead a high-impact research project “Innovating Drug and Alcohol Service provision through community led commissioning” in collaboration with Essex County Council (ECC) Wellbeing and Public Health team and Essex Recovery Foundation. This role will build on a recently completed pilot project which assessed current data collection systems in Essex Recovery Foundation; interviewed staff, volunteers, trustees and commissioners to identify important outcomes; and developed a data collection and evaluation protocol.

In this next phase, the postholder will work with Essex Recovery Foundation, with the support of ECC’s Public Health and Wellbeing team, to refine and implement the proposed evaluation protocol; monitor and provide reports on data quality and implement approaches to improve data quality; collate & analyse data; generate an impact and evaluation report for ECC commissioning team, Essex Drug and Alcohol Partnership workforce delivery group and other national stakeholders. The postholder will play a central role in coordinating research activities, engaging stakeholders across the public and voluntary sectors, and driving forward evaluation, innovation and lived experience commissioning in the drug and alcohol treatment system.

DUTIES OF THE POST

• Leading the day-to-day coordination of the project, in collaboration with academic supervisors, ECC and Essex Recovery Foundation (ERF) staff.
• Conducting a review of innovative commissioning models in UK public health including models incorporating lived experience involvement in commissioning.
• Refining and implementing a co-produced evaluation model for ERF developed and agreed with stakeholders (building on pilot project work) including additional consideration of data management, protection and governance components.
• Implementing data collection protocol and monitoring of data quality; support and training for ERF staff, balancing ERF and ECC priorities while ensuring delivery of key project milestones.
• Data collation and provisional reporting of data quality and summaries at 3 monthly intervals.
• Data analysis, reports, presentations to multiple stakeholders and recommendations for commissioning model as well as any changes to data collection and monitoring; engagement with wider local authorities and national stakeholders.
• Co-developing a publication and dissemination plan with the academic team, Essex Recovery Foundation and ECC commissioning team, and contributing to academic publications and conference presentations related to the project’s findings, methodology, and theoretical contribution.
• Contributing to the preparation of policy briefs, practitioner-facing resources, and other applied outputs for wider dissemination.
• Supporting ethical research governance, including managing ethics applications, risk assessments, and data protection procedures as required.

A full list of applicant requirements can be found in the job pack on our university vacancies page.

LOCATION
Hybrid working between University of Essex Colchester Campus, Essex Recovery Foundation spaces in Chelmsford and other locations in Essex as required and some home working. Travel will also be required on occasion to other VCSE settings and ECC offices within Essex.

Please use the 'Apply' button to read further information about this role including the full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role. You will also find details of how to make your application here.

Our website http://www.essex.ac.uk contains more information about the University of Essex. If you have a disability and would like information in a different format, please email resourcing@essex.ac.uk.

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