King's College London

About us:

We are appointing a post-doctoral (or close to completion of a PhD programme) Qualitative Methods Research Advisor to work as part of the new NIHR Imperial College London and Partners Research Support Service (RSS).  This post provides an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated qualitative or mixed-methods researcher to collaborate with other research advisors to provide advice on qualitative research methods and research proposals to researchers contacting the RSS.

The RSS is a joint initiative between four world-leading universities – Imperial, KCL, UCL and Queen Mary London, with expertise in research design, execution and impact. The partnership of diverse research groups and clinical trials units offers a national service to support research across a broad range of areas, flexible to researchers’ needs. The service is underpinned by a dedication to developing and promoting cutting-edge research methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of research. 

The RSS is funded to provide a service until September 2028. Further details about our work can be found here:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/explore-nihr/support/research-support-service/rss-hub-imperial.htm

The successful candidate will work closely with Prof Alan Simpson, KCL Academic Lead for the RSS and Professor of Mental Health Nursing. You will join a multidisciplinary team of health researcher advisors across the four universities.

The successful post-holder will be an experienced qualitative or mixed-methods researcher in public health, or other relevant disciplines under the remit of the NIHR. They should have experience of using qualitative research methods in an applied health research context, and ideally experience of mixed methods research, implementation science, and realist approaches. Experience of providing training and advice on qualitative methods is also required.

The successful candidate will enjoy a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement, and access to training and development opportunities to support their personal and professional development.

About the role:

The successful candidate will work closely with Prof Alan Simpson, KCL Academic Lead for the RSS and Professor of Mental Health Nursing. You will join a multidisciplinary team of health researcher advisors across the four universities.

The successful post-holder will be an experienced qualitative or mixed-methods researcher in public health, or other relevant disciplines under the remit of the NIHR. They should have experience of using qualitative research methods in an applied health research context, and ideally experience of mixed methods research, implementation science, and realist approaches. Experience of providing training and advice on qualitative methods is also required.

The successful candidate will enjoy a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement, and access to training and development opportunities to support their personal and professional development.

This is a part time post (7 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until September 2028.

We hope to secure funding to increase the time commitment later this year.

Key responsibilities:

• Providing advice on a range of qualitative research methodologies and methods.

• Collaborating with other advisors to provide advice on mixed methods research proposals.

• Providing advice on research grant and fellowship application writing.

• Recording activities and advice provided on RSS systems as directed.

• Contributing to the development and provision of online and in-person training materials on qualitative methods.

• Attending and contributing to regular Qualitative Advisors Team meetings and occasional RSS meetings and training/development events as requested.

• Undertaking activities to ensure adherence to ethical, governance, and data protection requirements.

• Providing advice, support, and guidance to other members of the research team. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified (or almost qualified) in relevant subject area
2. Experience of employing various qualitative research methods in research, particularly related to implementation science and realist approaches.
3. Excellent communication and rapport-building skills with research colleagues and stakeholders
4. Experience of providing advice to others on using qualitative research methods
5. Experience and/or knowledge of applying for research and/or fellowship grants and successful grant writing
6. Demonstrating initiative and autonomy in the management of day-to-day tasks and anticipating and managing problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
7. Experience of or interest in developing online and/or in-person training materials
8. Willing to contribute to the work of the RSS team of advisors and record activities and advice as requested.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of mixed methods research and/or AI.
2. Knowledge of a range of NIHR and other research funding streams

*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.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information:

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination. When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.