Research and Insight Officer/Intern

Role Descriptor

Background information

Engaging Communities Staffordshire (ECS) is an innovative not for profit Community Interest Company, initially established to ensure health and social care organisations in Staffordshire work better together on how they listen, engage and involve people across the County. Responsible for delivering Healthwatch Staffordshire since 2013, we now also deliver Healthwatch Walsall and Healthwatch Wolverhampton, as well as a range of research and engagement projects across the Midlands and beyond, and advocacy services in Staffordshire, Wolverhampton and Telford & Wrekin. We have a longer term vision that ECS should be a market leader for evidence, insight and community engagement across all public services.

Our Healthwatch services provide a focus for public engagement and are expected to encourage and support local people to get involved in how local health and social care services are planned and run. Healthwatch acts as an independent voice of local people, championing quality health and social care. It is our job to argue for consumer interest for all those who use health and social care services. With local peoples’ input we can raise awareness of key issues affecting local health and social care services and recommend improvements. As this post is based in Stafford, as well as covering support to each of our Healthwatch services, there are some specific duties in relation to Healthwatch Staffordshire.

We are now seeking to strengthen the Research and Engagement team with the appointment of a high performing researcher with excellent written skills and a strong academic background to support and assist in delivering robust and well evidenced projects in both qualitative and quantitative analysis. A high level of resilience and commitment are a requirement for this role.

The role encompasses the following:

General Details

  • Job Title: Research and Insight Officer/Intern
  • Location: ECS Offices, Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford.
  • Tenure: Permanent
  • Salary: Officer: £21,000 per annum
    Internship: £15,600 (rising to £18,000 after 6 months and £21,000 after 12 months)
  • Hours: 37 hours per week
  • Reporting to: Research and Insight Manager

Job Purpose:

To design, develop and deliver high quality research and insight projects to local commissioners and stakeholders across Staffordshire and the wider Midlands region and to regularly monitor intelligence collated from local health and social care service users in order to identify areas of best practice and areas for improvement within the NHS and local authority.

Main Duties and Responsibilities include:

  • To deliver the Research and Engagement Service, through a wide range of projects, utilising a variety of research methodologies and techniques, conducting fieldwork and producing transparent and accessible reports
  • To keep up to date with new research on health and social care and wider market research activities and apply these methods to current and future work.
  • To engage with the health and social care network across Staffordshire and the wider Midlands region to ensure a healthy pool of stakeholders to draw upon for fieldwork and engagement activities
  • To continuously monitor and analyse intelligence (Including advocacy) collected throughout the various data collection platforms and use this intelligence to identify trends.
  • To draw upon primary and secondary data and triangulate this with ECS and Healthwatch intelligence (including advocacy) for focused research activities
  • To conduct fieldwork across Staffordshire and the Midlands and collect rich insight and evidence on health and social care issues
  • To conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis in line with a robust project plan
  • To utilise a peer review process with the line manager at each milestone of a project in order to ensure a robust methodological approach
  • To design and produce appropriate high quality analytical outputs/reports that meet clients’ needs
  • To support Healthwatch delivery through research and engagement and promotion of the service
  • To act as an advocate for ECS and Healthwatch across Staffordshire and the Midlands and at appropriate National forums
  • Develop a thematic lead across service areas and in support of a team approach, share best practice and learning.

Essential requirements to undertake the role:

  • Experience of engaging with local communities including hard to reach and vulnerable people
  • Experience of working to short and competing deadlines
  • Experience of writing reports for public sector clients
  • Experience of conducting qualitative analysis within extremely short timescales
  • Stakeholder relationship management experience
  • Experience of transcription
  • Project management experience
  • Experience of using survey design software
  • Education to a minimum ofMaster’s degree levelor equivalent
  • Experience of team working
  • Full UK Driving License
  • The right to work in the UK

Desirable

  • Experience of working with local Healthwatch
  • Cultural awareness and sensitivities
  • Experience of using Q statistical analysis software package
  • Experience of speaking to people who have been through upsetting/traumatic experiences (e.g. bereavement, terminal diagnosis).
  • Experience of conducting research in health and social care field
  • Experience of coordinating and working alongside volunteers

For exceptional candidates that do not meet the essential requirements, this position can be appointed as an internship which will be dependent on skills and experience.

To apply for this post, please email your CV and cover letter to . In your application, please specify if you are applying for the Internship level or the Officer level.

Closing date: 30 June 2017

Shortlisting: TBC

Interview date: TBC

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