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Part time (80%FTE)
Fixed term until 31 December 2027

The closing date for applications is midnight on Thursday 29 June 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing Monday 10 July 2023.

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a postdoctoral role under SOC code 2119.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

The Research Fellow will support the delivery of the UK Centre for implementing evidence in adult social care - Improving Adult Social Care Together (IMPACT). They will work closely with Professor Louise McCabe, Deputy Head of Evidence and Evaluation. This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting and innovative Implementation Centre funded by the ESRC and the Health Foundation to improve social care outcomes by implementing evidence-based practice in the sector across all four UK nations. The post holder’s core responsibilities will be with the review of evidence to support change and internal evaluation of the centre’s projects.

IMPACT is an ‘Implementation Centre’, drawing on knowledge gained from different types of research, the lived experience of people using services and their carers, and the practice knowledge of social care staff. Its aims are to enable practical improvements on the ground, and make a crucial contribution to longer-term cultural change, by:

• Supporting more widespread use of evidencein adult social care, leading to better care practices, systems and outcomes for people who use services, their families and communities;
• Building capacity and skills in the adult social care workforce to work with evidence of different kinds to innovate, improve care and deliver better outcomes;
• Facilitating sustainable and productive relationships between the full range of adult social care stakeholders to co-create positive change/innovations and improve outcomes for people using adult social care and their families;
• Improving understanding of the factors which help and hinder the implementation of evidence in practice, and using this to overcome longstanding barriers to positive change.

More information about IMPACT can be found here: https://more.bham.ac.uk/impact/

IMPACT is led from the University of Birmingham, with multiple partners across the UK. Stirling is the lead Scottish HE partner and the role is located in Stirling alongside the Deputy Head of Evidence and Evaluation, Professor Louise McCabe. The role holder will report to Professor McCabe. Their role will also involve working with multiple staff across the UK who are delivering local projects and also with the central IMPACT team located at the University of Birmingham.

• Supporting evaluation activities across the Centre, in accordance with the Theory of Change and evaluation protocols
• Working with the external evaluators to ensure efficient and effective delivery of evaluation at all levels
• Planning and undertaking evidence protocols and procedures across the whole Centre
• Reviewing search strategies and quality assuring thematic analysis with regards to IMPACT’s evidence-based guides (‘Ask IMPACT’)
• Ensuring quality of evidence assessment and translation for practice
• Supporting staff to implement evidence protocols and procedures across the whole Centre
• Providing expert training, support and advice for project staff across the Centre
• Planning and contributing to academic and other publications arising from evidence review and evaluation across the Centre
• Developing and delivering academic workshops to build theory/key concepts from IMPACT’s practical work on the ground
• Liaising with research funders regarding evidence gaps and future research priorities
• Representing the Centre externally and deputising for the Deputy Director when needed
• Working with the IMPACT Critical Friends, Co-production Advisory Group, Deputy Head of Embedding and the Leadership Team to ensure evidence and evaluation work meets agreed quality standards and contributes to IMPACT’s strategic aims
• Contributing to IMPACT’s strategic development, including sustainability planning
• Supporting the work of the Stirling-based Project Officer with such activities as may be required from time to time

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant discipline (or extensive research and knowledge exchange experience to a demonstrated equivalent level)

Knowledge and Experience

• Sustained experience of original research and high quality publications, including significant outputs of internationally excellent standing
• Experience delivering research projects with highly innovative impact
• Experience of high quality evaluation research in adult social care
• Experience of translating high quality research into real world impact
• Experience of developing and delivering knowledge exchange activities
• Comprehensive understanding of evidence reviewing for implementation
• Ability to develop and deliver publications strategies
• Ability to engage with policy and practice at all levels in adult social care
• Commitment to engaging with lived experience and practice knowledge in adult social care, and to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion
• Evidence of high standing in your field for your career stage

• Professional qualification in adult social care
• Experience of research or practice in adult social care
• Experience of co-production in research and knowledge exchange

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

The Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) is an integrated multi-disciplinary team of academic and professional support staff with research and teaching interests in sociology, social policy, criminology, education, housing studies, social work, ageing and dementia. Working collaboratively with students, staff and stakeholders, the Faculty provides high quality undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as professional development in all these areas through our interdisciplinary links across the University and beyond. We have a sustained successful research record and in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 88% of our research was assessed as internationally excellent or world leading, with the top 34% of our work judged as world leading in Social Work and Social Policy.

In addition to teaching, social scientific research is undertaken in the Faculty in the: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research; Centre for Child Well-being and Protection; Centre for Environment, Dementia and Ageing Research; Education Theory/Practice; Public Services and Governance; Social Surveys and Social Statistics; and The Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research.

Full information about the Faculty can be found here: https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/social-sciences/

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions, and helping to shape society. Stirling is 4th in Scotland and 43rd in the UK for research impact, with 87% of its research having an outstanding or very considerable impact on society – and more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

The University of Stirling is ranked among the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction (National Student Survey) and top 30 in the UK for postgraduate student experience (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey), and has an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings.

More than 17,000 students study with the University of Stirling globally, with over 140 nationalities represented on its scenic central Scotland campus alone. The University – also home to 1,700 staff – is ranked first in the UK and top three in the world for its campus environment (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two). Ranked first in the UK and top five in the world for its sports facilities (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two), Stirling is Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence. Its world-class facilities provide the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars – many of whom compete at the highest level, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and for students, staff, and the wider community.

The University has twice been recognised with a Queen's Anniversary Prize – the first for its Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and the second for its Institute of Aquaculture (2019).

The University is a signatory to the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal and a central partner of the Forth Valley University College Health Partnership.
www.stir.ac.uk @stiruni