Career Opportunities at Queen's

About the job:

Queen’s Communities and Place was established in 2021 to foster stronger partnerships between communities and academia. Its primary goal is to address local challenges arising from poverty and deprivation through evidence-based approaches. Working closely with community partners across Belfast, QCAP delivers a co-produced programme of research that serves two key purposes. It provides an evidence foundation to advance the institution's civic mission while creating meaningful impact where it's needed most in the community. This focus of this role is to lead and develop the established research activities across the Community Health and Wellbeing Dimension within the Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP) initiative, ensuring successful delivery of the QCAP research, evaluation, and knowledge exchange programme. This role will focus on developing and implementing community-centric research methodologies that contribute to the implementation of a co-produced health and wellbeing strategy within the community. Manage strategic partnerships and engage with all stakeholders in a way that contributes positively to the ethos of QCAP.

About the person:

• With a proven track record in securing and managing significant research funding, and a publication record in health, wellbeing and community research the successful candidate will demonstrate a high academic standing with a growing reputation in research within community health and wellbeing which will enable them to lead the research activities across the Community Health and Wellbeing Dimension within QCAP. They will lead on the development of community-centric research models and design and implement research methodologies that support community participation in health and wellbeing initiatives particularly within disadvantaged communities.
• Drive the development of a community Health Strategy, ensuring that community voices shape the trajectory of health inequalities and the consequences of these. Further existing work focused on mental health initiatives, substance use and the community well being kitchen
• Manage and supervise a team of post Doctoral researchers and PhD students providing project supervision as required.
• Manage Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Contribute to Policy and Strategic Frameworks, Secure and Manage Research Funding, develop research proposals and funding bids to secure external funding from diverse sources, including ESRC, NIHR and other UKRI bodies. Maintain a high-quality publication record, focusing on community-driven research and its implications for health outcomes and equity, to confidently present research findings at conferences, community events, and through various media, including podcasts and social media, ensuring accessibility to both academic and lay audiences.
• Develop own workflow and appropriate work schedules independently, in order to meet targets and/or turnaround times.
• Organise and Chair stakeholder meetings, workshops, and events, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among partners.
• Oversee the effective use of project resources, including budget management and the allocation of staff time, to meet the objectives of QCAP’s research agenda, in-keeping with the requirements of the QCAP Director
• Ensure the communication of complex and conceptual ideas reflects the level of understanding of different audiences, using a range of media.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information.

Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

What we offer:

Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more at https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/pay-reward-and-benefits/.  

Queen's University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena Swan and have established staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality. For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit www.qub.ac.uk/diversity.  

If you are an international applicant and don't already hold a visa that permits you to take up the role you are applying for, please use the information provided on our website to self-assess whether the University is likely to be able to support a visa application - http://go.qub.ac.uk/internationalstaffsupport.

Candidate Information