Research Associate

This role sits within Research and Innovation and is critical to the delivery of robust, ethical and impactful research. It will support a growing programme of research into the medical technologies and digital innovations.

The postholder will have responsibility for the successful delivery of specific projects and activities. They will contribute to mixed-methods evaluations, longitudinal studies, and feasibility research, with a focus on participant recruitment, fieldwork, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement. They will work in close partnership with Industry, and academic collaborators and ensure that the research informs clinical applications of medical technologies and digital innovations for patient benefit and service delivery.

The postholder will successfully monitor the delivery of project management tools, techniques and experience. They will ensure programmes/ projects/ activities adapt to changing requirements and that plans are adjusted accordingly so that the deliverables are on time and to specified quality. They will initiate, support and manage the on-going and new development of programmes/ projects/ activities supported by a robust governance structure in order to enhance quality and compliance across the NHS, industry and academic collaborators.

Duties and responsibilities:

· In collaboration with the Research Team and M-RIC oversee implementation and delivery of the rolling programme of research in medical technology and digital innovation activities.

· To support Senior Research Lead with grant applications, evaluation tenders and business planning.

· To apply ethical, and inclusive approaches to research and evaluation across mental health and community settings.

·To support all aspects of research delivery, including study setup, ethics and governance compliance, and ongoing project coordination and management.

· To develop, pilot, and administer quantitative and mixed-methods tools such as statistical analysis, interview schedules, surveys, and observation protocols.

·To plan, initiate and project manage the delivery of programmes/projects to time, budget and quality requirements via the application of agreed PMO tools, techniques, and expertise.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.