"Research Fellow (Project Manager)"

The Post

The University of Stirling seeks an enthusiastic and motivated Research Fellow to join the project team for the research project: Building Effective Digital Post-Hospital Discharge Services for Older Adults in Social Care: A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation using the NASSS Framework. The project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and is a four year study which will evaluate the delivery of digital post hospital discharge and reablement services for older adults in social care. The project is a partnership between seven Universities: the University of Stirling, Northumbria University at Newcastle, The Open University, King’s College London, Newcastle University, London School of Economics and the University of Hertfordshire; and five practice partners: Middlesbrough Council, Oxfordshire County Council, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, Shaping Our Lives, and Age UK Bristol.

The project adopts a multi-method methodology using the Non Adoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread and Sustainability (NASSS) framework to evaluate post hospital discharge services using smart technologies within the two local authorities and the ICB. The project adopts a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including scoping literature reviews ethnographic observations of service delivery in local authorities/ICB interviews with service stakeholders (including clients and their carers, social care staff and service commissioners) and secondary analysis of operational and outcomes data collected by local authorities. Co-production is also a central element of the project, supporting all research activities with the involvement of three co-production groups of older social care users.

Description of duties:

• Hold day-to-day responsibility for project management, including writing applications for University and HRA ethical review, and liaising with project partners and research fellows to set up research activities
• Contribute to delivery of scoping literature reviews, including developing the search strategy, literature searching, identifying appropriate grey literature sources (e.g. local authority evaluation reports), evidence synthesis and writing up
• Contribute to quantitative secondary analysis of local authority outcomes data and development of a data dashboard to support local authorities outcome assessments
• Supporting ongoing and end of project knowledge exchange, dissemination and impact activities, including developing and delivering a variety of knowledge exchange events and publications, and producing end of project resources in a variety of formats for different audiences

Essential criteria:

Qualifications

• PhD in a social science or related discipline with relevance to research with older people and/or social care research (or research and knowledge exchange experience in social care to a demonstrated equivalent level)

Knowledge & Experience

• Good working knowledge of technology enabled health and social care research and practice
• Experience of successfully conducting high quality research collaboratively within strict timescales

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent communication skills and experience of writing/contributing to publications and other research dissemination skills including presentation and social media skills
• Excellent collaboration skills with a diverse range of research partners and multi-sector stakeholders

Location: Stirling Campus

Salary: £38,784 to £46,049 per annum (pro-rata) (Grade 7)

Hours: Part Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Closes: 19th March 2026

Job Ref: FAC02100

For further information, including a full description of duties, essential criteria and details on how to apply, please see Vacancy details | University of Stirling