Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a postdoctoral researcher at Weston Park Cancer Centre (WPCC). Over an initial period of 3 years, the post holder will be responsible for promoting a culture of research awareness and activity among the Weston Park nursing teams, aiming to increase research capacity and capability amongst our nursing staff. You will also have the opportunity to develop your own portfolio of research and outputs relevant to cancer/cancer experience including applying for grant funding.
This vacancy is advertised on a fixed-term contract basis for a period of 3 years due to the post being externally funded. The fixed-term contract status of the post holder will be reviewed in accordance with the Trust's legal obligations regarding fixed-term contracts taking into consideration the ongoing source of the external funding and the requirement for the post to be maintained.
Main duties of the job
You will have a PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant subject area and you will be an expert practitioner in the development and delivery of either clinical/health-related research or in organisational development or change management. You will have demonstrable experience developing research proposals and attracting funding; presenting results at national and international conferences; and supervising/mentoring research students. You will have advanced leadership and influencing skills; excellent interpersonal, managerial and organisational skills; and the ability to plan and organise your workload to meet deadlines. For those without clinical/health-related research, we would be particularly value applicants with experience in organisational development or change management.
About us
You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.
Weston Park Cancer Centre is the regional cancer centre for South Yorkshire, providing non-surgical cancer services for patients from Barnsley, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. It is one of five adult hospitals managed by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest and most successful NHS teaching Trusts.
WPCC provides world leading cancer treatment delivered by some of the most highly regarded cancer specialists in Europe. It has a growing body of expertise in research that explores patients experience and is nationally and internationally recognised for leadership in late effects of cancer treatment. It houses a Clinical Research Facility, jointly managed by the trust and The University of Sheffield.
The Cancer Clinical Trials Centre provides an ideal environment for both patients and staff to get involved in high quality cancer research, providing purpose-built facilities for the assessment and treatment of patients.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.
With support from relevant supervisors and stakeholders, the Research Fellow will lead on a programme of work which will be prioritised and regularly reviewed. In the short-term this includes:
- Engaging nursing staff in enhanced research awareness involving HEI partners to deliver advanced research awareness sessions
- Building capacity in nurses involved in patient-centred research ensuring funding applications includes back fill funding to release frontline nurses and securing dedicated research time
- Establish a programme for budding nurse researchers to build research capability by navigating to existing courses (such as offered by STH Learning & Development), dependent on individual and service need
- Invest in these preliminary steps to enable nurses at WPCC to be able to access clinical academic schemes such as the HEE/NIHR funded ICA programme and the University of Sheffields Clinical Research Academy fellowships at the University of Sheffield and/or access other similar schemes
- Work with both HEI partners to develop other clinical academic opportunities for nurses
- To continue to develop own post-doctoral research in a related field and generate research income to support this independently or in collaboration with internal and external research teams and departments
- Update own research knowledge in current practice on an on-going basis, using reflective practice to implement research evidence into practice
- Plan and organise programmes of work to build research capability among the nursing workforce
- Develop and implement strategic plans for increasing nurse research activity and building research capability in collaboration with the senior management team and the WP clinical academic facility
- Ensure plans align with key stakeholders and organisations such as WPCC research and transformational strategies, Health Education England and National Institute for Health Research
- Identify and agree priorities for nursing research activity in collaboration with WPCC Research Executive Group, Clinical Academic Lead for Nursing and relevant others
- Plan for research income generation and allocation of resources to meet planned objectives, requirements and timescales
- Project manage activities to facilitate major service or operational changes to facilitate research activity of nurses within WPCC
In the longer term:
- The establishment of a Weston Park Clinical Academic This involves working to incorporate research strategy into the quality improvement agenda within our directorate strategy
- Work with staff and Consumer Panel to co-design a programme of work that raises awareness among the nursing team to support the development of research activity
- Facilitate a Clinically Appraised Topics (CAT) process which identifies and prioritises clinically relevant research questions with clinical nursing leaders
- Establish a network and leadership infrastructure to embed research as a quality improvement activity
- To develop and contribute to using evidenced based research into frontline nursing practice to improve outcomes and patient experience for patients treated at WPCC using Getting Research Into Practice (GRiP) projects also identified via CAT
- Prepare annual reports to funders, directorate, STHs Clinical Research and Innovation Office and external agencies as required using agreed Key Performance Indicators
- Participate in the strategic development of the Research Directorate and contribute to the development of the research portfolio
- Provide strategic advice and support to the clinical themes to ensure they are aligned with the overall R&D strategy of the Directorate
- Develop and lead writing groups to increase the number of Directorate research tenders
- Support the Directorate services and individual project leaders to develop and manage project plans with milestones and deliverables for all aspects of the Directorate portfolio of projects using effective, structured methodologies.
- Establish a network and leadership infrastructure to embed research as a quality improvement activity
- Facilitate a Clinically Appraised Topics (CAT) process which identifies and prioritises clinically relevant research questions with clinical nursing leaders
The post is funded by an award from the Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust and supports the aims of our research strategy to develop the infrastructure to deliver world class research and ensure services are person-centred and developed in conjunction with those who use them You will be supported by appropriate academic/clinical academic mentors within departmental academic infrastructure and links with both local Health Education Institutions where honorary positions have been agreed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.
With support from relevant supervisors and stakeholders, the Research Fellow will lead on a programme of work which will be prioritised and regularly reviewed. In the short-term this includes:
- Engaging nursing staff in enhanced research awareness involving HEI partners to deliver advanced research awareness sessions
- Building capacity in nurses involved in patient-centred research ensuring funding applications includes back fill funding to release frontline nurses and securing dedicated research time
- Establish a programme for budding nurse researchers to build research capability by navigating to existing courses (such as offered by STH Learning & Development), dependent on individual and service need
- Invest in these preliminary steps to enable nurses at WPCC to be able to access clinical academic schemes such as the HEE/NIHR funded ICA programme and the University of Sheffields Clinical Research Academy fellowships at the University of Sheffield and/or access other similar schemes
- Work with both HEI partners to develop other clinical academic opportunities for nurses
- To continue to develop own post-doctoral research in a related field and generate research income to support this independently or in collaboration with internal and external research teams and departments
- Update own research knowledge in current practice on an on-going basis, using reflective practice to implement research evidence into practice
- Plan and organise programmes of work to build research capability among the nursing workforce
- Develop and implement strategic plans for increasing nurse research activity and building research capability in collaboration with the senior management team and the WP clinical academic facility
- Ensure plans align with key stakeholders and organisations such as WPCC research and transformational strategies, Health Education England and National Institute for Health Research
- Identify and agree priorities for nursing research activity in collaboration with WPCC Research Executive Group, Clinical Academic Lead for Nursing and relevant others
- Plan for research income generation and allocation of resources to meet planned objectives, requirements and timescales
- Project manage activities to facilitate major service or operational changes to facilitate research activity of nurses within WPCC
In the longer term:
- The establishment of a Weston Park Clinical Academic This involves working to incorporate research strategy into the quality improvement agenda within our directorate strategy
- Work with staff and Consumer Panel to co-design a programme of work that raises awareness among the nursing team to support the development of research activity
- Facilitate a Clinically Appraised Topics (CAT) process which identifies and prioritises clinically relevant research questions with clinical nursing leaders
- Establish a network and leadership infrastructure to embed research as a quality improvement activity
- To develop and contribute to using evidenced based research into frontline nursing practice to improve outcomes and patient experience for patients treated at WPCC using Getting Research Into Practice (GRiP) projects also identified via CAT
- Prepare annual reports to funders, directorate, STHs Clinical Research and Innovation Office and external agencies as required using agreed Key Performance Indicators
- Participate in the strategic development of the Research Directorate and contribute to the development of the research portfolio
- Provide strategic advice and support to the clinical themes to ensure they are aligned with the overall R&D strategy of the Directorate
- Develop and lead writing groups to increase the number of Directorate research tenders
- Support the Directorate services and individual project leaders to develop and manage project plans with milestones and deliverables for all aspects of the Directorate portfolio of projects using effective, structured methodologies.
- Establish a network and leadership infrastructure to embed research as a quality improvement activity
- Facilitate a Clinically Appraised Topics (CAT) process which identifies and prioritises clinically relevant research questions with clinical nursing leaders
The post is funded by an award from the Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust and supports the aims of our research strategy to develop the infrastructure to deliver world class research and ensure services are person-centred and developed in conjunction with those who use them You will be supported by appropriate academic/clinical academic mentors within departmental academic infrastructure and links with both local Health Education Institutions where honorary positions have been agreed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oPhD or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in relevant subject area
- oEvidence of achievement and on-going personal and professional development
Desirable
- oExpert practitioner in development and delivery of research undertaken by nurses and/or AHPs OR expertise in the area of Organisation Change Management (OCM)
- oCurrent NMC registration as an adult nurse or other Registered Health Care Practitioner
- oTeaching qualification or working towards/ Experience of teaching healthcare professionals
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of involvement in research undertaken by nurses and/or AHPs
- oDetailed understanding knowledge and experience in relation to adult nursing/ and/or cancer care
- oExperience of coaching, mentoring and assessing learners in clinical practice settings
- oEvidence of highly developed written and presentational skills
- oExperience with ethical approval and research governance and R&D approval process
Desirable
- oTrack record of developing research proposals and attracting research funds
- oExperience of organisational change management
- oExperience of supervising research students
- oTrack record of published research
- oTrack record of presenting research at national and/or international conferences
Special Skills/Aptitudes
Essential
- oEvidence of working collaboratively and in partnership with a variety of colleagues
- oEvidence of advanced leadership and influencing skills
- oStrategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems
- oCommunicate new and complex information effectively, both verbally and in writing, engaging the interest and enthusiasm of the target audience.
- oAbility to work autonomously, unsupervised and across boundaries and professions
- oEffective organisation and time management skills and able to work to deadlines
- oAbility to provide academic mentoring to staff
Desirable
- oIT skills including knowledge of MS Office and other relevant software packages of use in the clinical academic setting
- oCommitment to and understanding of, equality and diversity issues and widening research participation, Able to persuade and influence at all levels
- oFosters good working relationships/ develop cross trust/ institute co-operation
- oAble to attend national and international conference to present research results, professional and lay
Other factors
Essential
- oAbility to work flexibly across traditional boundaries particularly across health care and HE institutions
Desirable
- oAbility to travel between Universities and to NHS and other stakeholder organisations
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oPhD or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in relevant subject area
- oEvidence of achievement and on-going personal and professional development
Desirable
- oExpert practitioner in development and delivery of research undertaken by nurses and/or AHPs OR expertise in the area of Organisation Change Management (OCM)
- oCurrent NMC registration as an adult nurse or other Registered Health Care Practitioner
- oTeaching qualification or working towards/ Experience of teaching healthcare professionals
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of involvement in research undertaken by nurses and/or AHPs
- oDetailed understanding knowledge and experience in relation to adult nursing/ and/or cancer care
- oExperience of coaching, mentoring and assessing learners in clinical practice settings
- oEvidence of highly developed written and presentational skills
- oExperience with ethical approval and research governance and R&D approval process
Desirable
- oTrack record of developing research proposals and attracting research funds
- oExperience of organisational change management
- oExperience of supervising research students
- oTrack record of published research
- oTrack record of presenting research at national and/or international conferences
Special Skills/Aptitudes
Essential
- oEvidence of working collaboratively and in partnership with a variety of colleagues
- oEvidence of advanced leadership and influencing skills
- oStrategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems
- oCommunicate new and complex information effectively, both verbally and in writing, engaging the interest and enthusiasm of the target audience.
- oAbility to work autonomously, unsupervised and across boundaries and professions
- oEffective organisation and time management skills and able to work to deadlines
- oAbility to provide academic mentoring to staff
Desirable
- oIT skills including knowledge of MS Office and other relevant software packages of use in the clinical academic setting
- oCommitment to and understanding of, equality and diversity issues and widening research participation, Able to persuade and influence at all levels
- oFosters good working relationships/ develop cross trust/ institute co-operation
- oAble to attend national and international conference to present research results, professional and lay
Other factors
Essential
- oAbility to work flexibly across traditional boundaries particularly across health care and HE institutions
Desirable
- oAbility to travel between Universities and to NHS and other stakeholder organisations
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
