Postdoctoral Fellow in mixed methods Slintecare Healthy Community programme evaluation

Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow in mixed methods Slintecare Healthy Community programme evaluation Department: Public Health and Epidemiology Reporting to: Prof.

In order to make an application, simply read through the following job description and make sure to attach relevant documents.

Debbi Stanistreet, Associate Professor of Public Health Location: RCSI, St.

Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 Contract/Duration: Up to 18 months Remuneration: Post-Doctoral Researcher Salary Scale
- up to a maximum of 2a point 6 Closing Date: Monday 16th of September 2024 RCSI is a community of academic, research, clinical and professional staff working collaboratively to lead the world to better health.

Here, you will thrive in an innovative and inclusive atmosphere and your personal development and wellbeing will be supported.

We invite you to join us to help deliver on our exciting mission "To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health".

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About Our Research RCSI recognises that excellence in research is critical to the quality of its educational activities, its credibility, and, overall, to its mission to enhance human health.

RCSI's research strategy aims to build upon its strength in translational biomedical and clinical research to deliver transformational, high impact changes in health care.

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Forging increased collaboration between RCSI PIs and industry is of critical importance to achieving success in this area.

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School of Population Health Established in 2022, the School builds upon the success of the Division of Population Health Sciences since 2006.

The School comprises the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Department of Health Psychology, Data Science Centre, Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre, Institute of Global Surgery, Converge and SPHeRE, the national, inter-institutional, structured doctoral programme.

It includes over 100 academic, research and professional staff, as well as 25 PhD scholars.

Population health scientists and researchers at RCSI have an impressive, track record undertaking impactful multidisciplinary research and collaborating with an extensive network of international and national partners.

The aims of the School of Population Health are to undertake multidisciplinary research that guides, shapes and monitors the crucial decisions in population health; to deliver comprehensive educational programmes that meet the workforce needs of today and the innovative needs of the future; and to participate in synergistic networks and collaborations that strengthen infrastructure, capacity and financing for education and research.

Reflecting the breadth of population health science, we adopt a balanced, multi-disciplinary approach, connecting and contributing to developments in population health, nationally and internationally.

The key enabler in delivering our ambitious programme of growth is the School's multidisciplinary team of academics, researchers, scholars and support staff.

Reflecting the people-first approach of RCSI, the School of Population Health provides a diverse, supportive, healthy work environment for its team.

Background to the research project The goal of the Slintecare Healthy Communities Programme (SHCP) is to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland.

The programme takes a place-based approach to tackling health inequalities with a focus on the determinants of health.

A core principle of Slintecare is prevention and central to prevention is a focus on the determinants of health.

These are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes.

Research has shown that the social determinants can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health (WHO, 2021).

The SHCP Programme involves the expenditure of approx.

€15m per annum through both the HSE and Local Authorities.

Established in 2021, with significant recruitment and contracting in 2022, the programme is now fully operational in all 19 areas.

Evaluation of the pilot programme to date, requires us to ask questions about current progress and implementation.

Broadly, the aim of this research is to learn from best evidence for improving, sustaining and replicating Place Based Initiatives (PBIs), and to apply this evidence to the National Slintecare Healthy Communities Programme to make recommendations going forward.

Evaluation will include describing and exploring progress of the SHCP to date, developing a theory of change for the programme, and incorporate the findings into a research-based tool for the SHCP areas to inform ongoing programme monitoring, and future direction.

Responsibilities of the Researcher We are seeking to recruit a Researcher with skills in mixed methods and exceptional skills in qualitative methods.

The principal responsibilities of the post are to work with the PI, to lead the implementation of a realist evaluation of the national SHCP.

Evaluation will include document analysis as well as interviews and workshops with SHCP at a variety of different levels within the organization.

The post-holder will support Professor Stanistreet in undertaking all necessary activities, and will participate in data collection, analysis, write up and publication / dissemination of findings supported by a research assistant.

The post-holder will need to be self-motivated demonstrate initiative, and have proven ability to work independently and lead on literature reviewing, data collection and data analysis.

They will be educated to post-doctorate level, with significant experience of qualitative research and will be a member of a multi-disciplinary team, based at RCSI.

Specifically, the duties of the post are: Assist in designing data collection tools and supervise the undertaking of all qualitative data collection in collaboration with the PI.

Data checking, transcription and cleaning Contribute to the document analysis Lead on the analysis of qualitative data Contribute to communications with partners, key stakeholders including preparation of reports and deliverables related to her/his responsibilities Support the preparation for project management group meetings Contribute to writing high quality scientific papers Represent the best interests of the SHCP and RCSI at all times Perform such other duties as may be required.

Qualifications
- (Essential): PhD level qualification in a related field (social science, public health, or relevant fields) Knowledge & Experience
- (Essential): Evidence of conducting all aspects of qualitative research, from study design to data collection, analysis and publication of findings Experience in (or with) the health sector Computer skills including ability to use qualitative data analysis packages (e.g.

NVivo) Scientific writing skills and experience with proven track record of publications Excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills Strong organisational and administrative skills with the ability to prioritise objectives and work to deadlines The ability to work on own initiative as well as in a team environment Flexibility to work irregular hours on occasion Ability to work in a multicultural environment Knowledge & Experience
- (Desirable): Experience with realist methods of evaluation We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application
- we'd love to hear from you.

Application Process Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal on the closing date with your CV and cover letter.

Informal Enquiries can be directed to .

Please note we do not accept CVs directly.

Employee benefits At RCSI, we help care for our people so they can focus on our mission to educate, nurture, and discover for the benefit of human health.

RCSI make sure you have the resources you need to thrive.

We offer a wide range of benefits in areas including time away, finance, community, health, and well-being and insuring your financial future.

In addition to our city centre campus and world-class facilities, there are a wide range of excellent benefits available to our employees, including: Onsite gym €10 per month Flexible working arrangements Automatic enrolment to a pension scheme for all employees (Willis Towers Watson, pension documents outlined below) RCSI Investment Guide Pension Scheme Guide Benefits Schedule Life assurance/death in service Long term illness/disability income replacement Free advice on health/motor and home insurance Discounted services, including GP Support for parents and carers Taxsaver commuter tickets BiketoWork Free eye test at the National Optometry centre €12/day for parking for all RSCI staff in the St.

Stephens green/RCSI car park RCSI's Learning and Development team facilitate and provide training opportunities for all staff Sports and social club Opportunities to volunteer in the community 26.5 days leave
- 20 days annual leave plus 6.5 days Privilege days
- In addition to your annual leave entitlements and public holidays, RCSI also grants privilege days to our employees (paid time off during Easter and Christmas periods).

We also offer a number of leave options to support the working lives of our employees.