Job requirements
Essential
24 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Skills
Analytical skills with capacity to interpret and synthesise complex, multi-source data
- Skills
Competence in quantitative and qualitative analysis, including use of software such as R, MATLAB, Python, SPSS, Stata, or NVivo
- Skills
Ability to work autonomously while maintaining accountability for research quality and integrity
- Skills
Ability to manage and analyse data securely and transparently, maintaining accurate, reproducible records in compliance with NHS, university, and UK GDPR standards
- Skills
Skills in research design, statistical modelling, and data visualisation, with commitment to open-science and reproducible research practices
- Skills
Ability to integrate and synthesise quantitative and qualitative findings to generate evidence-based interpretations and recommendations that inform research and service development
- Skills
Ability to lead research or quality-improvement projects, ensuring adherence to governance, ethics, and data integrity standards while coordinating timelines, staff, and stakeholder engagement
- Skills
Strong organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise multiple workstreams and deliver to agreed deadlines with minimal supervision
- Skills
Demonstrated understanding of project management processes, including goal monitoring and reporting
- Skills
Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully across multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams, promoting a psychologically safe and research-positive culture
- Skills
Capacity to travel to regional or national research meetings and participating sites as required
- Aptitudes
Emotional intelligence and resilience in managing emotionally demanding or sensitive material, such as work involving trauma, self-harm, or identity-related distress
- Aptitudes
Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in all aspects of research and collaboration.
- Aptitudes
Proven capacity to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly and compassionately to diverse audiences, including clinical populations, families, clinicians, researchers, and policy stakeholders, adapting to emotional, cognitive, and cultural needs
- Aptitudes
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing high-quality reports, peer-reviewed publications, ethics submissions, and presentations at local, national, and international levels
- Aptitudes
Capacity for long and intense periods of concentration during data analysis and interpretation
- Experience
Experience in psychological, health, or social-science research relevant to children, young people, and families
- Experience
Proven ability to design and manage research and/or quality-improvement projects across multidisciplinary or multi-agency settings, from inception through governance approvals, delivery, and dissemination
- Experience
Experience of fostering collaborative working and shared learning across clinical and academic environments
- Experience
Experience of designing, conducting, and interpreting assessments of psychosocial needs using validated measures and structured data collection tools within psychological or healthcare research.
- Experience
Evidence of Peer-reviewed publications & conference presentations
- Experience
Demonstrable understanding of research governance, ethics, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) principles within NHS and academic contexts
- Experience
Understanding of the legislative frameworks governing research involving children and vulnerable adults.
- Qualifications
PhD in Psychology or closely related discipline
Desirable
21 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Skills
Experience handling large, longitudinal, or multi-site datasets and integrating mixed-methods evidence
- Skills
Demonstrated competence in teaching and training, including delivery of workshops or seminars to clinical, academic, or service teams, and supervision of MSc, DClinPsy, or PhD students in applied research
- Skills
Skilled in identifying and applying principles of clinical and research governance, including risk management, safeguarding, and ethical oversight in studies involving children and vulnerable groups.
- Skills
High level of digital literacy and IT proficiency, including use of electronic health records (EHRs), databases (e.g. REDCap, Medrio), and data-visualisation platforms (e.g. Tableau, ggplot2, MATLAB)
- Skills
Evidence of translational capability, applying research evidence to improve service models, clinical pathways, and policy development
- Skills
Experience of engaging with children, young people, families, and public contributors to co-design, refine, or disseminate research.
- Skills
Experience of psychometric, neuropsychological, or developmental assessments relevant to health or psychosocial research.
- Skills
Experience in open science practices, including pre-registration, reproducible coding, and data-sharing frameworks
- Skills
Ability to supervise and develop junior researchers or assistants, supporting their skill acquisition and project delivery
- Skills
Experience of implementing innovative or digital research technologies, such as e-consent systems, app-based data capture, wearable sensors, or AI-assisted analytics
- Experience
Post-doctoral or equivalent experience in psychological, health, or social-science research relevant to gender and gender diversity
- Experience
Experience of building collaborations and networks with NHS, HEI, and third-sector partners
- Experience
Knowledge of the UK health and research landscape, including NHS, NIHR, and UKRI funding structures and research networks, with a track record of successful funding bids
- Experience
Experience of preparing and delivering research proposals, fellowships, or grant applications as lead or co-applicant, including post-award project and budget management
- Experience
Evidence of providing formal teaching, supervision, and mentorship in research or technical skills to staff and students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels
- Experience
Evidence of leadership and training experience, including development of research colleagues and supervision of junior staff
- Experience
Participation in peer-review processes for journals, funding panels, or ethics committees
- Experience
Completion of a recognised management or leadership qualification or equivalent experience
- Experience
Experience of introducing or implementing new technologies or digital research tools (e.g. e-consent, electronic data capture, or analytic software
- Experience
Experience of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in health or psychological sciences
- Qualifications
Doctorate in clinical psychology or equivalent (e.g. DCounsPsy) with current registration as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council
Job overview
The Research Fellow will play a pivotal role in advancing psychological and multi-disciplinary research, audit and quality improvement (QI) within the Children and Young People’s Gender Service (CYPGS) and Psychological Health Services (PHS). Working under the leadership of the Deputy Research and Quality Improvement Director, the postholder will contribute to the design, delivery and dissemination of high-quality studies that address key clinical, psychosocial and developmental questions for children, young people and their families.
The role will combine methodological expertise with applied clinical knowledge to generate robust evidence that informs practice, enhances service delivery and drives QI. This includes supporting and leading projects that evaluate patient outcomes, service models and pathways of care, translating findings into practical improvements in clinical standards and patient experience. The Research Fellow will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, external partners, and academic institutions to secure funding, produce peer-reviewed publications, and strengthen the research profile of BFT. They will also build research capacity within CYPGS and PHS by mentoring colleagues, supporting training in research and QI methods, and ensuring that projects meet the highest ethical and governance standards.
Main duties of the job
Interpersonal and communication skills
- To apply highly developed written and verbal communication skills to convey complex and sensitive research, audit, and quality improvement findings clearly to a wide range of audiences, including clinicians, academics, managers, service users, and policy stakeholders.
- To interpret and present complex quantitative and qualitative data and synthesise evidence into accessible outputs for academic publication, professional education, and service development.
- To use advanced interpersonal skills to build collaborative relationships across multi-professional teams, higher education institutions, and external partners, fostering a culture of research and QI within CYPGS and PHS.
- To act as a point of contact for research and QI advice to clinicians within the department, thereby helping support the integration of evidence into practice and service improvement initiatives.
Please see attached job description for further details on duties of the role.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further information about the duties and responsibilities for this role.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Clinical Research Fellow with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in Weston-super-mare, England. It is listed as a Research practitioner role. The advertised salary is £57528.00 to £64750.00. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 22 Oct 2026.
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