Lived Experience Research Assistant (x2)

Lived Experience Research Assistant x 2
£29,768 - £32,646 pa, plus excellent benefits
London (including flexible working)

A great opportunity has become available for two Research Assistants to join the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health. The successful candidates will support and assist the Senior Researchers in the development of mental health guidance, evaluations, competence frameworks, systematic reviews, research reports and articles for peer-reviewed publications, and other research tasks.

You will search for research literature, sift articles, assist in data extraction, data synthesis and quality appraisal, and contribute to the writing of reviews. The Research Assistants will also contribute to the design of questionnaires and focus groups, and the analysis of this data. You will contribute to the engagement of other experts by experience, the design of questionnaires and focus groups, and the analysis of this data.

We have two roles available, and for one Research Assistant, we are seeking an individual with a background or interest in mental health, and for the second Research Assistant role which focuses more on Lived Experience, we are seeking an individual with experience of using mental health services. For both roles you should have a good degree in psychology or a related field (e.g. public mental health, medicine) and are familiar with qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The Research Assistant will be expected to have experience of identifying, retrieving and appraising research literature and extracting and analysing data. Experience of meta-analysis would be a plus.

The Lived Experience Research Assistant will be expected to bring a lived experience perspective to their work and will be supported by the Head of Lived Experience and Co-production as well as other Peer colleagues. Experience of co-production, survivor or peer researcher roles would be a plus.

The successful candidates will also have a proven ability to communicate and present information in a clear and concise fashion and be able to work independently and as part of a small team.

The College values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, reflecting the population it serves.

We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We will provide appropriate reasonable adjustments for candidates who may have a disability.

We only recruit the best and in return for your commitment the College offers an attractive salary and benefits.

We operate a hybrid working model of onsite and working from home/remote, which helps to ensure a flexible work life balance.

We welcome applications from all sections of the Community. 

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional membership body for psychiatrists and promotes excellent care for people with mental illness. It has 19,000 members and engages with government and the media as the leading voice of the UK’s mental health services. The College is a values-based organisation and, in 2019, was named Charity of the Year in the European Diversity Awards.

For more information about the roles and to apply, please click to apply via the College website.

Closing date: 9 February 2025