Researcher jobs in Wimbledon park, greater london

Play a key role in a pioneering £1m Maudsley funded programme transforming how primary care supports young people. As Research Fellow, you’ll lead research and evaluation activity across four South London boroughs and help build WCC’s growing national evidence and insight function.

This post offers an exceptional opportunity to be part of an innovative and rapidly developing programme that blends real world service change with high quality research. Working across the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) boroughs — Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Croydon — you will document, analyse and demonstrate the impact of new youth friendly primary care approaches as they are designed, implemented and adapted.

Supervised by Dr Ann Hagell (Consultant to The Well Centre Charity) and Professor Johnny Downs (King’s College London), you will join a collaborative and multidisciplinary partnership that includes KCL’s CAMHS Digital Lab, primary care teams, youth workers and community stakeholders. This is a rare chance to contribute foundational insight to a charity entering its national scaling phase.

About The Well Centre Charity

The Well Centre Charity exists to ensure every young person has access to health support that is holistic, youth friendly and free from barriers. Our model brings together GPs, Health and Wellbeing Practitioners and mental health practitioners to deliver integrated care in a way young people value.

Rooted in Lambeth, the Well Centre model has inspired services across South London and beyond. We are now building the research, learning and system infrastructure required to scale this approach nationally. Joining us now means shaping our evidence base and strengthening our role as an innovation partner to local and national systems.

This post is funded by the Maudsley Charity, but the employment contract will be held by Herne Hill Group Practice, the home of the original Well Centre.

About the Role

As Research Fellow, you will lead research and evaluation for the Maudsley programme and contribute to the wider evidence and insight function of WCC. You will use both qualitative and quantitative methods, support digital innovation with KCL, and help ensure that young people’s experiences, outcomes and priorities shape service development.

Your work will inform commissioners, clinicians and system partners working to reduce health inequalities and strengthen support for adolescents across South London and beyond.

What You’ll Do

You will:

• Design and deliver research and evaluation that tracks the rollout of new Well Centre–style services

• Use mixed methods to understand how services improve young people’s outcomes and experiences

• Analyse quantitative and qualitative data and translate findings into actionable recommendations

• Work closely with the CAMHS Digital Lab to support digital innovation and data capture

• Contribute to co production and engagement with young people and community voices

• Prepare protocols and support ethical approval processes

• Produce high quality reports, presentations and publications

• Synthesise evidence for commissioners, clinical partners and funders

• Champion evidence led practice within WCC and the wider programme

About You

We are looking for a thoughtful, curious and motivated researcher who wants to make a tangible difference to young people’s lives. You’ll value collaboration, bring intellectual rigour and enjoy working in a small team where flexibility, initiative and shared purpose matter more than hierarchy.

Essential Criteria

• Postgraduate degree (e.g., MSc) in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, social sciences or related discipline

• Experience setting up or supporting research studies, ideally in adolescent or population health

• Ability to translate complex findings into accessible insights for diverse audiences

• Strong literature synthesis and critical appraisal skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities

• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams

• Knowledge of ethical research practice and GDPR compliance

• Ability to form effective working relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders

• Experience of qualitative research with young people

Desirable

• PhD (completed or near submission) in a relevant field

• Experience in adolescent health, youth development, primary care or CAMHS

• Familiarity with NHS datasets and publicly available health and mapping data

• Understanding of SNOMED, Read Codes or clinical phenotyping systems

• Experience with ethical approval and information governance processes

• Strong quantitative or analytical skills using R, Python or STATA

• Experience of co design with young people

What We Offer

• The chance to be part of a pioneering programme improving adolescent health

• A supportive, collaborative and values led culture

• Opportunities for publication, innovation and professional development

• Hybrid working and flexibility

• Autonomy to contribute creatively to a growing organisation

Benefits

(Herne Hill Group Practice employment terms)

• Company pension

• Cycle to Work scheme

• On site parking

• Referral programme

• Sick pay

• Generous annual leave

Job Details

• Job type: Full time or part time

• Hours: Up to 37.5 per week

• Salary: £34,960.82 – £40,000 per year

• Location: Hybrid remote, London SW2 3UP, with travel across the four SLaM boroughs

Purpose of the job 

 In UK Youth’s Impact department, we find, create and use evidence to respond to the needs and preferences of young people and the professionals who support them. We conduct research and evaluations to prove and improve the impact of youth work, and we co-design high-quality programmes and support offers that can be scaled. This new role will work across these areas, supporting research and evaluation projects with real implications for policy and practice. 

 Reporting to the Evaluation & Learning Manager, you will be responsible for supporting the delivery of a portfolio of research and evaluation projects. This will involve conducting research in-house and coordinating with external partners and the organisations we fund to build and share high-quality evidence. There will be opportunities to lead on fieldwork, data analysis, reporting and insight sharing with strategic guidance and hands-on support from other members of the team. 

 You will be organised, keen to develop your research skills and have a passion for working with data. You will support high profile research and evaluation projects, including the evaluation of the Adventures Away From Home Fund – a major, Government-funded outdoor learning programme. You can expect to support other projects, gathering and sharing insights from our network and young people and helping the team to work efficiently and effectively. 

Why work at UK Youth? 

We want all young people to be equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Youth work can be life changing (and even life saving). Our strategy positions UK Youth to unlock youth work so that every young person in the UK can benefit. We work with a network that shares this ambition to build cross-sector understanding of youth work’s transformational potential, secure sufficient investment for sustainable provision, and help to embed effective solutions that will increase the quality as well as accessibility of youth work. Come and be part of this change. 

Responsibilities

• Evaluation and Learning

• Knowledge and Data Management

• Research and Horizon Scanning

Experience we're after

• Experience of managing datasets on digital platforms/software (quantitative and/or qualitative)

• Experience of leading or supporting quantitative and/or qualitative research and data analysis in any setting

• Experience of conducting literature reviews to analyse existing evidence on specific topics

• Experiencing of working across multiple projects and competing priorities and managing your time and tasks proactively

What we can offer you

We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:

• Flexible/Agile Working

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)

• Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity

• Other training available in support of your personal and professional development

• Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)

• Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary

• Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally

• 20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.

• IT equipment provided for the duration of contract

• CycleScheme and TechScheme

How to apply

If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.

Closing date: Tuesday 6th January 2026 at 09:00am

Provisional Interview Dates: 14th and 15th January 2026

As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London
Hours: Full-time, 35 Hours per week
Salary: £55,155 per annum (London)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our website
Contract type: Fixed-term - 2 years
Travel: Occasional travel across the UK including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Sunday 4 January 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.
You will join the UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence Department within the Chief Executive's Directorate. The team is responsible for leading UK strategy development and delivery across advocacy (policy, public affairs, campaigning) and health intelligence, working closely with colleagues across the UK to ensure effective delivery of the strategy in each nation. The department sits in the Chief Executive's Directorate to ensure driving positive change with and for people with arthritis is at the heart of the organisation.

The Department works closely with colleagues across the charity, including Services, Research and Income and Engagement to ensure we are joined up in our approach to arthritis.

About the role
The Researcher is a new, important post at Arthritis UK. Working within our Health Intelligence team, you will lead on providing expertise on the latest relevant research evidence, providing a responsive, robust and balanced assessment of the available evidence and any key gaps to shape the charity's UK advocacy agenda, and drive organisational priorities. Working across a range of issues you will play a crucial role in ensuring that the experiences and needs of people living with arthritis are understood and acted upon, and that arthritis is taken seriously across the UK.

About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we'd love to hear from you:

• In-depth knowledge and experience in working in health-related, research.
• Experience in the synthesis and evaluation of research evidence across a range of sources (including grey literature), including in the design and delivery of rapid reviews.
• Experience in communicating clearly and succinctly to non-technical and non-expert audiences, through both written formats (e.g. briefing papers) and verbally (e.g. via presentations and meetings with senior stakeholders), with a robust approach to accessibility throughout communication.
• Demonstrable understanding of how research can be used to shape policy and practice.
• Experience of consistently applying a range of techniques and research methods applicable to framing research questions, evidence review and research evaluation.
• Able to communicate findings and conclusions clearly to non-specialist and specialist audiences.
• Educated to at least master's degree level or equivalent.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Benefits
Your excellent benefits include:

• Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
• Health and wellbeing support - including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
• Simplyhealth cash plan.
• Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
• Learning and personal development opportunities.
• Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
• Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
• Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

Application deadline and shortlisting 
We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 
We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Arthritis UK where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers.

Interview
Interviews are expected be held Thursday 15 January 2026, Arthritis UK London office

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

About us
We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That's one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life - affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as 'just a bit of arthritis'. We don't think that this is OK. Arthritis UK is here to change that.

Arthritis UK is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Arthritis UK is a Registered Charity No: 207711 and in Scotland No. SC041156.