Senior Research Assistant in Community Wellbeing

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Job Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a motivated and skilled candidate with expertise in Public Health, specifically in the area of drugs and alcohol

As part of a multi-disciplinary research team, you will work closely with the Principal Investigator to support the delivery of a project focused on developing culturally appropriate programmes for South Asian and Muslim (SAM) communities.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of fieldwork, including visits to at least two drug and alcohol addiction recovery services across the UK
• Lead on participant recruitment and conduct qualitative research using participatory methods and semi-structured interviews
• Analyse data, contribute to co-design workshops, write reports, and contribute to academic papers. Where required, public involvement (PI) activities
• Make independent decisions to ensure timely and effective completion of task

Ideally the candidate will have a strong understanding of the language, cultural norms, and lived experiences within South Asian communities

For further detail see the role description.

This is a 12-week full time fixed term role. Part-time will also be considered.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The overall cost to UK society in 2020 was more than £36 Billion when drug related harms and services are taken into account - of which drug treatment and prevention cost £553 million (HMG Review of Drugs -- evidence pack), or approximately £350/year per capita (From Harm to Hope). At the regional level, hospital admissions relating to substance use have increased in Newcastle in recent years and are typically higher than the national average.

Ambulance callouts related to alcohol, place time and resource pressure on the emergency services, as well as having potential to impact workers physically and emotionally. The impact of illicit drugs on the ambulance service is yet to be fully understood. The rate of deaths related to drug misuse in Newcastle is higher than the national average and is continuing to increase (Drug Market Profile. Project Adder 2023). While the Project Adder report for drug use in the region is comprehensive, it does not consider demographics outside of age and gender, emphasising the challenge at the cultural level.

The project will capture best practice to inform and establish workable frameworks to improve support for D&A services aimed at the SAM community. It will identify where further work is needed to ensure equivalence of services for the SAM D&A addict community to reduce health inequalities for this population. The outcome of the project aims to provide a framework for a 12 step programme and the necessary business case justification to make future decisions on investment. It will consider the religious framing, individual accountability, stigma and shame, language and cultural norms. It will explore how faith-based D&A services can support recovery for the SAM community, capturing best practice to develop guidance and frameworks to improve support for SAM communities across the UK.

ABOUT THE TEAM

This project is being delivered by the School of Community Wellbeing, part of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Northumbria University.

ABOUT YOU

Applicants should hold a PhD and have demonstrable specialist expert knowledge in Public Health, preferably in the drugs and alcohol area.

Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact zeb.sattar@northumbria.ac.uk

To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.

ABOUT US

Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more about us.

With over 37,000 students from 140+ countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and more.

Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviours shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold.

Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding numerous awards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.

Apply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy. Explore "Our Exceptional People, Our Values and Behaviours" page to learn more about our commitments and see our Privacy Policy for further details.