Internal Redeployment Only - Research Associate, CARE

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Please note that this job is open only to current Cardiff University staff who are eligible for Redeployment.

Internal Redeployment Only - Research Associate, CARE

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences is seeking to recruit a Research Associate to work within the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE) Research Centre that is located within the School.

In this role you will conduct research within adult social care and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University, carrying out research leading to the publishing of high-quality research. To pursue excellence in research and to inspire others to do the same.

This is an exciting opportunity to be a full-time researcher on a new study into older men's experiences of hoarding and self-neglect and their engagement with social care services in Wales. This is a new project funded by the NIHR Research for Social Care programme to 31st January 2028. The post holder will be primarily supporting this project and leading on fieldwork activity (interviews with older men, social care professionals and other agency leads, analysis of case notes), qualitative data analysis and public involvement, and contributing to project outputs, resources and reporting.

The study's overarching aim is to identify ways of enhancing support and service engagement for older men experiencing hoarding and self-neglect concurrently (including where hoarding leads to self-neglect concerns) in Wales.
Research questions:

How do older men (60 + years) experiencing hoarding and self-neglect concurrently engage with social care services?
How do gender and masculinities shape social care responses to older men in this group?

Our collaborators are four Welsh local authorities, Holistic Hoarding (South Wales charity) and Social Care Wales (national social care regulator).

This post is full-time (35 hours per week), is fixed term until 31st January 2028 and is immediately available.

Salary: £41,064 - £46,049 per annum (Grade 6), with annual increments up to final salary at top of grade). New appointments are usually made at the starting point of the salary scale.

Responsible to Professor Paul Willis, Principal Investigator

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Paul, WillisP4@cardiff.ac.uk

Candidates with personal lived experience of social care services are especially welcome. Note that applicants will not be expected to disclose, evidence or demonstrate this either at application or if selected for interview.

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (including bank holidays), blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

As the biggest university in Wales - and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff - we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Closing date: Tuesday, 17 February 2026

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Research

To conduct research within adult social care and contribute to the overall research performance of the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE), School and University by the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, publishing in national academic journals and conferences, and the recruitment and supervision of postgraduate research students.
To develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research including research funding proposals
To attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required
To undertake administrative tasks associated with research projects, including the planning and organisation of the project and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting
To prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate
To review and synthesise existing research literature within the field
To participate in Centre and School research activities.
To build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and share research ideas for the benefit of research project

Other

To engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, service user and carer groups and networks, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally, to raise awareness of the profile of the research centre and School, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile.
To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
To participate in Centre and School administration and activities to promote Centre and School and their work to the wider University and the outside world
Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Additional Information

The Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE),

The Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE), funded by Health and Care Research Wales, is a recently established research centre formed in partnership with the Centre for Trials Research. It brings together multi-disciplinary expertise from across the university, and fosters collaboration with experts elsewhere in the UK, external organisations and community groups, to develop cutting-edge research on adult social care, underpinned by substantial UK-level research funding.

CARE aims to build on an existing track record of research on adult social care and the health-social care interface, from across Cardiff University. To ensure its work is relevant to the social care sector, CARE has a strategic advisory group of senior leaders and policy makers, and also has set up advisory panels of practitioners and people with lived experience of receiving social care services. The development of CARE is supported by the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), Exchange, and the Cardiff University schools of Social Sciences, Business, Healthcare Sciences, Law, Medicine, and Psychology. CARE also works with other research centres and groups across Cardiff University, and beyond.

CARE offices are located in the university's sbarc spark building. Sbarc spark is the first social science research park in the world. Part of the university's £300m Innovation Campus, this purpose-built facility co-locates world-leading social science researchers with organisations and representatives from the public, third and private sectors - some of which are focused on social care - all working together to address the major complex challenges facing societies.

CARE's home school is Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. The School is an inter-disciplinary centre of teaching and research. With strong links with the public and voluntary sectors, it seeks to lead on public and policy debates at international, national, and local levels and is renowned for its innovative scholarship across the social sciences and beyond. Further details of the School's activities may be found on our home page: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi

Visit the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE) website here: www.careresearchwales.org

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Postgraduate degree at PhD level (or nearing completion / submission) in a related subject area or relevant research experience
An established expertise and proven portfolio of research relevant to adult social care
Proven experience in undertaking high-quality qualitative research with vulnerable populations, including interviewing and thematic analysis
Proven ability to publish in national/international journals and/or other research outputs
Knowledge and understanding of competitive research funding to be able to develop applications to funding bodies
Proven ability in effective and persuasive verbal and written communication
Ability to supervise the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals
Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work
Proven ability to work without close supervision

Desirable Criteria

Demonstrated knowledge of ageing and the psychosocial impact of care and support needs in later life.
Relevant professional qualification, especially in health or social care.
Evidence of supporting practitioners and public involvement in research.
Proven ability to adapt to the changing requirements of the Higher Education community.
Ability to speak and read Welsh or the willingness to learn.

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria
It is Cardiff University's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for shortlisting. Therefore, candidates must evidence they meet ALL the essential criteria and, where relevant, the desirable.

As part of the application process, you are asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined in the person specification. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide for each criterion.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure you name it with the vacancy reference number: XXXXBR.

Your application will be at risk of not being progressed if you do not evidence you have met all essential criteria. The school welcomes the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

Please note that these are also the criteria shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g. a skills test).

Description

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