HDRC Public Involvement Coordinator (reference: SCC/TP/287938/2858)

Surrey County Council; Reigate; Hybrid; GBP 46,000; Full time

Job description

• Location: Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8EF

Description

This role has a starting salary of £45,680 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

This is a 2-year fixed term contract/secondment opportunity.

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Do you want to ensure that research reflects real-life experiences and helps tackle unfair health inequalities? If so, then come and join our fantastic new team in Surrey as we establish a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC).

We are hiring a new Public Involvement Coordinator to join HDRC Surrey. You will be part of the HDRC Surrey research team and support the public involvement workstream, helping Surrey residents to become more research-active and bringing together evidence for what works best to improve and protect the health of our residents. By working together, we aim to achieve a research-led and evidence-based approach to meeting health priorities in Surrey.

The team is based in Reigate; however, this is a hybrid role and you will have the option of working from home or from another Surrey County Council office. You will be expected to attend an office at least two days per week.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part-time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Surrey County Council has been awarded £5m from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to implement a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). This is a 5-year initiative aiming to boost research capacity and capability within local government and embed a culture of always using evidence when making decisions. HDRC Surrey will be delivered through five workstreams:

• Research infrastructure and governance: Improving tools, processes and support systems to help people conduct research and gather evidence.
• Capacity building: Supporting local authority staff, communities and residents to develop and build the research skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to carry out effective research on important issues and find potential solutions.
• Knowledge sharing: Promoting research and evidence, ensuring it is seen as important and relevant, and supporting knowledge mobilisation, transfer and dissemination.
• Research practice, evaluation and impact: Embedding research evidence in everyday practice at the local authority, focusing on conducting robust research, impact assessments and evaluations to measure effectiveness and impact.
• Public involvement: Embedding meaningful public involvement at the heart of Surrey HDRC's work, ensuring the voice of people drives HDRC Surrey's strategies and methods.

About the Role

The Public Involvement Coordinator will form an integral part of Workstream 5 on public involvement, with a predominant focus on carrying out research with Surrey's communities and supporting their involvement in research activities, panels, and networks. In this role, you would also seek to increase the capacity of local authorities to carry out their own participatory research, as well as building a network of experts by experience to ensure the community voice is at the heart of our work.

You will work closely with local communities, stakeholders and partners to facilitate working across our communities to share, learn and collaborate in new impactful ways and to reduce barriers to public involvement. You will be responsible for developing and delivering on the HDRC Surrey Public Involvement Strategy, with the support of our Public Involvement Advisors and the HDRC delivery team. This includes understanding what works well, and any challenges related to public involvement.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• A degree in Social Policy, Public Health, Social Research, Community Development, or equivalent professional experience.
• Knowledge and experience of public engagement and involvement in an academic/research/local government environment.
• Knowledge and experience of methodologies towards effective community engagement.
• The ability to inspire and equip others to use creative solutions to integrate and strengthen public involvement and community engagement in their work.

As part of your application, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• What has motivated you to apply for this position?
• Can you provide examples of your experience with public engagement and involvement in an academic, research, or local government environment?
• Describe a situation where you inspired and equipped others to use creative solutions to integrate and strengthen public involvement in their work. What was the outcome?
• How would you approach developing and delivering the HDRC Surrey Public Involvement Strategy? What steps would you take to understand what works well and address challenges related to public involvement?

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to role requirements, flexible working requests, transferable skills or barriers to employment.

If you are an internal candidate applying for a new position/secondment, please discuss your intention to apply with your line manager before submitting your application.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 20/04/2025 with interviews planned for the week commencing 28/04/2025.

We look forward to receiving your application; please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Our Values
Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.