Job Advert
This post is a Fixed Term/Secondment position until 31st March 2026
About the Organisation:
Public Health Scotland launched 1st April 2020 as a national health board, employing around 1200 people, and with an annual budget of around £101 million. Public Health Scotland wants to see a Scotland where everybody thrives, a Scotland where life expectancy improves and the difference in life expectancy between our poorest and wealthiest areas gets smaller.
Public Health Scotland is Scotland’s lead national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all of Scotland’s people. Our vision is of a Scotland where everybody thrives. Our focus is on increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing premature mortality. To do this, we use data, intelligence and a place-based approach to lead and deliver Scotland’s public health priorities.
The Post:
This post is within Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate, which protects the people of Scotland from infectious and environmental hazards; enables high-quality clinical and public health knowledge, carries our research, delivers on innovation; and improves and changes clinical and public health practice by using audits at a national and local level.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Social Researcher to work in the Environment and Emergency Response Division (EER), within the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Implementation Support Team (MIST).
As Social Research specialist for the organisation the post-holder will provide expert direction, advice, training and quality assurance on the development and use of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to support MIST staff to deliver core functions across the organisation and to manage a portfolio of projects that will influence internal and national policy and practice in the field of problematic drug use.
The successful candidate will provide planned support across the MIST programme on social research and evaluation, with particular focus on public participation and community engagement through an inclusive and collaborative approach.
The post will report directly to the Service Manager within the EER division.
The Candidate:
We are looking for a candidate with specialist experience, expertise and knowledge of social research and project managing research initiatives and programmes. This will require someone with a high level of communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills. Experience in the field of substance use would be particularly useful.
You will have the ability to prioritise your own work effectively and be able to direct activities of/to others working with a range of stakeholders in a politically sensitive and changing environment.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo a PVG Scheme check. Any candidate who has lived/worked overseas for more than 12 months in the preceding 5 years will also be required to provide a criminal record check from the appropriate overseas agency.
Location and Working Pattern:
The post will be based in Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Working pattern will be Monday to Friday
During times of public health emergency, or other urgent business need, you may be required on a temporary basis to work your normal contracted working hours over 7 days including weekends, in order to meet the needs of the service.
It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with PHS.
Benefits:
Our benefits package includes pension scheme, comprehensive range of work life balance policies, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits. Click here to view the full range of the PHS Employee Benefits.
Further Information:
For an informal discussion on the post, please contact Dr Duncan McCormick, MIST Clinical Lead, duncan.mccormick@phs.scot
Closing date for completed applications is 6th June 2024
Further information on PHS is available from: https://publichealthscotland.scot/
Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).
Public Health Scotland is an equal opportunities employer and as such guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies