Overview
About The Job: Some key information. Education, transport, housing, and built environment are just some factors which shape how long people live and how healthy their lives are. Local government and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector often sit closest to these social factors. These are called the building blocks of health. HDRC Somerset is a 5-year partnership programme between Somerset Council, the University of the West of England, Spark Somerset and University College London’s Institute of Health Equity. Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we are 1 of 30 HDRCs in the country. We work alongside council staff and those across the VCFSE sector to build research capability and capacity so that we can make better, evidence-informed decisions about the policies, practices and interventions that most impact people’s lives.
We are looking for maternity leave cover for a Business Development and Research Intelligence Workstream Manager.
Responsibilities
* Lead development of the data management, research governance policies and processes required for the Council to undertake academic research on the social and economic determinants of health.
* Drive business development of academic partnerships across the organisation to generate funding for high impact research conducted in, with, and for the benefit of Somerset residents.
* 37 hours per week.
* 33 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays).
* Hybrid working, with one team day in Taunton each week and an expectation of availability for two days per week to work in Somerset.
* Fixed-term contract until 31st March 2027.
What I will be doing
We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:
* Leading a workstream in the Somerset HDRC: Business Development and Research Intelligence
* Driving generation of research income with academic partners, Council colleagues and communities.
* Working closely with a range of stakeholders across the Council, in academia, the NHS, and partners from the voluntary and community sector to build the governance and data management systems required to do high impact research as a local authority.
* Ensuring relevant standards of practice for research data usage are applied to all research involving the Council.
* Leading the development of appropriate policies and processes, in particular as they relate to participation in research and data and information governance, with associated training.
Qualifications
* Master’s level qualification in Public Health or related discipline or equivalent academic experience (e.g. strong academic publication record).
* Have previous research experience in a public health field / local authority / academic / NHS and are committed to having academic impact through building research capacity in local government.
* Have significant experience of leading and developing research funding bids and managing research projects.
* Have demonstrable experience of partnership working, including the ability to influence and, where required, lead multi-agency projects, programmes, or initiatives.
* Can demonstrate a strong understanding of the role that the social determinants of health play in population health improvement and tackling health disparities, and how local government can contribute through this vision.
* Have a good understanding of systems and processes required to meet relevant standards for data protection, management and ethics in research.
Inclusion and the role
We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve. We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.
What’s in it for me?
We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset. We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:
* We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
* Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
* Staff discounts in gyms.
* Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
* Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
* A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
* My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.
Anything else I should know?
Interviews will take place at County Hall in Taunton on 29th April 2026.
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, please contact Brittney Strange on brittney.strange@somerset.gov.uk.
The salary for this role is £49,282 per annum.
When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.
If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.
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