Social Research Executive

Working hours: 35 hours per week.

Salary: £33969 to £37095 FTE

Team: Research

Location: Hybrid with time in the office required on an ad-hoc basis. Office is in Holborn, London. 

Contract: Full time (35 hours a week), FTC for 6 months, with flexible working

Job Description

In 2025, Prostate Cancer Research will be launching a groundbreaking new initiative to increase trust and participation in healthcare and clinical trials among the Black community in London, Northwest and the West Midlands, with a specific focus on prostate cancer. We are looking to recruit a social researcher to lead on building the evidence base which will be the foundations of this initiative. You will conduct comprehensive research to identify and understand the specific barriers to trust within the Black community concerning healthcare, aiming to uncover the root causes of distrust and identify opportunities for building stronger relationships between the Black community and healthcare professionals. At the end of this phase a full report will be compiled which will be the basis for the co-creation of new initiatives with the community.

This is a newly created role, which will be line managed by the Director of Research and Communications. You will have the opportunity to join a department which has more than quintupled its research activity in four years, and last year won a prestigious Change Project of the Year award for the creation of a bespoke programme to tackle the racial disparity faced by Black men with prostate cancer. You will also have the opportunity to work cross-departmentally with the Patient Projects Department, which is responsible for cutting-edge initiatives such as the Infopool. Your work will also involve collaborations with Partnerships and Communications.

You will be mentored and supported throughout this role, so we encourage you to apply even if you feel you don’t meet all of the criteria. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in our workplace. As a principle, we encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and communities. However, due to the nature of this role and it being culturally specific, there is a Genuine Occupational Requirement under the Equality Act 2010 that it be filled by a Black person.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for

·       Conducting a literature review of existing research and studies addressing healthcare trust barriers within the Black community, to gather a broad understanding of the issues.

·       Identifying and interviewing relevant experts in trust and healthcare, including sociologists, oncologists, urologists, and community leaders, to gain diverse perspectives on trust-building strategies and understand the complexities of healthcare engagement within the Black community. These interviews will be shared publicly, potentially through live webinars or being filmed.

·       Collaborating with the communications team to poll a large number of members of the Black community in the UK, to capture the views of the wider community.

·       Organise and facilitate workshops and focus groups bringing together community members, healthcare professionals, and representatives from relevant organisations to explore potential trust-building solutions, and advise other staff as they co-create, test and refine these key solutions.

Skills

Skills and Competencies

Our ideal candidate would have the following:

·       A degree or equivalent experience in a social research discipline

·       Critical thinking

·       Experience leading qualitative research projects, with an understanding of quantitative methods

·       Excellent interpersonal skills

·       Strong report writing skills, with an ability to understand and fairly reflect nuance and diversity of opinions and lived experience

·       A passion for health equity and social justice

·       A demonstrated understanding of the role, and a strong belief in the work we do at PCR.

Personal Qualities

·       Strong belief in our work at Prostate Cancer Research

·       A high degree of autonomy with a will to learn, reflect and self-teach

·       Collaborative outlook, including managing expectations, working flexibly and reaching out to colleagues on joint goals.

·       Confidence to lead on new initiatives, where appropriate, and with the support of your manager

·       The agility to adapt to changing needs when necessary