Research Fellow

Job description

**Play a key role in a pioneering £1m Maudsley funded programme transforming how primary care supports young people. As Research Fellow, you’ll lead research and evaluation activity across four South London boroughs and help build WCC’s growing national evidence and insight function.**

This post offers an exceptional opportunity to be part of an innovative and rapidly developing programme that blends real world service change with high quality research. Working across the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) boroughs — **Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Croydon** — you will document, analyse and demonstrate the impact of new youth friendly primary care approaches as they are designed, implemented and adapted.

Supervised by **Dr Ann Hagell** (Consultant to The Well Centre Charity) and **Professor Johnny Downs** (King’s College London), you will join a collaborative and multidisciplinary partnership that includes KCL’s CAMHS Digital Lab, primary care teams, youth workers and community stakeholders. This is a rare chance to contribute foundational insight to a charity entering its national scaling phase.

**About The Well Centre Charity**

The Well Centre Charity exists to ensure every young person has access to health support that is holistic, youth friendly and free from barriers. Our model brings together GPs, Health and Wellbeing Practitioners and mental health practitioners to deliver integrated care in a way young people value.

Rooted in Lambeth, the Well Centre model has inspired services across South London and beyond. We are now building the **research, learning and system infrastructure** required to scale this approach nationally. Joining us now means shaping our evidence base and strengthening our role as an innovation partner to local and national systems.

This post is funded by the Maudsley Charity, but the employment contract will be held by **Herne Hill Group Practice**, the home of the original Well Centre.

**About the Role**

As Research Fellow, you will lead research and evaluation for the Maudsley programme and contribute to the wider evidence and insight function of WCC. You will use both **qualitative and quantitative methods**, support digital innovation with KCL, and help ensure that young people’s experiences, outcomes and priorities shape service development.

Your work will inform commissioners, clinicians and system partners working to reduce health inequalities and strengthen support for adolescents across South London and beyond.

**What You’ll Do**

You will:

- Design and deliver research and evaluation that tracks the rollout of new Well Centre-style services
- Use mixed methods to understand how services improve young people’s outcomes and experiences
- Analyse quantitative and qualitative data and translate findings into actionable recommendations
- Work closely with the CAMHS Digital Lab to support digital innovation and data capture
- Contribute to co production and engagement with young people and community voices
- Prepare protocols and support ethical approval processes
- Produce high quality reports, presentations and publications
- Synthesise evidence for commissioners, clinical partners and funders
- Champion evidence led practice within WCC and the wider programme

**About You**

We are looking for a thoughtful, curious and motivated researcher who wants to make a tangible difference to young people’s lives. You’ll value collaboration, bring intellectual rigour and enjoy working in a small team where flexibility, initiative and shared purpose matter more than hierarchy.

**Essential Criteria**
- Postgraduate degree (e.g., MSc) in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, social sciences or related discipline
- Experience setting up or supporting research studies, ideally in adolescent or population health
- Ability to translate complex findings into accessible insights for diverse audiences
- Strong literature synthesis and critical appraisal skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
- Experience working in multidisciplinary teams
- Knowledge of ethical research practice and GDPR compliance
- Ability to form effective working relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders
- Experience of qualitative research with young people

**Desirable**
- PhD (completed or near submission) in a relevant field
- Experience in adolescent health, youth development, primary care or CAMHS
- Familiarity with NHS datasets and publicly available health and mapping data
- Understanding of SNOMED, Read Codes or clinical phenotyping systems
- Experience with ethical approval and information governance processes
- Strong quantitative or analytical skills using R, Python or STATA
- Experience of co design with young people

**What We Offer**
- The chance to be part of a pioneering programme improving adolescent health
- A supportive, collaborative and values led culture
- Opp