Head of HDRC

Reigate, England, United Kingdom

4/1/2025

This role has a starting salary of £79,260 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

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

Are you a strategic leader passionate about driving research influencing and improving how research and evidence is used in decision-making? Are you interested in addressing the unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes and reducing 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 Head of HDRC to join HDRC Surrey. You will provide overall leadership and effective management of the HDRC programme, ensuring the development and successful delivery of vision, aims and objectives over the 5-year cycle of the programme.

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 award £5m from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to implement a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). This 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 a seen 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

You will be accountable to the Director of Public Health and Surrey HDRC governance structures for delivering programme milestones within the NIHR-allocated budget. Your responsibilities include overseeing the development and delivery of all workstreams in line with Surrey HDRC strategic objectives, and collaborating with the Surrey HDRC Oversight Group and corporate Council leads to develop key policies and strategies that foster a research culture.

You will provide strategic leadership to the HDRC team, managing research, evaluation, programme management, and public involvement. You will collaborate with the University of Surrey and other key partners to develop workstreams, shape a research ecosystem, establish the HDRC footprint in Surrey, and achieve research sustainability. Additionally, you will manage the HDRC budget and partnership agreements, ensuring the overall delivery of the HDRC initiative aligns with strategic objectives.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• PhD qualification, or equivalent relevant research experience, reflecting strong research skills.
• Specialist knowledge and experience of research methods.
• Knowledge of the determinants of health and of health inequalities and inequities.
• An ability to fully appreciate the role of research in health and social care service delivery, management and decision making at a local, regional and national level.
• Developing and managing programmes and projects with a track record of delivering high quality programmes on time and within budget. The ability to formulate strategic plans and implement them successfully.
  
  
  

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

• What has motivated you to apply for this position?
• Provide examples of your specialist knowledge and experience with research methods. How have you applied these methods in previous research projects?
• Discuss your knowledge of the wider determinants of health and health inequalities and inequities. How have you addressed these issues in your previous work?
• Tell us about a research programme or project you have developed and managed. How did you ensure its successful delivery on time and within budget? What strategic plans did you formulate and implement? What challenges did you face?
  
  
  

Contact Us

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

For an informal discussion please contact Ruth Hutchinson by e-mail at [email protected].

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 02/05/2025.

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.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

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.