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We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

We seek a Public Engagement and Involvement (PEI) and Co-Production Associate for the School for Social Care Research (SSCR) and the ESRC Centre for Care at the University of Sheffield. You will shape and develop applied adult social care research and will work across the SSCR and Centre for Care, to support and enhance public involvement and co-production. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of giving or receiving care, or as a care worker, with experience of co-production with people who seek or use services and/or social care practitioners

SSCR brings together the universities of Sheffield, York,  Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leeds Beckett and the London School of Economics.  Our team is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Health, and part of a wide portfolio of care research, which includes the Centre for Care, the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE), and the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR). The work of SSCR is guided by core principles of co-production, collaboration and impact. By embedding co-production in everything we do, our research is informed by the expertise of our practice partners and people with lived experience of requiring or providing care. Our impact activities create more effective and sustainable care arrangements.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Coordinate the public engagement and involvement, and co-production activities across the SSCR by working with people with lived experience, social care practitioners, the SSCR leadership team, professional services colleagues and people working in social care and other partner organisations
• Be the main point of contact for our partners with lived experience and be responsible for maintaining excellent working relationships
• Promote public engagement and involvement, co-production and impact throughout the work of the SSCR by developing strong relationships with partners
• Support the development of public engagement and involvement co-production methods (such as the development of accessible information and research methods, working in collaboration with partners, seeking their advice and acting on it and establishing and maintaining good relationships with partners ) in the work of the SSCR by working closely with members of the public, social care practitioners and academics.
• Support academic colleagues to work with people who have lived experience, social care practitioners (and vice-versa) to deliver co-designed research and impact activity, such as co-producing research design, delivery and analysis
• Organise and facilitate workshops and focus groups with partners
• Support data collection and the secure storage of data on a day-to-day basis, where appropriate, ensuring GDPR compliance.
• Collaborate with people with lived experience, social care practitioners, and with the SSCR leadership team, professional services colleagues and partner organisation, on knowledge translation of key findings and recommendations.
• Assist with, and submit, applications for ethical approval.
• Develop methods and approaches to analysis within research projects, in co-production with participants, social care practitioners and members of the public, that are accessible to these groups
• Support SSCR colleagues to  embed the principles of public engagement and involvement, co-production and impact in grant applications
• Liaise closely, regularly, and in a timely manner with people with lived experience, practice partners and the  SSCR project research teams, and relevant professional staff throughout the SSCR.
• Undertake training and development appropriate to prior experience and qualifications, and personal career aspirations.
• Undertake mandatory online training required for members of the Social Research Institutes and specialist forms of training as the role requires.
• Uphold the highest standards of research ethics and research integrity, for example, by ensuring that University, NIHR and, where appropriate, external organisations’ ethical procedures, are adhered to.
• Assist in the delivery of impact, knowledge exchange and engagement activities.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in your work, for example by completing equality impact assessments for activities that you organise.
• Make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Support the Impact Lead for the SSCR, representing Sheffield at the national level to share good practice and ideas around impact and help to review the national NIHR Impact Strategy and planned mechanisms for monitoring impact across the programme/project

• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will comprise two stages. If applicants meet the essential criteria adequately, they will be invited to take part in a written task (to be submitted by email). Following the review of the tasks, we will produce a shortlist from which we will invite candidates to interview. The written task will help us more effectively assess candidates against the essential criteria outlined in the job description, particularly in areas that are critical to success in the role. It will also give applicants an opportunity to demonstrate their suitability in a more practical context.

Interviews will take place in January and candidates will receive questions in advance. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage in January. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact edc-ops@sheffield.ac.uk. The panel will consist of Professor Peter Bath, Professor Katherine Runswick-Cole, Dr PJ Annand, Dr Gemma Stephens and an individual external to the University with lived experience of adult social care. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact edc-ops@sheffield.ac.uk if you require any reasonable adjustments.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways and Professional Services Shared Skills Framework.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Criminal record

A standard DBS check will be needed for this role. More details on the checks can be found on the Government website: gov.uk/criminal-record-checks-apply-role (opens in a new window).

Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right. More information can be found on our Information for candidates page:- sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/candidates (opens in a new window).

Closing Date : 22/12/25 

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.