Clinical Research Fellow

Job summary

The Research Fellow will play a pivotal role in advancing psychological and multi-disciplinary research, audit and quality improvement (QI) within the Children and Young People's Gender Service (CYPGS) and Psychological Health Services (PHS). Working under the leadership of the Deputy Research and Quality Improvement Director, the postholder will contribute to the design, delivery and dissemination of high-quality studies that address key clinical, psychosocial and developmental questions for children, young people and their families.

The role will combine methodological expertise with applied clinical knowledge to generate robust evidence that informs practice, enhances service delivery and drives QI. This includes supporting and leading projects that evaluate patient outcomes, service models and pathways of care, translating findings into practical improvements in clinical standards and patient experience. The Research Fellow will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, external partners, and academic institutions to secure funding, produce peer-reviewed publications, and strengthen the research profile of BFT. They will also build research capacity within CYPGS and PHS by mentoring colleagues, supporting training in research and QI methods, and ensuring that projects meet the highest ethical and governance standards.

Main duties of the job

Interpersonal and communication skills

• To apply highly developed written and verbal communication skills to convey complex and sensitive research, audit, and quality improvement findings clearly to a wide range of audiences, including clinicians, academics, managers, service users, and policy stakeholders.

• To interpret and present complex quantitative and qualitative data and synthesise evidence into accessible outputs for academic publication, professional education, and service development.

• To use advanced interpersonal skills to build collaborative relationships across multi-professional teams, higher education institutions, and external partners, fostering a culture of research and QI within CYPGS and PHS.

• To act as a point of contact for research and QI advice to clinicians within the department, thereby helping support the integration of evidence into practice and service improvement initiatives.

Please see attached job description for further details on duties of the role.

About us

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations,operatingfrom three main sites at Southmead, Bristol citycentreand Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that theSouth Westhas to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit andretaina workforce whichrepresentsthe rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your applicationin order toensurewe'remeeting our pledge.