Job Description

We are seeking a qualitative or multi-method researcher with excellent practical, analytical and conceptual skills to work with Professor Alison Steven and colleagues, to contribute to the further development of an existing strand of research and activity related to healthcare workforce fatigue.

The post will involve developing and undertaking a small number of projects (e.g. mapping of fatigue management activity, analysis of fatigue discourses, incident report research) which will be decided in discussion with colleagues and the successful candidate.

This eighteen-month post will enable you to develop and lead research activity focused on healthcare staff fatigue, an important new area of research and development which is growing both nationally and internationally. There may be opportunities to network and make links with other researchers and academics from other locations, industries and countries.

Some of the fieldwork may be conducted in person, so at times there may be travel to different parts of the UK.

For further detail see the

This role is part time, 2 days a week, and fixed term for 18 months, starting 1 September 2026 until 31st March 2028.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 therefore the successful candidate will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

ABOUT THE TEAM

This research activity is led by Professor Alison Steven (Alison Steven - Northumbria University Research Portal) who has worked for many years in workforce development and education research with a focus on patient safety, and increasingly on workforce wellbeing and fatigue. The team also includes Dr Jessica Gates, a Research Fellow in Implementation Science and Knowledge Mobilisation, who has worked for several years in healthcare research, and on the topic of fatigue and patient safety.

Working as part of friendly and supportive multi-disciplinary team, the role holder will be based in the School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences ( School of Nursing and Healthcare Sciences | Northumbria), one of four schools within the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, and will be part of the Workforce development research group (formerly workforce education and practice development) Workforce Education and Practice Development

This post and the related research activity will compliment an ongoing NIHR funded Workforce partnership ( Home - Workforce Voices), which includes a theme regarding workforce wellbeing and Fatigue. There may be opportunities for the successful candidate to link with researchers and academics from the partnership.

We are seeking candidates with an interest in healthcare workforce wellbeing; experience and knowledge in a relevant research area such as health professions/services research or workforce research; and demonstrable specialist knowledge in a relevant discipline: e.g. Medical/health care sociology; Occupational Psychology/wellbeing; Implementation Science; Patient safety; Nursing Sciences.

The successful applicant will have experience in planning and conducting research, writing up research work for publication, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

You will hold a PhD, have submitted your PhD or be about to submit your PhD and have excellent qualitative and / or multi-method experience and skills, and a willingness to learn other methods/methodologies where appropriate.

Applicants are also required to have an understanding of research governance, GDPR and data protection legislation.