Inclusive Research Specialist

Salary: £57,700

Contract type: Permanent

Closing Date: Tuesday 17th February

Interview dates: W/C 23rd February

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.

We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

These challenges need the bold science we support, but they won’t be solved by science alone.

Wellcome’s Equity Department ensures we engage thoughtfully with the right people at the right time, enabling and investing in impactful research and influencing policy and practice so that new scientific advances, innovation and product development can be accessed with confidence by the people who need them most. We work to ensure partners and communities are engaged equitably, their voices shape the work we support, research draws on the broadest possible talent and expertise, and Wellcome itself is an inclusive place to work.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Inclusive Research Specialist to join our team. This role will be part of a team embedding equity across Wellcome’s funding and research, specialising in inclusive research expertise and practice.

Where will I be working?

You’ll be working in Wellcome’s Equitable Research Practice team, part of the Equity Department, which leads our efforts to embed equitable approaches across research, funding and policy portfolio. The team comprises Equity Partnering, Equitable Funding, Inclusive Research, and Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion functions. Reporting to the Head of Inclusive Research, you will be a key member of the team and expected to work closely with colleagues across the Equity team. You’ll also work collaboratively across the organisation in a matrix working model, as well as with external partners, to ensure our work is inclusive, evidence led and grounded in good practice.

What will I be doing?

As Inclusive Research Specialist, you will:

• Contribute to both developing and implementing the Inclusive Research team’s strategy, including taking ownership of partnering, providing practical expertise on Inclusive Research, and enhancing execution of the team’s projects to deliver against their strategies and the Equity Framework

• Develop and hold key relationships across and beyond the Department as required, operating in line with agreed matrix ways of working to influence research practice and approaches across Wellcome

• Contribute to the co-design and execution of projects and grants to support other teams to embed Inclusive Research across their value chains

• Contribute to and participate in a community of practice on Inclusive research, learning from activities and practice across Wellcome to ensure continuity, improve approaches and inform priorities in your team’s work

• Contribute to creating an inclusive culture across the organisation through the demonstration of our values and behaviours and inclusive workplace practices

• Undertake work in accordance with Wellcome budget, governance, policies, values and behaviours.

Is this role for me?

If you’re someone with deep expertise and practical experience of planning and delivering inclusive research, through a range of different approaches, then this role is for you. You’ll thrive if you enjoy working in a collaborative, strategic and constructive way, with a track record of turning inclusive research principles into actionable changes across the research and funding value chain. Ideally with experience in the global South, the Inclusive Research team will cover geographies in the UK and the global South (with a focus on the African continent, South and South East Asia). If you’re a collaborative relationship‑builder who can draw on your experience to work relationally and effectively across multiple partners internally in a complex organisation as well as externally;, set clear targets,; lead programmes and teams, communicate complex ideas with clarity;, and bring resilience, openness and a strong commitment to Wellcome’s mission and inclusive research practices, then we’d love to hear from you.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please submit an up-to-date CV and answer two application questions to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Minimum criteria

• A strong understanding of inclusive research, and demonstrated ability to practically support community participation and engaged research

• Skilled and adaptable, with significant practical experience in a research and science context, ideally in the Global South, that results in a deep understanding of inclusive and engaged research

• Demonstrated ability to partner, build productive relationships and influence stakeholders to efficiently deliver impact and influence change adoption

• Experience working as a researcher or funder in research / science, ideally in the Global South, with a strong understanding of research and grants in these contexts

• Effective interpersonal communication and advisory skills, translating complex equity challenges into actionable, guidance for research and funding teams

Applications Questions:

• Using examples please provide evidence to demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria for this role as outlined in the job description? (Up to 500 words)

• Using short summaries please provide specific details of up to two different initiatives or projects you have been directly involved in that are relevant to this role. For each initiative or project please use up to 250 words to describe your role (e.g. team leader, team member), the purpose of the activity (i.e. its aims), and the major contributions you personally made.

You can view the full Job Description on our website.

You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on our website

Our Hybrid Way of Working

We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best.

At Wellcome we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do