Community Co-Researcher

• Use your lived experience and community knowledge to help shape research and create recommendations which will better support communities.
• Work from home and County Hall in Taunton.
• Fixed term contract until 31^st December 2028.
• 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays).

We’re working to improve the lives of people living in Somerset through partnering with communities - and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Drawing on your lived experience and community knowledge to help shape and guide research projects from the start to end.
• Partnering with a variety of community groups, organisations, and individuals.
• Working on projects that address the ‘building blocks of health’, improving the lives of people in Somerset
• Checking that project findings and recommendations are relevant, accessible, and meaningful to communities.
• Representing the experiences and views of community members at meetings.
• Providing advice and guidance on working in partnership with communities.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Are passionate about supporting communities and making a difference.
• Are interested in community research (it’s okay if you do not have previous research experience as training and support will be provided).
• Can use a computer, including emails and online video calls - or are willing to learn.
• Can manage your time, workload, and prioritise tasks.
• Enjoy working in a team environment and are good at engaging with different people.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

The salary for this role is £25,185 - £25,989 (Grade 14) per annum.

For an informal chat about the role, application process and to answer any questions, you can contact Alex Hewitt, Research Assistant at alexandria.hewitt@somerset.gov.uk.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

An Enhanced DBS check will be required.