Hybrid Internal Redeployment Only - Public Involvement Officer, DECIPHer bei Cardiff University

• Research and Centre Support – provide training, guidance, and delivery to ensure that public involvement is integrated across all aspects of DECIPHer’s research, centre strategy and practices.
• Partnerships and Networking – build networks and relationships with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure collaboration and impact of public involvement within DECIPHer’s research.
• Public Involvement Support – design, lead, support and deliver public involvement within research projects in DECIPHer.

You will be based at the Cardiff Office and will be expected to work some evenings and weekends and will need to be willing to travel across Wales, with occasional travel elsewhere in the UK.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week), is fixed term until 31st March 2028 and is immediately available

Salary: £33,951 - £36,636 Grade 5 per annum (with annual increments up to final salary at top of grade) New appointments are usually made at the starting point of the salary scale.

Responsible to Zoe Macdonald, DECIPHer Administration Manager

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Zoe, [email protected] 

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days  annual leave (including bank holidays), blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Closing Date: 27 August 2025

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
 

• Support the centre leadership team and partnership board to integrate public involvement into DECIPHer’s governance structures and centre practices.
• Support centre researchers in undertaking public involvement activity to develop new research grants and work with the centre leadership team to prioritise these grants in line with centre strategies.
• Provide advice, guidance and grant application writing support on public involvement to centre researchers. Ensure plans meet UK Standards for Public Involvement and are sufficiently costed into external grant applications.
• Develop,deliver and signpost to training for researchers,and other DECIPHer staff on involving the public in research to ensure meaningful participation.
• Work with the research coordinator to capture public involvement activity and maintain financial records for reporting purposes adhering to GDPR requirements in all cases.
• Work with the research coordinator to maintain accurate records of public contributor activity within DECIPHer and use this data to ensure contributors are matched with appropriate studies without overburdening their time.
• Undertake administrative duties to support public involvement work such as drafting text for quarterly reports to funders, writing blogs, newsletters and evaluating the impact of public involvement.
• Work with the DECIPHer communications officer to support colleagues to disseminate DECIPHer’s public involvement work including collating, showcasing and sharing best practice examples of DECIPHer PI activities.
• Develop and deliver guidance/ training in line with university policies, to ensure DECIPHer staff understand individual responsibilities regarding safeguarding procedures for all activities involving children or vulnerable adults. This will include consent, risk assessment, DBS checks, lone worker policy, insurance and emergency contact procedures.
• Keep up to date with, and disseminate, PI best practice examples and guidance from research literature/key funding bodies. 

• Build connections with third sector organisations, funders and other relevant partners to help identify public contributors for areas of work focusing on under-served groups and adult populations.
• Establish working relationships with public involvement officers and leads within other research centres (including those in the Social Science Research Park) and with the centre’s funder (Health and Care Research Wales), to identify areas for collaboration, minimise duplication and share resource.

• Recruit to and establish supportive relationships with a panel of young people/adult public contributors to facilitate their involvement in research and DECIPHer governance.
• Plan and deliver or signpost to capacity building activities for public contributors to support ongoing involvement in research.
• Take responsibility for safeguarding, health, safety and wellbeing of public contributors, resolving issues during events that take place on weekends and evenings, seeking advice and escalating where necessary.

• Work alongside DECIPHer Professional Service colleagues to support the work of the centre as required.
• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the Centre when required.
• Perform other duties to support the core business of the centre which are not included above, but are consistent with the role.

• a platform for internationally excellent multidisciplinary public health   improvement research
• an internationally excellent environment for career development in public health      improvement research
• a focal point in Wales for collaboration between academia, policy, practice and the public in public health improvement research to maximise relevance, and impact.

1. Degree/NVQ4 in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional membership/ experience.
2. Substantial experience of working in an engagement, participatory or public involvement role including work with young people and/or vulnerable adults. 
3. Demonstrable professional knowledge of the current literature on Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PCIEP) in order to give advice, guidance and training.
4. Evidence of ability to set up, proactively review, adapt and improve standard office systems, processes and procedures in line with strategic plans.
5. Ability to communicate (both written and oral) complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people, adapting as required.
6. Evidence of ability to proactively explore customer needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.
7. Ability to develop relationships with external organisations, other relevant individuals and centre staff to support and promote the public involvement work of the Centre.
8. Evidence of ability to recruit for and support public involvement and to involve members of the public in project development and delivery.
9. Evidence of excellence in project delivery, administration and organisation working unsupervised to manage your time effectively across multiple demands, planning and setting priorities, meeting deadlines, working both independently and as part of a team.
10. Evidence of ability to solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions and resolving problems with range of potential outcomes

• Postgraduate/professional qualification
• Good understanding of social science or health research and demonstrable knowledge and awareness of contemporary issues and key advances in improving public health and reducing inequalities.
• Evidence of advising, developing and planning public involvement activity within grant applications and awards.
• A willingness to undertake further training and development
• Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral