Research and Innovation Champion (KTP Associate)

As KTP Associate you will serve as the bridge between academic research and practical application, transferring advanced research methodologies from academia to practice and developing evidence-based assessment frameworks. You will be responsible for building sustainable research capabilities within Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, developing their internal capacity to independently assess service impact and understand comprehensive family experiences. Your work will be informed by expertise in research methods and knowledge transfer, with the ability to translate academic research into practical applications. Experience with mixed-methods research, statistical analysis, and working with vulnerable populations would be highly valuable. The role includes developing frameworks to evaluate early intervention services and creating sustainable capabilities for continuous improvement across both centre-based services and outreach support. You will need strong interpersonal and communication skills, emotional resilience and professional sensitivity when working with families facing complex challenges, and the ability to explain complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences including charity staff, families, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.

Key Responsibilities

• Transfer advanced research methodologies from academia to practice, developing comprehensive evidence-based assessment frameworks
• Build the charity’s internal research capabilities through staff training, mentoring, and collaborative methodology design
• Design and implement evaluation frameworks to assess service impact, effectiveness, and family experiences
• Establish data management systems, conduct statistical analysis, and translate research outputs for diverse stakeholders
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and policy briefs
• Collaborate with families, charity staff, healthcare professionals, and commissioners using participatory research approaches
• Design and deliver training programmes on evidence-based practice and research methods
• Monitor and evaluate the real-world impact of implemented frameworks, making iterative improvements

This KTP project aims to embed evidence-based assessment and optimisation frameworks within Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity for evaluating and improving early intervention services for children under five with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities, and rare genetic disorders.