National Embedding Manager

IMPACT ('Improving Adult Care Together') is a UK-wide centre for implementing evidence in adult social care, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, and the Health Foundation. Working across the four nations of the UK, IMPACT is an 'implementation centre', drawing on knowledge gained from different types of research, the lived experience of people using services and their carers, and the practice knowledge of social care staff.

Its aims are to enable practical improvements on the ground, and make a crucial contribution to longer-term cultural change, by increasing the use of high-quality evidence leading to better care practices, systems and outcomes; building capacity and skills in the adult social care workforce to work with evidence of different kinds to innovate and deliver better outcomes; developing relationships between a wide range of stakeholders across the sector to improve outcomes for people who draw on services and their families; and improving understanding of what elements of evidence implementation do and do not work in practice, and using this to overcome barriers.

As IMPACT evolves there is a substantial and growing evidence base generated from a series of local change projects across the UK. Our delivery projects implement research findings to drive change and innovation in practice in social care organisations. The national embedding team look for opportunities to sustain, scale and spread what we have learned, to get this embedded in policy and practice throughout the four nations of the UK.

IMPACT is expanding its national embedding team with the addition of a second National Embedding Officer, and three senior part-time Embedding Leads for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The National Embedding Office will be managed by Deputy Head of National Embedding. This is a unique opportunity to take practical evidence of what works in adult social care and maximise the difference it makes to people's lives by contributing to research informed implementation.

This role will:
- Develop pathways to scale, spread and sustain emergent innovation in IMPACT's delivery projects in adult social care policy and practice across the four nations
- Contribute to the dissemination of project outcomes to stakeholders
- Grow IMPACT's stakeholder engagement in line with our four aims
- Contribute to collecting and reporting on IMPACT outcomes
- Support national embedding director and deputy director, and delivery staff across various events

Main Duties:

Providing strategic support to the Deputy Director of National Embedding and the Embedding Leads including:
- Developing a detailed working knowledge of academic, practice and lived experience research in adult social care across the UK
- Applying knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding of IMPACT's four workstreams: IMPACT demonstrators, IMPACT networks, IMPACT facilitators and ASK IMPACT
- Analysing and interpreting data and policy developments relevant to adult social care and related areas of social policy, identifying opportunities to embed the lessons from our work in national policy and practice
- Contributing to developing new models, techniques and methods for knowledge mobilisation
- Dealing with problems that may affect the achievement of objectives and deadlines

Coordinating the organisation of conferences/meetings/workshops/dissemination events including:
- Coordinating on the shaping and design of national embedding events to support IMPACT's four aims
- Delivering events in collaboration with national embedding team

Coordinating engagement with stakeholders including:
- Leading on mapping stakeholders as needed to meet IMPACT aims, including designing methodologies, collecting and analysing data and identifying existing relevant data sets, to provide information on all sectors of adult social care including people who draw on care and support, carers (unpaid), practitioners, providers, commissioners and strategic planners, researchers/national body representatives
- Facilitating and organising ways for people who draw on care and support and carers to influence the National Embedding work plans, projects and products
- Implementing approaches to track and report on national embedding approaches
- Driving the activities and plans for increasing engagement with IMPACT, working closely with the communications and national embedding teams based in the UK four nations
- Writing and delivering strategic communications to disseminate project outcomes, including social media posts, blogs, newsletters, formal reports and delivery of presentations

Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture. Supports the University's sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.

Person Specification:
- Relevant degree or relevant equivalent professional qualification
- Experience of completing directed research assignments, working independently to produce evidenced research reports
- Authoritative knowledge of research in adult social care
- Substantial experience of engaging and collaborating with stakeholders
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including orally and in writing, with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively with a range of stakeholders
- Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
- Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
- Contribute to the planning and organising of the national embedding programme and provision of research and policy information to support future bid applications and written content
- Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
- Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines
- Proven analytical and problem-solving skills that will help to identify and implement initiatives to deliver project outcomes
- Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area
- Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action

Remote working will be supported within this role; however, the role holder will be expected to spend a minimum of two days a month working with the central IMPACT team at the University of Birmingham. Occasional travel to IMPACT events and/or specific delivery project meetings will be required and will be reimbursed from the usual place of work. The role is full-time, and a job share will be considered.

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.