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Local Authority Research Practitioner

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Kingston£46,968 - £52,194 (Per annum, pro rata'd to part-time working hours)Fixed Term Length of Employment / Contract End Date 30/06/2028Part Time (28 hours/week)Closes: 4 May 2026
Kingston Council
Kingston
Hybrid Working
Fixed Term
30/06/2028
Part Time
I
28.8
£46,968 - £52,194
Per annum, pro rata'd to part-time working hours
£37,588.80 - £41, 755.20
30 days

04/05/2026, 00:00

14/05/2026

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to lead an innovative programme of work that will shape research and evaluation capacity and capability across Kingston Council, helping us to achieve our borough-wide goal of keeping Kingston residents in good health for as long as possible. This important strategic role will involve working with the public health team to embed an evidence-based approach into our key cross-council prevention policies and strategies, leading on research governance, capacity building, evaluation support, and partnership development with NHS, academia, and VCSE partners, and designing and implementing a multi-agency community engagement and knowledge mobilisation strategy for the Royal Borough of Kingston.

The post holder will lead and coordinate research and evaluation activity across multiple areas, applying advanced specialist knowledge to support complex and multi-agency work programmes.

The post holder will sit within the Public Health team, and will report to one of the Consultants in Public Health. This role is part funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s Specialist Centre for Public Health (SCPH) and the post holder will be expected to engage with the work of this organisation, in particular through the sharing of best practice with other LARPs within South-West London and across the country.

Our ideal candidate will have experience of leading research projects and developing multi-agency strategies. They will be able to apply creative thinking and innovative advanced problem solving to complex public health and organisational challenges, and will have an excellent understanding of both the system of public health within local government and the role that research and evidence can play within this environment

This role is part time at 0.8 whole time equivalent, and therefore may be suitable for post-holders who are also employed part time in academic settings. 

The successful candidate must be available to start in post before 30th June 2026.

The public health team at Kingston Council strives to ensure that Kingston residents live healthier for longer through our work with a range of stakeholders within the council and across the borough.

RBK is an open, honest and transparent authority. We want to continue to build on our local relationships and work alongside and enable our communities to continue to support a resilient and thriving borough. This requires keeping the deep respect and cooperation between elected members and council officers to put ourselves in the strongest position to assist them.

 

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

  • A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
  • Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
  • Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
  • Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
  • Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
  • Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
  • Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
  • Interest free season ticket loans
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
  • Electric vehicle leasing scheme
  • Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities. 
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at
Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

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