Senior Research Assistant: Child and Adolescent Mental Health

We are looking for an enthusiastic Research Assistant to join the Wirral Child Health and Development Study (WCHADS/First Steps), a long-running longitudinal study following families from pregnancy through childhood and adolescence.

You will join WCHADS at an exciting stage of its development, working on a new Wellcome-funded multi-cohort study examining how changes in social media policy affect young people's mental health and wellbeing. The project will recruit and follow approximately 550 young people aged 9–17 years and their families.

You will take a central role in recruiting and retaining families, communicating with young people and parents, coordinating repeated questionnaire assessments, and responding sensitively to participant queries and concerns. You will also contribute to the development and piloting of age-appropriate psychological measures and study materials and co-facilitate a young person advisory group, ensuring young people's perspectives help shape the research.

The role would particularly suit someone with an interest in child and adolescent mental health and developmental or clinical psychology who would value experience working directly with young people and families within a large longitudinal research study. You will work alongside psychologists and researchers specialising in child and adolescent mental health and development and as part of a wider collaboration involving several leading UK longitudinal cohorts.

We are looking for someone who is organised, approachable and confident communicating with young people and families, including about sensitive issues relating to mental health and wellbeing. Experience of working or conducting research with children, young people or families would be particularly valuable.

The role offers flexible hybrid working. You will work as part of a team based across Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Liverpool and will be expected to attend both locations when required. The role also involves regular early-evening telephone contact with participating families, with flexibility in working hours to accommodate this.

Benefits include 25 days annual leave plus Christmas closure and bank holidays (with an extra 5 days after 5 years of service), travel loan, wellbeing platform, life insurance, access to campus facilities, enhanced parental leave, and a high-quality guaranteed pension.

Manchester Metropolitan University fosters an inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We value a diverse workforce for the innovation and diversity of thought it brings and welcome applications from all local and international communities, including Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Manchester Met is a Disability Confident Leader and, under this scheme, aims to offer an interview to disabled people who apply for the role and meet the essential criteria.