Senior Research Advisor

About the BMA

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK.  We represent, support and negotiate on behalf of all UK doctors and medical students. 

Join the BMA at a crucial time for doctors and the NHS and be part of a team working for better pay and conditions for the profession.

We are looking to recruit a Senior Research Advisor to work in the Employed Doctors team, in the National Negotiations and Representation directorate. Your role will include two main elements: to support pay and contract negotiations for employed doctors in all four nations of the UK, and to provide research advice and support to the individual BMA committees who represent those doctors.  We are currently in negotiations for some key groups of employed doctors, so this role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to a better deal for our members. 

This is a hybrid role and currently will involve working a minimum of 1 day a week and from BMA House in central London.

To be successful as a Senior Research Advisor you’ll have:

• Practical experience in developing and delivering quantitative and qualitative research projects, within timescale, including occasional management of outsourced projects.
• Experience of designing and managing surveys.  Experience of other methods such as focus groups would be beneficial.
• Good level of skills in MS Excel or other spreadsheet software, with ability to construct simple economic and financial models.
• Critical analysis skills to be able assess data, research findings, and spreadsheet models produced by others.
• Ability to work collaboratively with other research and especially non-technical policy colleagues, as well as with elected officials.
• Ability to present research findings to a variety of internal and external audiences.

Even though prior experience of NHS pay and contracts, or negotiations, is desirable, it is not essential and recent Master’s graduates or doctoral students are welcome to apply.

For this role, we are open to discussing the possibility of flexible hours and/or remote working. While the post is offered on a permanent basis, we would be happy to discuss fixed-term and secondment-type arrangements.  

Why work for us?

We offer a wide range of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays and a BMA company day
• Double matching pension contributions up to 12% of salary
• Additional leave entitlement for volunteering or moving house (after completion of probationary period)
• Onsite gym and subsidised café at BMA House
• BMA Law - discounted rates for employees requiring legal services such as will writing/conveyancing
• Multiple flexible benefits and discounts through our employee benefits platform
• Lots of Learning and Development/training opportunities via our internal learning hub
• Season ticket loan (up to £10,000) after completion of probationary period

Anonymous recruitment

The BMA endeavours to be an inclusive employer, ensuring fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for roles. To support our aims, we use specific software to remove all personal identifying information from CVs and applications.  Personal information such as name, date of birth, age and gender are anonymised and will only become visible to hiring managers if you are selected for interview.

Whether the role needs you to work at home, in an office or in a hybrid way, we`ll provide all the support you need.  

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please apply through our website. However,  if you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support at any point during the application process, please email recruitment@bma.org.uk.

Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring:

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts everybody with the right skills and experience and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

BMA is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as we recognise that diversity makes us stronger.

Please note, we are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK points-based immigration system, as we do not hold a sponsorship licence.