Job Description:

Job Title: Primary Care Research Director

Location: Chelmsford

Salary: Competitive

Job type: Full Time, Permanent

Closing Date: 17/08/2026

About the role:

We are delighted to offer an exciting joint Academic and Clinical appointment, combining research leadership with hands-on clinical practice. This role is ideal for an experienced professional who is passionate about advancing research in primary and community care while maintaining a strong clinical contribution within Community Mental Health Services.

You will spend two days per week in an academic role within the University and three days per week in a clinical role, ensuring a dynamic portfolio career that bridges theory, research, and practice.

Academic Responsibilities (2 Days per Week):

Research & Income Generation;

• Lead and develop the School of Medicine's new Primary Care Research Centre, including securing external funding through grants, consultancy, and research contracts.
• Undertake high-quality research that delivers demonstrable impact within the University and wider society.
• Produce internationally recognised research outputs.
• Contribute to Faculty-wide research activity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and external partnerships.

Teaching & Student Experience;

• Teach across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, incorporating your professional and research expertise.
• Design, develop, and update teaching materials across a range of modules and courses.
• Supervise postgraduate, PhD, and professional doctorate students.
• Act as an Academic Tutor, providing academic guidance and pastoral support.

Leadership & Curriculum Development;

• Contribute to curriculum development, reviews, and the design of new course proposals.
• Support strategic priorities including student recruitment, marketing, quality assurance, NSS outcomes, and retention.
• Champion widening participation, equality of opportunity, health and safety, and high-quality educational delivery.

Clinical Responsibilities (3 Days per Week):

Clinical Practice;

• Attend and actively contribute to CMHT and PCN MDT meetings to support ongoing patient care.
• Deliver regular patient review clinics in line with the CPA framework.
• Provide flexible emergency medical support to patients under the care of the service.
• Support patients subject to the Mental Health Act (MHA) and manage associated statutory processes.
• Work collaboratively with Primary Care to ensure integrated, patient-centred care.
• Liaise with internal and external services to optimise patient outcomes and care pathways.

Supervision & Governance;

• Provide clinical supervision and support for training doctors.
• Contribute to clinical governance, including setting, monitoring, and maintaining clinical standards.
• Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation, and local assurance processes.
• Support the development and planning of future service improvements.

About You:

You will be a committed academic-clinician with;

• A strong research profile aligned to Primary and Community Care or related fields.
• Demonstrable experience in clinical mental health practice within community settings.
• A collaborative approach to multidisciplinary working and academic teamwork.
• A proven or emerging track record in research output, funding, and/or consultancy.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and mentoring skills.

Why Join Us?

• A unique portfolio career combining academic leadership and clinical impact
• Supportive environments across both University and Clinical services
• Opportunities to influence research, education, service development, and policy
• A shared commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and professional development

We have an agile working culture and offer an extensive range of benefits including generous holiday entitlement, occupational pension schemes, training and development opportunities, travel to work scheme and a competitive relocation package.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of our staff and students and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that ARU will carry out online searches as part of the due diligence on short listed candidates.

We value diversity at ARU and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We have a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK and will conduct Right to Work checks in line with UKVI's Right to Work policy and our own institutional policy. Furthermore, we must note:

• Applicants applying from outside the UK: At this time, ARU is unable to sponsor applicants applying from overseas for a Worker Route visa.
• Applicants already in the UK: ARU is unable to offer Worker Route visa sponsorship to applicants whose salary does not meet our minimum sponsorship threshold, which aligns with roles at Grade 6 and above.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications.

Please click on the APPLY button where you will be redirected to our website where you can find out more about this opportunity.

Candidates with experience in roles such as Academic Psychiatrist, Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Academic will also be considered for this role.