Job summary
We are seeking a qualified Knowledge & Evidence Specialist to join our passionate and innovative team to enable colleagues and students at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to access and use evidence from published research and best practice, as well as organizational knowledge to underpin decision making and patient care.
This role provides an excellent opportunity to use your expert knowledge and information skills to provide summarised and synthesised evidence summaries to colleagues and we're also looking for someone who enjoys meeting people and networking, as developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships will be a vital part of your role.
This is a part-time (30 hours a week) fixed term position with the end date of 31st March 2026, to provide cover for a colleague who is going on secondment with Somerset ICB and Primary Care. We are an ambitious team with a vision for creating equitable access to knowledge and evidence for all health and social care staff in Somerset.
Home or remote working is flexible and can be negotiated in line with the needs of the service.
Main duties of the job
The Knowledge & Evidence Specialist will deliver a wide range of activities related to capturing, disseminating, using and sharing knowledge and supporting internal and external partnerships within Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and the wider Somerset Integrated Care System. We have lots of exciting projects and opportunities for you to get involved with!
You will use your expert knowledge and skills to find appropriate evidence, literature and best practice and summarising and synthesising it for colleagues. A key part of your role will be to develop and maintain stakeholder relationships with specific teams, using tools such as knowledge audits to ascertain their knowledge and information needs, so you will need excellent communication skills and to enjoy meeting new people. You may also be required to deliver bespoke training sessions, or facilitate knowledge mobilisation activities such as knowledge cafes.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
- Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
- NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
- Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
- A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Knowledge and Evidence Specialist role will work with teams to provide embedded knowledge and library consultancy, advice, input and services. This will involve developing an understanding of the team's needs and taking the lead on designing and delivering appropriate tailored KM interventions, which will include:
Proactively providing complex literature searching and evidence summaries including reviewing, analysing, synthesising and summarising the results
Designing and developing horizon scanning and alerting services
Advice and guidance on managing the team's own knowledge resources such as designing filing structures
Identifying, generating, editing and formatting knowledge resources and making them accessible to colleagues via the appropriate platforms
Promoting knowledge resources to colleagues, including training on information skills on a one-to-one or small group basis
Updating, maintaining knowledge databases, repositories, intranets and websites as required
Organising and facilitating knowledge sharing activities within teams, such as retrospective reviews and knowledge capture events
Organising and facilitating knowledge sharing events within the wider organisation, such as lunch & learns and knowledge cafes
Undertaking user surveys, reviews and audits to measure and understand the effectiveness of the KLS service, including the identification, documentation, and sharing of impact narratives.
Producing reports of projects and service activity
Answering complex information queries from staff using a wide range of knowledge resources, such as the healthcare databases, and retrieval techniques including Boolean searching.
Further details can be found in the Job Description.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Knowledge and Evidence Specialist role will work with teams to provide embedded knowledge and library consultancy, advice, input and services. This will involve developing an understanding of the team's needs and taking the lead on designing and delivering appropriate tailored KM interventions, which will include:
Proactively providing complex literature searching and evidence summaries including reviewing, analysing, synthesising and summarising the results
Designing and developing horizon scanning and alerting services
Advice and guidance on managing the team's own knowledge resources such as designing filing structures
Identifying, generating, editing and formatting knowledge resources and making them accessible to colleagues via the appropriate platforms
Promoting knowledge resources to colleagues, including training on information skills on a one-to-one or small group basis
Updating, maintaining knowledge databases, repositories, intranets and websites as required
Organising and facilitating knowledge sharing activities within teams, such as retrospective reviews and knowledge capture events
Organising and facilitating knowledge sharing events within the wider organisation, such as lunch & learns and knowledge cafes
Undertaking user surveys, reviews and audits to measure and understand the effectiveness of the KLS service, including the identification, documentation, and sharing of impact narratives.
Producing reports of projects and service activity
Answering complex information queries from staff using a wide range of knowledge resources, such as the healthcare databases, and retrieval techniques including Boolean searching.
Further details can be found in the Job Description.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to postgraduate level in a knowledge management / library and information management specialty and/or first degree
Desirable
- Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professions
- Adult teaching or training qualification
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
- Good understanding of a range of work procedures and practices which require a level of expertise or specialism obtained through formal training or equivalent experience e.g. information management, project management, analytics, content management and design principles, stakeholder engagement.
Experience
Essential
- Information search and retrieval experience, and knowledge of techniques to carry out effective literature searching using the NHS healthcare databases such as Medline and NICE Evidence Search, planning search strategies and using techniques such as Boolean searching
- Experience of taking information and literature from a number of sources including published research in journals; NICE Guidelines; Department of Health publications and other national policy documents, and providing analysis, summary and options report
- Experience of dealing with a wide range of stakeholders and providing information and advice to meet their information needs including people with differing levels of pre-existing knowledge, and providing information at beginner, intermediate or advanced level as appropriate
- Experience of identifying and developing a range of effective knowledge and information systems including designing and maintaining taxonomies and retrieval systems for websites and databases
- Experience of planning, organising and facilitating meetings and training sessions
- Previous experience of working in a library or information unit, or providing virtual services to colleagues in a dispersed organisation
- Experience of website and database maintenance/ development
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of the principles involved in evidence-based healthcare, clinical governance and research.
- Knowledge and understanding of Critical Appraisal tools and frameworks, such as CASP
- Advanced knowledge of MS Office/ Office 365 and experience of using relevant software
- Working knowledge and experience of using social media
- Working knowledge of maintaining confidentiality and implementing data protection legislation requirements including information governance
- Able to demonstrate a good standard of English language
- Able to write clear, concise prose, and edit others' writing particularly when preparing evidence summaries
- Able to deliver services virtually and in person across a wide geography using appropriate technologies.
- Able to build effective networks with a broad range of stakeholders across a range of teams - shares and engages thinking with others -- to develop a network of key contacts across teams and engage with this group to better understand the teams' current needs around evidence and knowledge to inform work
- Able to critically appraise information and information sources using recognised tools such as CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) and communicate to the intended audience
- Able to search for, read and summarise emotional and distressing content, for example regularly accessing information on health conditions, illnesses, patient experiences, clinical trials and other material of a sensitive nature.
- Able to provide and receive complex, sensitive, or contentious information where there may be barriers to communication or a requirement to achieve agreement, cooperation or provide reassurance. This may include literature and evidence on sensitive health topics, or where there is no clear consensus in the published research, and producing an evidence summary which reflects this complexity in a balanced and easily understood way.
- Well-developed ability to exercise high levels of diligence when assessing or preparing documentation, especially when information is received from a variety of sources and may be conflicting
- Planning and organising stakeholder events and other activities with a working knowledge of implementing virtual meeting technology
- Excellent and highly developed time management skills with the ability to recognise and respond to conflicting priorities or sudden unexpected demands and adjust work as required.
- Ability to identify, record, and report outcomes and the impact resulting from work
- Works autonomously using initiative within defined organisational and professional policies and procedures
- Able to work without direct supervision on a day-to-day basis, consulting management support where appropriate
- Identifies the impact of contextual factors on communication; including understanding the requesting team's needs and level of urgency
- Advanced keyboard skills and familiar with using technology such as Office 365
- Able to maintain concentration for a prolonged period of time e.g. checking documents, writing reports and analysing statistics
- Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients
- Able to work as part of a geographically dispersed team which may mean being the only member of the team present in the office at certain points
Desirable
- Knowledge and understanding of taxonomies, controlled vocabularies and other information search and retrieval techniques
- Driving licence with access to a car for business purposes
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to postgraduate level in a knowledge management / library and information management specialty and/or first degree
Desirable
- Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professions
- Adult teaching or training qualification
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
- Good understanding of a range of work procedures and practices which require a level of expertise or specialism obtained through formal training or equivalent experience e.g. information management, project management, analytics, content management and design principles, stakeholder engagement.
Experience
Essential
- Information search and retrieval experience, and knowledge of techniques to carry out effective literature searching using the NHS healthcare databases such as Medline and NICE Evidence Search, planning search strategies and using techniques such as Boolean searching
- Experience of taking information and literature from a number of sources including published research in journals; NICE Guidelines; Department of Health publications and other national policy documents, and providing analysis, summary and options report
- Experience of dealing with a wide range of stakeholders and providing information and advice to meet their information needs including people with differing levels of pre-existing knowledge, and providing information at beginner, intermediate or advanced level as appropriate
- Experience of identifying and developing a range of effective knowledge and information systems including designing and maintaining taxonomies and retrieval systems for websites and databases
- Experience of planning, organising and facilitating meetings and training sessions
- Previous experience of working in a library or information unit, or providing virtual services to colleagues in a dispersed organisation
- Experience of website and database maintenance/ development
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of the principles involved in evidence-based healthcare, clinical governance and research.
- Knowledge and understanding of Critical Appraisal tools and frameworks, such as CASP
- Advanced knowledge of MS Office/ Office 365 and experience of using relevant software
- Working knowledge and experience of using social media
- Working knowledge of maintaining confidentiality and implementing data protection legislation requirements including information governance
- Able to demonstrate a good standard of English language
- Able to write clear, concise prose, and edit others' writing particularly when preparing evidence summaries
- Able to deliver services virtually and in person across a wide geography using appropriate technologies.
- Able to build effective networks with a broad range of stakeholders across a range of teams - shares and engages thinking with others -- to develop a network of key contacts across teams and engage with this group to better understand the teams' current needs around evidence and knowledge to inform work
- Able to critically appraise information and information sources using recognised tools such as CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) and communicate to the intended audience
- Able to search for, read and summarise emotional and distressing content, for example regularly accessing information on health conditions, illnesses, patient experiences, clinical trials and other material of a sensitive nature.
- Able to provide and receive complex, sensitive, or contentious information where there may be barriers to communication or a requirement to achieve agreement, cooperation or provide reassurance. This may include literature and evidence on sensitive health topics, or where there is no clear consensus in the published research, and producing an evidence summary which reflects this complexity in a balanced and easily understood way.
- Well-developed ability to exercise high levels of diligence when assessing or preparing documentation, especially when information is received from a variety of sources and may be conflicting
- Planning and organising stakeholder events and other activities with a working knowledge of implementing virtual meeting technology
- Excellent and highly developed time management skills with the ability to recognise and respond to conflicting priorities or sudden unexpected demands and adjust work as required.
- Ability to identify, record, and report outcomes and the impact resulting from work
- Works autonomously using initiative within defined organisational and professional policies and procedures
- Able to work without direct supervision on a day-to-day basis, consulting management support where appropriate
- Identifies the impact of contextual factors on communication; including understanding the requesting team's needs and level of urgency
- Advanced keyboard skills and familiar with using technology such as Office 365
- Able to maintain concentration for a prolonged period of time e.g. checking documents, writing reports and analysing statistics
- Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients
- Able to work as part of a geographically dispersed team which may mean being the only member of the team present in the office at certain points
Desirable
- Knowledge and understanding of taxonomies, controlled vocabularies and other information search and retrieval techniques
- Driving licence with access to a car for business purposes
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
