Overview

The Innovation Design Associate (IDA) will play a key role in the delivery of the SUMIT project (Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology). SUMIT is an interdisciplinary, cross-border research initiative supported by the PEACEPLUS Programme and managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB). The postholder will be employed by the University of Strathclyde and work as part of Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI).

The IDA will support DHI to deliver SUMIT, a €6.8 million (£5.7m) funded project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by SEUPB. SUMIT aims to support 1,500 people living with addictions and mental health challenges who face barriers to accessing treatment and care. SUMIT is led by Queens University Belfast, with collaborators including Trinity College Dublin, St Andrews University, the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, and 4 local demonstrators in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

DHI is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual to support the development and delivery of SUMIT using design innovation methods which co-develop meaningful digital solutions with stakeholders. As part of a dynamic team of cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary experts, you will play a vital role in the delivery of the SUMIT project as part of DHI’s wider innovation portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Support DHI’s Design Director and SUMIT Research Fellow and be located within DHI’s design team to ensure people remain at the centre of the innovation process, with lived experience driving change rather than technology alone.
• Apply design innovation methods and engage with 4 local test bed localities to co-design and develop three new digital interventions aimed at improving access to treatment and care for individuals facing complex mental health and substance use challenges.
• Establish and develop key stakeholder relationships and contribute to robust knowledge exchange networks involving government representatives, professional bodies, industry, academia and external organisations.
• Support a portfolio of ground-breaking research & innovation within addictions and mental health in a collaborative, design-led research context.
• Line manage via a matrix arrangement with the DHI Design Director and SUMIT Research Fellow and report to the Digital Addictions Support Portfolio Lead.

Qualifications and Skills

• Experience of working within higher education, health, care or the creative or digital industries—ideally in research, public engagement, technology development or communications.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail to support collaborative, design-led research and innovation.
• High level of personal responsibility, initiative, and sound judgment with the ability to respond independently to challenges in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment.
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills; able to engage confidently with diverse stakeholders across academia, health, care, industry and the public sector.

Working Arrangements and Travel

DHI operates a blended working environment where working from home, travel to other parts of Scotland, the UK and internationally are part of the operating model. Travel within Ireland will be a requirement. The formal base for the post is the DHI HQ in Glasgow.

Miscellaneous

Formal interviews for this post are scheduled to be held in October 2025.

For informal enquiries about the post, please contact Alan Connor, Portfolio Lead for DHI Digital Addiction Support at (alan.connor@dhi-scotland.com).