Research Associate, WISERD

12014BR

Cardiff School of Social Sciences

Research

Advert

Research Associate, WISERD

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences is looking to recruit a Research Associate to work within the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) that is located within the school. As the research associate you will conduct research on patronage within civil society and the connections between civil society, civic stratification and elite formation. You will also contribute to the overall research performance of WISERD, the School of Social Sciences and University, carrying out research leading to the publishing of work in high-quality journals. To pursue excellence in research and to inspire others to do the same. 

The post will be based within WISERD (at Cardiff University) and will be line managed by Prof Sally Power.

This post is part time of 24.5 hours a week, available from 1st October 2021 fixed term to the 30th September 2023.

Salary:   £33,797 - £40,322 per annum, pro-rata (Grade 6)

For further details contact Professor Sally Power ([email protected]).  Tel 029 2087 6938

Date advert posted: Thursday, 29 July 2021

Closing date: Thursday, 26 August 2021

This post has previously been advertised to employees of Cardiff University only.  We now invite external applications.

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

“Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/our-research-environment/integrity-and-ethics/responsible-research-assessment”

Job Description

Research

• To conduct mixed methods research with civil society organisations and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University by the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, publishing in national academic journals and conferences, and the recruitment and supervision of postgraduate research students.  
• To develop research objectives and proposals to support own academic career development and/or the sustainability of WISERD, including research funding proposals.
• To attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required.
• To undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project and across WISERD, including the planning and organisation of the project and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
• To prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate.
• To contribute to the WISERD training and capacity building programme.
• To participate in WISERD research activities. 
• To build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and share research ideas for the benefit of research projects.

• To engage effectively with industrial, commercial, and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile.
• To review and synthesise existing research literature within the field.
• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• To participate in WISERD administration and activities to promote WISERD and its work to the wider University and the outside world.
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Fluency in the medium of Welsh.
• Evidence of collaborations with third sector organisations.
• Expertise in international comparative research. 

The Person Specification is split into 2 sections: essential and desirable.  Please demonstrate clearly how you meet all of the essential criteria.  Where possible you should give examples of how, when and where you have used your experience, knowledge, specific skills and abilities to match those required for this particular job role.

Please ensure that you communicate this fully by creating a supporting statement document, listing all of the criteria and commenting against each one as to how you meet them.  This will need to be completed before you begin making your application on line as you will be required to upload it.  

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you put your name and the  vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for NAME XXXXBR.’

The desirable section contains a list of skills, qualifications and experience that it would be beneficial for the jobholder to have.

All short-listing decisions will be based initially on essential criteria, with desirable being used to further select or deselect candidates as appropriate.  

We interview those candidates who are the closest match to the identified criteria.

Additional Information

Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD)

Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) is a collaborative venture between the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Swansea, and South Wales. Its aims are: to build upon and develop existing expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and methodologies; to develop and integrate a coherent set of research data relating to Wales; to build networks of researchers and research capacity across Wales in the economic and social sciences, as well as contributing to UK wide research capacity building; to explore the relationships between research data, research methods and the development and understanding of policy; to develop a sustainable increase in the quantitative research base across the social sciences in Wales through academic appointments and training; to increase collaborative interdisciplinary research grant applications and interaction with policy makers and the private sector through consultancy. 

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences

The School of Social Sciences is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research and teaching across a range of subject areas, including social policy, sociology, criminology, education, social psychology, and social work.

Over 220 staff (including over 30 professors and 60 researchers) are involved in a substantial programme of research - both fundamental and strategic - funded by ESRC, AHRC, MRC, charitable foundations, the European Union, Central Government departments and agencies and voluntary associations. Since its creation in 1999, the School has received over 25 million pounds for funded research.  In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework the School was ranked third for research quality in Sociology and joint fifth for research quality in Education. Cardiff University was ranked second for research impact and fifth overall for research quality.

The School has a large student population, with almost 1000 undergraduates, and 300 postgraduates (including 100 doctoral students).  The School has ESRC recognition for doctoral training in the fields of Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology, Education, and Science, Technology and Innovation. Our taught and postgraduate research programmes welcome students from around the world.

The School hosts a number of research centres and institutes, including the Universities’  Police Studies Institute (UPSI), now part of the University’s Crime & Security Research Institute; Wales Institute for Economic Research & Data (WISERD); Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer); Cardiff Unit for Research and Evaluation in Medical and Dental Education (CUREMeDE); and the Seafarers’ International Research Centre (SIRC). Many of the School’s research centres will soon be housed in the Social Science Research Park (SPARK), which is currently being developed as part of Cardiff University’s new Innovation Campus.

Further details of the School’s activities can be found on our home page: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/social-sciences  

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award that recognises good employment practice and a commitment to develop the careers of women working in academia. Cardiff University is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We actively encourage women to apply. We will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share opportunities.

Job Category

Academic - Research