Researcher jobs in Bollington and Disley SK10

The Faculty of Science and Engineering is seeking a Research Impact Associate with a background in qualitative and quantitative evaluation to strengthen how we evidence the difference our research-led public engagement makes.

Working closely with the Associate Dean for REF, academic teams and professional services colleagues, the candidate will design and apply robust, creative approaches to evaluating changes in audience understanding and behaviour. There work will help researchers demonstrate impact, improve future engagement and support the development of high-quality impact case studies for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2028.

Expectations of the role

The postholder would design and apply quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the impact of research-led public engagement on public and industrial stakeholders.

Working in collaboration with academic and professional services teams, the postholder would help plan stakeholder engagement, coordinate evaluation activity and establish clear project deliverables. They would also be involved in the evaluation of high value activities, assessing both the outcomes of the activities and the effectiveness of different approaches.

You will establish frameworks for managing project deliverables and support colleagues to articulate research impact through high-quality reports, communications and REF impact cases. You will also prepare presentations and publications on methods and findings, contribute to strategic discussions with senior stakeholders, and develop training that enables researchers to integrate effective impact evaluation into their projects.

This is an opportunity to shape emerging practice in research impact evaluation and help better articulate the impact of public-engagement activities on external communities. You will be encouraged to share successful approaches across the faculty and to publish and present your work to wider academic audiences.

Candidate skills

You will bring a PhD or equivalent relevant experience, together with experience of developing and evaluating quantitative and qualitative stakeholder engagement methods. You will be confident building effective professional relationships with varied audiences and able to manage competing deadlines in a changing environment.

Strong analytical and communication skills are essential. You should be able to evaluate complex qualitative evidence and present clear conclusions in writing and verbally. You will also understand the practical, ethical and data protection considerations involved in public engagement activity. Awareness of research impact assessment, including the role of impact within REF and research funding, is required.

Experience in higher education, delivering training, assessing research impact, developing public engagement activity or publishing research methods and findings would be advantageous, as would a degree or equivalent experience in the social sciences.

What you will get in return:

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

Our University is positive about flexible working you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please be aware that due to the number of applications we unfortunately may not able to provide individual feedback on your application.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any recruitment enquiries from recruitment agencies should be directed to recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Any CV’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Tim Stallard

Email: Tim.Stallard@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Technical support:

0161 850 2004 https://knowledge.jobtrain.co.uk/jobseeker [knowledge.jobtrain.co.uk]

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link below for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.