3 Post-doctoral Research Associates for
HowSAFE: How States Account for Failure Across Europe
RA1: King’s College London, Department of Geography Reference: HowSAFE/KCL/997/JT
RA2: University of Bielefeld, Department of Sociology Reference: HowSAFE/UniB
RA3: SciencesPo, Centre de sociologie des organisations (CSO) Reference: HowSAFE/CSO
Contents
Explanatory notes, including application procedure.
Further particulars, including:
• Information about the employers (King’s College London, University of Bielefeld, SciencesPo) and the HowSAFE Project;
• Job description;
• Person specification;
• Summary of the terms and conditions of service for each post.
Explanatory notes
Please read carefully before completing the application form
Thank you for your enquiry regarding these posts. Enclosed is a set of further particulars for each post. These comprise: a generic job description and person specification for all three posts; general information about the three employers, King’s College London, the University of Bielefeld, and SciencesPo; as well as the main terms and conditions for each individual post.
Application procedure
Should you wish to apply for any or all of these positions, please send the following:
a completed Personal details form and Equal opportunities monitoring form (CTRL + click the link), giving the reference number for the particular Research Assistant post (or posts if you wish to be considered for more than one) that you are applying for, as well as the names and contact details of 2 referees able to comment on your
suitability for the post
a short (no more than 3 pages) statement setting out your reasons for applying for the post and highlighting the particular skills, experience, and expertise you would bring to the role. Your cover letter should also indicate the particular Research Associate posts for which you wish to be considered. You are welcome to apply for more than one, but must indicate that explicitly
a copy of a current curriculum vitae, which should include inter alia:
• your full name with title
• details of your present post with date of appointment
• education
- degrees (subject, class, institution, date of award)
- other academic/professional qualifications (subject, level, institution, date of award)
• prior research experience
• academic honours, prizes, and grants obtained
• publications and conference presentations
• any languages spoken and level of fluency in each (note that in addition to English, Research Associates will also need linguistic competency in at least one other project language: German, French, or Dutch)
a sample of scholarly writing in English: either a paper, PhD chapter, or other piece of written work
Applications should be made electronically in Word or PDF format.
To email: recruitmenteam2@kcl.ac.uk and to
HowSAFE.project@gmail.com
Informal enquiries about the RA post at King’s College London (ref: HowSAFE/KCL/997/JT) may be made to Dr. Henry Rothstein on +44 (0)20 7484-2622 or via email on:
henry.rothstein@kcl.ac.uk
For inquiries about the RA post at the University of Bielefeld (ref: HowSAFE/UniB), contact Professor Michael Huber on +49 521 106 4659 or via email on: michael.huber@uni-bielefeld.de
For inquiries about the RA post at SciencesPo (ref: HowSAFE/CSO), contact Professor Olivier Borraz on + 01 406265 77 or via email on: olivier.borraz@sciences-po.org
Closing date: 29 October 2012
Interview date scheduled, in London, for: 15-16 November 2012
Please advise your referees that they may be contacted and asked to provide a
reference at short notice.
Equal opportunities
King's College London, the University of Bielefeld, and SciencesPo recognise that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to their academic and economic strengths. The following principles apply in respect of their commitment to equality and diversity:
To provide and promote equality of opportunity in all areas of its work and activity;
To recognise and develop the diversity of skills and talent within its current and potential community;
To ensure that students, employees, and applicants are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential without receiving any unjustified discrimination or unfavourable treatment on grounds such as age, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, trans status, socio-
economic status or any other irrelevant distinction;
To provide and promote a positive working, learning, and social environment which is free from prejudice, discrimination and any forms of harassment, bullying or
victimisation;
To promote good relations between individuals from different groups.
Applicants with disabilities
King's College London, the University of Bielefeld, and SciencesPo are keen to increase the number of disabled people they employ. We therefore encourage applications from individuals with a disability who are able to carry out the duties of the post. If you have special needs in relation to your application please contact the Human Resources
Advisor responsible for the administration of the post.
Travel expenses
We will reimburse reasonable travel costs to and from interview within the European Union. Regrettably, only limited contribution to travel costs for applicants from outside the EU may be available. If invited to interview, please contact Dr. Henry Rothstein before making any reservations.
Response
We very much regret that due to limited resources and the large number of applications we currently receive, we are only able to inform short listed candidates of the outcome of their application.
If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. We would like to assure you, however, that every application we receive is considered in detail and a shortlist only drawn up after careful reference to a detailed person specification.
If therefore, your application is not successful, we hope that you will not be discouraged and will still apply for other suitable vacancies as and when they are advertised.
Thank you for your interest in the HowSAFE project.
Further particulars
The Employers
King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 30 universities in the world (2011/2012 QS
international world rankings), the Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11' and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, it has nearly 23,500 students (of whom nearly 9,000 are graduate students) from 150 countries and approximately 6,000 employees.
King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.
There are nine Schools of Study:
Arts & Humanities
Biomedical Sciences
Dental Institute
Institute of Psychiatry
Law
Medicine
Natural & Mathematical Sciences
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery
Social Science & Public Policy
King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.
The School
The School consists of the following departments:
Defence Studies
Education & Professional Studies
Geography
King’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy
Management
Political Economy
War Studies
Social Science, Health & Medicine
The School was established in 2001 to bring together a number of existing departments which were judged to be largely social science. At that time there were three goals for the School – to be interdisciplinary, academically coherent, make a surplus. A further aim of the establishment of the School was to give a visibility to the social scientists across College many of whom were in small groups embedded in other disciplines.
The School is one of the largest groups in any UK university to focus on policy-oriented, multidisciplinary social science research. Since 2001 SSPP has grown rapidly, increasing significantly its research income and successfully launching a number of interdisciplinary
initiatives, including a number that cross School boundaries. The School eschews traditional disciplinary silos: its constituent departments all comprise academic staff organised in problem- based research groups and accustomed to working on interdisciplinary projects within and across departments and schools drawing together and applying insights from leading-edge research on a variety of issues and from a wide range of perspectives.
The school currently has gross revenues from all sources of £42 Million and a net annual school surplus of £4 Million. It has approximately 210 (full time equivalent HEFCE funded) staff and approximately 1250 undergraduate, 2100 postgraduate taught, and 580 postgraduate research students. The School comprises seven departments. Four of these are large, each delivering both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching (DEPS, Geography, Management, and War Studies). The Department of Political Economy provides a focus within the College for existing and new postgraduate and undergraduate programmes in politics and policy analysis. The new Department came into being on 1 August 2010. The School holds three major contracts (at Shrivenham, Cranwell and Belgravia in London) and the staff who deliver these are brought together in a department of Defence Studies. The sixth - the King’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy - comprises a cluster of small centres with a focus on research and knowledge transfer with some postgraduate teaching. The School is led by an Executive Board which consists of the heads of these departments together with the head of the School and the head of professional services in the School.
The Department of Geography
Based on the Strand Campus in central London, the Department of Geography is an
internationally recognised, research-led department with a unique provision for postgraduate teaching. The Department has a strong commitment to the promotion of research excellence. In the 2008 RAE 70 percent of its outputs were classified as 4* or 3*. There is a shared belief that high quality research can be undertaken both within (and across) research groups, as teams and through individual scholarly activity, as well as collaboratively with researchers in other departments and institutions. The Department has become increasingly successful at winning research grants. It currently has about £4.5 million of live research grants, of which about 50 percent are research council grants.
For 2010/11, the Department had a full-time academic staff complement of 38 (14 professors, 14 readers / senior lecturers and 10 lecturers). There is on-going strategic investment with one professor, one senior lecturer and two lecturers recently appointed. Further appointments are envisaged. Academic staff in Geography are supported by approximately 14 research assistants, and 10 professional services staff. Currently we have about 127 PhD students, 310 taught masters students and 350 undergraduates.
.
The Geography Department has a vibrant community of scholars who are organized into one of four research groups with overlapping memberships:
The Cities Group
The Environment, Politics and Development Group
The Environment, Monitoring and Modelling Group
Risk and Hazards Group
Academic Staff, research staff and PhD students are integral members of these groups and each group runs seminars and other events throughout the year. Research has a strong international focus, so that many staff have significant links with scholars in a diverse range of countries in the world as well as in the UK.
Each group contains several research clusters, and there is considerable cross-research group activity including work on land degradation, natural hazard mitigation, policy analysis and sustainable development. Full and up-to-date details of the groups, their work and members of staff can be found on our website www.kcl.ac.uk/geography.
University of Bielefeld
Bielefeld University was founded in 1969 with an explicit research assignment and a mission to provide high-quality research-oriented teaching. Today it encompasses 13 faculties covering a broad spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and
technology. With about 18,500 students in 80 degree courses (in German) and 2,600 staff (including approx. 1,480 academic staff) it is one of Germany's medium-sized universities.
Since its foundation the University has been guided by the paradigm of interdisciplinarity, as today's complex problems can no longer be adequately tackled through mono-disciplinary approaches alone. Here interdisciplinarity stands for a spectrum of multiperspectival approaches of different kinds and intensities. As the architectural expression of its
interdisciplinarity, the University unites - uniquely in Germany - almost all its departments in a single building. This striking structure brings people working in different disciplines together in close proximity. The culture of communication fostered between students and teaching staff as well as between researchers, management, and administration is characterised by great
openness towards new and unconventional ideas. This culture formed the backdrop to
important course-setting decisions and has contributed decisively to the University's successes.
The establishment of the Faculty of Technology in 1990 and of the Faculty of Health Sciences - the only such Faculty of its kind in Germany - in 1994 are both prominent examples of the University's capacity for institutional renewal.
The University's research profile pursues major scientifically and socially relevant themes, focusing primarily on the extremely productive interfaces between disciplines. In teaching as well, Bielefeld University stands out through its specific, transdisciplinary, and highly
networked profile.
All major rankings and evaluations confirm that Bielefeld has one of the best and most service- oriented university libraries in Germany.
The Department of Sociology
The Department of Sociology, which was founded in 1969, is a unique facility in the German university landscape. The central academic structures were mostly influenced by sociologist Helmut Schelsky. The worldwide renowned Norbert Elias was honorary doctor and for some years Guest Professor at the faculty. There is no other university where sociology has the institutional autonomy of a faculty. Therefore, this Bielefeld faculty is one of the largest
scientific facilities for the subject sociology in Europe. Simultaneously, it integrates other social science disciplines such as political science and social anthropology into both teaching and research which are organised in various areas of study.
The size of the faculty and its interdisciplinary relations are reflected in a wide spectrum of research themes. Alongside theoretic basic research, such as, for example, the further development of sociological system theory, referring to the work of Luhmann, there are
currently numerous research projects running which deal with current social themes and which are often carried out in cooperation with institutes both in Germany as well as internationally (siehe Research). In addition, the Zeitschrift für Soziologie is edited at the Faculty of Sociology.
Currently, the faculty offers seven courses of studies: three bachelor-courses, two master’s courses and one PhD course and the soon to end diploma course. Additionally, the faculty participates significantly in three further master’s courses with an interdisciplinary character (see Courses/Teaching).
SciencesPo/CNRS
Sciences Po is an internationally competitive institution of higher education and research specialising in the humanities and social sciences and based in Paris, France. Both its
educational and research programmes have a strong international dimension, with 42% of its more than 11,000 strong student body coming from 130 countries outside France and bi-lateral student and academic exchanges in places at 400 universities worldwide. Sciences Po has the largest humanities and social sciences library of continental Europe, and with 35% of its budget
devoted to research, Sciences Po enjoys an international reputation for research excellence, which supports a world-renown PhD School in the social sciences and humanites. In total Sciences Po employs 50 university professors, 200 researchers and research professors and 440 PhD students, across its media lab, PhD school and some 12 research and data units, five of which 5 are associated with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is a government-funded research organization. Founded in 1939, it currently employs 34 000 persons, including more than 11 000 tenured researchers working in all fields of knowledge. CNRS researchers are based in research units (or laboratories) located throughout France and often associated to a university.
The CNRS is organized in 10 institutes, including the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (INSHS), which alone employs 1800 tenured researchers working in 308 research units.
Centre de sociologie des organisations (CSO)
The Centre de Sociologie des Organisations (CSO) is a joint research unit of Sciences Po and the CNRS. Created in 1964, the primary focus of the CSO is on the sociology of organizations, which examines agents and their behaviour to understand how different forms of cooperation are established. In addition, fields such as economic sociology and the sociology of public actions are also explored. Currently, the CSO organizes its research into five thematic poles which address essential issues such as risk governance, higher education and research policies, healthcare and practices, sustainable development, the evolution of firms, changes in the
government. For further information on research poles at CSO, see:
http://www.cso.edu/poles.asp
The research culture at CSO is outwardly engaged and international in its outlook. Its research poles are driven by intellectual enquiry, but are always expressed in a way that resonates with the surrounding social environment with research often conducted in partnership with
professionals in the field. This creates relationships that both value knowledge and anchor the CSO in the professional world and in diverse knowledge exchange networks. CSO researchers are also regularly called upon as experts to advise international organizations (OECD,
European Police College (CEPOL), European Union, Council of Europe...).
When recruiting doctoral students, post-doctoral students, or permanent members, the CSO places emphasis on attracting international candidates, and, in return, encourages its recent PhD’s to apply for positions outside of France. The CSO often hosts researchers and students from all over the world and has solid partnerships with higher education and research
institutions in Europe, the United States, Latin America, and Asia.
The CSO brings together some twenty researchers and professors, five post-doctoral students, and some thirty PhD candidates involved in research programs. Some twenty associated
researchers collaborate directly on different research projects. The administrative team is divided among secretarial, logistical, communication, and research assistant posts. This team assists researchers with contracts, conferences, travel, research, and promotes their work and activities (through the website, organization of meetings, etc).
HowSAFE Project
Project summary
What do environmental protection, health care, workplace safety, food, criminal justice, and education share in common? These diverse policy domains are increasingly governed through
‘risk-based’ approaches to regulation and management. Rather than seeking to eliminate all potential adverse outcomes, risk-based governance involves defining acceptable levels of risk, based on formal assessments of their probability and consequences, and then focusing control efforts on those risks deemed unacceptable following clearly defined principles. First developed
in the fields of environmental health and safety, this risk-based approach has become pervasive, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, and is now being promoted internationally as a universal principle for policymaking and implementation, promising a more efficient and rational means of organising governance activities and accounting for their limits and potential failures.
However, risk-based approaches embody particular understandings about how the State should define, and account for, adverse governance outcomes and, indeed, the very meaning of
governance ‘failure’ and ‘success’. Such ex ante risk-based rationalisations of the limits of governance may conflict with embedded governance traditions, norms, and accountability structures, as well as with deeply held societal values and expectations about how adverse outcomes should be managed, which vary both across countries and policy domains.
To understand the institutional factors shaping the spread and adoption of risk-based governance, HowSAFE uses a comparative case study design focusing on six policy domains—
occupational health & safety, flooding, food safety, health care, criminal justice, and education—
and four countries—France, Germany, the Netherlands, and UK—to pursue three closely related objectives:
1) To document the extent, and diffusion processes, of risk-based governance across policy domains and national settings in Europe;
2) To compare the design, adaptation and practical application of risk-based instruments to different governance activities and functions, within and between policy domains;
3) To use that comparative dataset to explain the institutional factors driving, shaping, and constraining risk-based governance in Europe, and in so doing reflect more broadly on how states account for failure and the limits of governance.
This three year research project is supported by more than £1million in research grant funding awarded through the “Open Research Area (ORA) for the Social Sciences” programme by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, UK) and the Nederlands Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO, Netherlands).
The research is being conducted by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists based in the Hazards and Risk Group at King’s, the Centre de Sociologie des Organisations at Sciences Po (France), the Institute of Science and Technology Studies at Bielefeld University (Germany), and the Department of Technology and Society Studies at Maastricht University.
For further information about HowSAFE:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/hrg/projects/howsafe/index .aspx
HowSAFE Project Team
King's College London (UK)
Henry Rothstein (PI): Senior Lecturer in Risk and Deputy Director, King's Centre for Risk Management with expertise in regulation and risk governance
David Demeritt (Co-I): Professor of Geography and specialist in environmental policy and flood risk management
Sciences-Po (France)
Olivier Borraz (PI): CNRS Research Professor and political sociologist with expertise in public policy and risk governance, focusing in particular on the environmental and health domains
Henri Bergeron (Co-I): CNRS Research fellow and organizational sociologist of health policy and medical regulation
Patrick Castel (Co-I): FNSP research fellow and medical sociologist specializing in organization theory and its application to health care
Jean-Noël Jouzel (Co-I): CNRS Research fellow and political scientist specializing in the regulation of toxic chemicals, particularly in consumer products and workplace settings Christine Musselin (Co-I): CNRS Research Professor and Director of the Centre de
Sociologie des Organisations. Sociologist and expert in the governance of higher education and research.
University of Bielefeld (Germany)
Michael Huber (PI): Professor of Higher Education Research. Organizational sociologist and expert in education policy, insurance, and risk governance
Alfons Bora (Co-I): Professor of Technology Assessment and expert in socio-legal studies and technology governance
Maastricht University (Netherlands)
Frederic Bouder (PI): Assistant Professor of Technology and Society Studies and expert in risk communication and governance, particularly in food, health and occupational safety policy domains
Wiebe E. Bijker (Co-I): Professor of Technology and Society Studies with a particular focus on the social shaping of technological systems
The Posts
The three Research Associates will be based in London, Paris and Bielefeld on the main campus of their particular employer (King’s College London, Sciences-Po/CNRS, Univ. Bielefeld) and working in tandem with a team at Maastricht University, they will conduct research across the domains of environmental policy, occupational health and safety, food safety, health and social care, education and criminal justice.
Researchers will be expected to be familiar with a range of qualitative social science
methodologies. Candidates with expertise on regulation and governance in those or any other policy domain are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates must be able to speak and write fluently in English as well as French or German or Dutch (including the language of the host institution).
Based on the main campus of their particular employer (King’s College London, Univ. Bielefeld;
Sciences-Po,) research associate will work as part of a larger interdisciplinary team on the HowSAFE project, which includes project partners from the Univ. Maastricht in the
Netherlands, as well as from King’s College London in the UK, Sciences-Po in France, and Univ.
Bielefeld in Germany.
Reporting to the local PI at their employer, each Research Associate will be required to:
Review literature and policy documents to conduct an initial policy review of all six policy domains in the host country (i.e. King’s College London is responsible for the UK; Univ.
Bielefeld for Germany, etc)
Organize, and conduct, further in-depth research, in both English and in the language of the host institution, on 3 HowSAFE policy domains in 2 case study countries.
Organize, conduct, and analyse high level policy interviews conducted in both English and at least one other relevant European language
Write policy briefs and peer reviewed publications;
Attend meetings and carry out field research in France, Germany, Netherlands, and elsewhere in the EU as necessary;
Help organize workshops and other dissemination activities;
Provide general support for UK-based field work conducted by other HowSAFE team members from Germany, Netherlands, France;
Collaborate with other members of the HowSAFE team to achieve the overall aims of the project.
Research Associates will be expected to travel to, and to work closely with, other team
members and research partners in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. Research Associates will also be expected to be full collaborators in authoring publications and
organizing workshops and other means for disseminating the research findings.
Job description:
RA1: King’s College London, Department of Geography Reference: HowSAFE/KCL/997/JT
RA2: University of Bielefeld, Department of Sociology Reference: HowSAFE/UniB
RA3: SciencesPo, Centre de sociologie des organisations (CSO) Reference: HowSAFE/CSO
Post title Research Associate for HowSAFE project Grade
RA1: King’s College London: grade 6;RA2 Univ. Bielefeld: TVL 13 / 14 RA3 SciencesPo: CDD post-doctorants
Responsible for Research and dissemination on HowSAFE project
Responsible to Local HowSAFE PI (KCL: Henry Rothstein; UniB: Michael
Huber; CSO: Olivier Borraz)
Role purpose
To work with the project team to achieve the project objectives of understanding, through comparative analysis across 6 policy domains (domains (i.e. flooding, health &
safety, health care, food safety, criminal justice, education) and 4 EU countries (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands), the institutional factors shaping the diffusion of risk- based governance.
To that end, the Research Associate will be required to:
Review literature and policy documents to conduct an initial policy review of all six policy domains in the host country (i.e. RA1 HowSAFE/KCL will be responsible for the UK; RA2 HowSAFE/IWT for Germany; RA3 HowSAFE/CSO for France)
Organize, and conduct, independent fieldwork, in multiple EU case study countries in both English and at least one other relevant European language
Plan, organize and conduct interviews (including responsibility for securing the necessary informed consents) with policy-makers and other informants in at least 3 HowSAFE policy domains and two countries. Interviews will be in both English and at least one other relevant European language,
Take a lead role in the analysis of project findings, including the preparation of a brief English language summary of any interviews conducted in other European languages
Take a lead role in writing policy briefs and peer reviewed publications in both English and at least one other relevant European language;
Attend meetings and carry out field research in France, Germany, Netherlands, the UK, and elsewhere in the EU as necessary;
Help organize workshops and other dissemination activities;
Provide general support for field work in the host country being conducted by other HowSAFE team members based at other HowSAFE partner universities;
Collaborate with other members of the HowSAFE team to achieve the overall aims of the project
Represent the HowSAFE team at international conferences and in interactions with policymakers and other interested parties.
Take full responsibility for anonymization of interview transcripts and other steps required to make project data ready for deposit with UK Data Archive
Role outline - main responsibilities Key objectives
Organize and complete initial summary policy analysis for all 6 policy domains in the UK, Germany, or France (depending on where the RA is based);
Take responsibility for planning, conducting and analysing, interviews and other fieldwork in the 3 policy domains and 2 countries whose analysis is being led by the RA’s university is leading. This will require the applicant to work independently without much immediate oversight from line managers
Play a leading role in generating and delivering academic conference presentations and peer reviewed publications and representing the HowSAFE team at international conferences and meetings;
Play a leading role in generating and delivering policy briefs and other appropriate
forms of dissemination to policy audiences.
Communication & networking
The postholder will need fluency in English and in the language of the host institution
The postholder will be responsible for routinely communicating complex and conceptual ideas to those with limited knowledge and understanding as well as to peers using high level skills and a range of media
The postholder will need excellent inter-personal skills in order to secure access to policy informants and achieve project aims;
The postholder will also be expected to work collaboratively with other international members of the HowSAFE team, providing local support for HowSAFE team members from other universities conducting fieldwork in the RA’s country of residence and in turn receiving support from them when conducting independent research abroad;
The postholder will be expected to participate at academic conferences and dissemination workshops
The postholder will play a leading role in presenting project findings in both oral and written formats ;
Superior written and interpersonal communication skills are required to generate project deliverables.
Decision making, planning & problem solving
The postholder will be required to show initiative in organizing and conducting independent fieldwork in the RA’s country of residence and one or more other HowSAFE case study countries.
Propose and implement improvements to the project research design and methods
Identify areas for research, and develop new research methods and sources of data to extend the research portfolio and improve the quality of HowSAFE project outputs
Contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues in area of research
manage the use of research resources and ensure that effective use is made of them Service delivery
The postholder will be responsible for reporting on research progress and outcomes to the PI/ Co-Is and to project funders and for exercising high level judgment to ensure an appropriate response to feedback
Standards of academic quality will be maintained through regular meetings with the local PI and line manager and the other HowSAFE PIs and Co-Is and assessed
through a departmental-level process of academic mentoring and appraisal.
Analysis & research
Use initiative and creativity to solve routine problems in relations to research projects, e.g methodological, technical, financial problems.
Balance the pressures of research and administrative/other demands and competing deadlines
Responsible for assessing, interpreting and evaluating the outcomes of research
Responsible for leading initial summary policy analysis for all 6 policy domains in the host case study country and for contributing to the summaries developed for the other case study countries
Responsible for planning and conducting independent fieldwork, including recruiting and conducting interviews with policy-makers and other informants in at least 3 HowSAFE policy domains and two countries;
Responsible for data analysis and for contributing to, and in many cases leading, the writing of policy briefs and peer reviewed papers and other outputs based on project findings
Team work, teaching & learning support
The post holder will be expected to work collaboratively as part of a wider team with members at King’s College London (UK), at the Univ. Maastricht (Netherlands), Sciences-Po (France), Univ. Bielefeld (Germany);
Although it may be possible to offer the post-holder some limited teaching
opportunities (in which case training will be provided, if appropriate) should that be desired by the post-holder and agreed by the line manager, there are no immediate responsibilities for teaching or pastoral care of students;
Some further skills training and career development support can be provided to the post-holder, as may be necessary or appropriate, through departmental-level appraisal
& mentoring and research group participation.
Sensory/physical demands & work environment
No particular health & safety responsibilities for this post
The post holder will be required to travel extensively to conduct fieldwork and attend project meetings elsewhere in Europe
Specific Aspects - indicate frequency D (daily), W (weekly), M (monthly) where applicable:
Intensive Display Screen
Equipment work (eg. data entry or digital microscopy):
D Direct patient contact involving exposure prone procedures (EPP):
Heavy manual handling: Direct patient contact, no EPP Highly repetitive tasks (eg.
pipetting or re-shelving books): Work with patient specimens (eg. blood or tissue samples):
Shift work, night work or call-out
duties: Work with GM organisms or biological
agents that may pose a hazard to human health:
Work involving risk of exposure to environmental or human
pathogens (eg. in waste streams or soils):
Hazards which require health
surveillance eg. respiratory sensitisers (allergens, substances with risk phrase R42, wood dust etc) or loud noise:
Driving vehicles on College
business: Food handling or preparation:
Work at height (eg. ladders,
scaffolds etc) Work in confined spaces (eg. sump
rooms, etc) Pastoral care
Show consideration for others.
Beyond such ordinary good manners, there are no special pastoral care responsibilities
Special requirements
This post will involve extensive travel for fieldwork and project meetings within the
European Union
You will be required to work irregular hours in accordance with the needs of the role.
Information of a confidential nature must be kept strictly confidential and should never be disclosed either inside or outside work. It should be noted that breach of confidentiality is a serious offence which may lead to dismissal.
Date
28 September 2012
Please note
This job description reflects the core activities of the role and as the employer and the post-holder develop there will inevitably be changes in the emphasis of duties. It is expected that the post-holder recognise this and adopt a flexible approach to work and be willing to participate in training.
If changes to the job become significant, the job description should be reviewed
formally by the post-holder and line manger. The Human Resources department should
then be consulted as to the implications of the proposed changes
Person specification
Eligibility to work in the United Kingdom
International applications will be considered for this position. If you do not have permission to enter, remain and work in the United Kingdom you will need to pass a points-based immigration assessment. Before you apply for this job you must ascertain whether you have sufficient points to qualify under Tier 1 (Post study work) and/or Tier 2(General) schemes
1. If you do not have sufficient points please do not apply as you will not be granted permission to enter the United Kingdom. Click on the following link to the points calculator: Border & Immigration Agency Points-based calculator.
At the interview you will be asked to furnish the panel with the details of the route (Tier 1 (Post study work) and/or Tier 2 (General) you would be eligible to follow. Please note that should you have sufficient points this does not mean your application will be successful. In the event your application is successful there is no guarantee that your application for a visa will be granted, in which event the offer will be withdrawn.
Criteria
ESS NE T AI L
D ES RI A BL E
HOW IDENTIFIED AND ASSESSED AP Application AS Assessment I Interview P
Presentation R References
Education/qualification and training
Postgraduate degree in appropriate social science discipline (i.e. politics, socio-legal studies, sociology,
social policy, human geography) x AP, R
PhD submitted (ie awaiting viva) or already received in appropriate social science discipline (i.e. politics, socio-
legal studies, sociology, social policy, human geography) x AP, R Some appropriate postdoctoral-level research experience x AP, R Knowledge/skills
Fluency in English x AP, I, R, P
Fluency in the language of the host institution x AP, I, R, P Ability to read and speak one or more of : German,
French, Dutch x AP, I, AS, R
Knowledge of one or more of the comparative policy domains (i.e. flooding, occupational health & safety,
health care, food safety, criminal justice, education) x AP, I, R, P Ability to write publishable academic papers in clear and
fluent English x AP, AS, R
Ability to write publishable academic papers in another
language x AP, R, I
Use initiative and creativity to solve routine problems in x AP, R, I
relations to research projects, e.g methodological, technical, financial problems
Experience
Familiarity with, and experience of, international
comparative research x AP, I
Experience of regulatory policy analysis x AP, I, R
Experience of writing research reviews x AP, I, R
Experience of qualitative data analysis x AP, I, R
Personal characteristics/other requirements
Ability to work as part of a team x AP, I, R, P
Ability to travel to case study countries and spend time
with project partners x AP, I
Good interpersonal skills for interacting with interview
informants and policy makers x AP, I, R
1 There are two classifications – Tier 1 (Post study work) and Tier 2 (General). Highly skilled migrants are encouraged to apply under the Tier 2 route, however this is dependent on King’s College London at its sole discretion issuing you with a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Summary of terms and conditions of service:
RA1: King’s College London, Department of Geography Reference: HowSAFE/KCL/997/JT
This appointment is made under the King’s College London Terms and Conditions of Service for Research staff, a copy of which is available from the Human Resources department on request.
Period of Appointment fixed-term contract for 3 years
Probation 6 months
Salary Grade 6 , £31,020 - £33,884 (depending on experience) plus
£2,323 London Allowance per annum Annual leave 27 working days.
Superannuation
This appointment is superannuable under the USS pension scheme. Staff already
superannuated under the NHS Superannuation Scheme may opt to remain in that scheme provided an application to do so is received by the NHS scheme trustees within three months of appointment to King’s College London. Alternatively staff may opt to participate in SERPS or take out a personal pension. Please note that the College does not provide an employer's contribution towards a private pension plan.
The College operates PensionsPlus by which individuals increase their take home pay by reducing their NI contributions. Staff who join the USS pension scheme will automatically be entered into PensionsPlus (provided you would benefit from doing so). As a result your salary will be reduced so that you receive the PensionsPlus salary and a payment is made into your pension scheme instead.
For further information please contact Ms Pauline Job, Payroll & Pensions Manager, King’s College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA.
Medical
All appointments to King’s are subject to Occupational Health clearance. Should you be offered this post you will be sent an Occupational Health Questionnaire along with your contract of employment. When the Occupational Health Department have evaluated your questionnaire and declared that you are fit for appointment, your appointment will be formally confirmed.
Confidentiality
In the course of your work you may have access to personal or confidential information which must not be disclosed or made available to any other person unless in the performance of your duties or with specific permission from your Head of School/Department/Division. Breaches in confidentiality may lead to disciplinary action.
Training and Education
King’s College London recognises the importance of training in achieving its objective of
pursuing excellence in teaching, research and clinical practice through the activities of its staff.
We are committed to providing training for all members of staff so that they can perform their jobs effectively and offering them opportunities for further development. Most training and development will occur "on the job" and formal training opportunities are also available within King’s College London and through other external organisations.
No Smoking Policy
King’s College London is committed to maintaining a healthy environment for staff, students and visitors. Therefore, please note that smoking is not permitted in any of the College
buildings or in College vehicles. Smoking is also not permitted immediately outside the entrances to College buildings or near to windows and air intake units. Staff working at associated NHS trust sites or other premises should adhere to whatever policy is in place at these locations.
Summary of terms and conditions of service:
RA2: University of Bielefeld, Department of Sociology Reference: HowSAFE/UniB
Grade
TVL 13 / 14Period of Appointment fixed-term contract for 3 years
Probation ---
Salary € 38.400 - €55.400per annum, depending on experience Annual leave 30 working days.
Superannuation
This appointment is superannuable under the normal pension scheme
.Further information about the terms and conditions for this post, which is governed by a nationally standard contract and salary scale, can be found here:
http://www.tdl-online.de/tv-l/tarifvertrag.html
Summary of terms and conditions of service:
RA3: SciencesPo, Centre de sociologie des organisations (CSO) Reference: HowSAFE/CSO
Grade CDD post-doctorant
Period of Appointment 2 years fixed-term contract in the first instance, which is renewable for one further year.
Probation N/A
Salary €2.500 per month, including health coverage and an employer contribution to 50% of transport costs
Annual leave 44 days per year.
Superannuation
This appointment benefits from the normal employer
contributions to pension and unemployment insurance scheme
.Further information about the terms and conditions for this post, which is governed by a standard CNRS contract for CDD post-doctorants, can be found here:
https://extranet.dr6.cnrs.fr/RH/rubrique3.html
