Research Associate - Safer Schools Pupils

Department of Education

The Department of Education at the University of York is an open and friendly department, committed to excellence in research and teaching. Our research groups have a national and international reputation for the quality of their work, with the THE (2021) ranking of the Research Excellence Framework results placing the department 5th in the UK for research. Alongside sociologists, linguists and colleagues with strong backgrounds in educational practice, the academic community includes psychologists who research and teach about educationally relevant psychology. The Department is committed to social justice in education and strives to uphold values of fairness, respect, inclusion and compassion.

Main purpose of the role

The postholder will play a vital role in an innovative, government-supported project aimed at tackling gender-based violence via primary school intervention. Working within five York school communities, the Associate will facilitate project delivery by nurturing school partnerships and spearheading data collection with pupils. They will contribute to an evidence-led outcomes framework and assist in crafting and sharing expert VAWG intervention guidelines with diverse local, regional, and national stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

The Research Associate will develop close relationships with partner schools and lead fieldwork with pupils, including developing research materials, consent forms, safety plans, and creative and play-based discussion activities for focus groups. They will also work with local government and academic and practitioner experts to contribute to expert guidelines through a Delphi study, drawing on evidence from pupils, parents and teachers.

Working alongside an experienced research team and leading GBV/VAWG experts, the postholder will coordinate with the second Research Associate across all work packages. The role offers professional development through stakeholder engagement, academic publications and impact activity with schools, local government and policy makers. It requires specialist GBV/VAWG knowledge, advanced qualitative research skills, familiarity with survey design, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work effectively in a dynamic research environment.

Skills, Experience & Qualification needed

• Must have experience of engaging marginalised, vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups in research on GBV/VAWG, preferably as it relates to children and young people in educational settings.
• Must have advanced qualitative research skills and be able to safely store, manage and analyse large volumes of interview and focus group data. They will also have familiarity with conducting systematic literature reviews.
• Must have demonstrable knowledge of the ethical considerations and complexities that are relevant to researching a sensitive topic with children and young people.
• Must hold a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field i.e. Women’s or Gender Studies, Sociology, Social Policy, Education, Psychology.

Interview date: To be confirmed

For informal enquiries: please contact Prof Vanita Sundaram on vanita.sundaram@york.ac.uk

Condition of employment

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Consequently, all applicants will be asked to declare both unspent and spent convictions on their application form.

Appointment of the successful candidate will be conditional on a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview. Read more about the University of York’s commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.