Web & Internet Science

Location:  Highfield Campus
Salary:   £32,348 to £39,745 Per annum
Full Time Fixed Term (31/12/2023)
Closing Date:  Thursday 22 December 2022
Interview Date:   To be confirmed
Reference:  2073222FP

The Software Sustainability Institute is looking for a community manager to help it support and grow vital communities in academia. This is a job for someone who is motivated by working with fascinating people from across all academic disciplines, who enjoys building communities, and who wants to see the growth of novel ideas that will direct the future of research.

The Institute's goal is to help the global research community produce reliable and reproducible research. Our initial focus was on improving research software, but in the pursuit of this goal we uncovered challenges that could only be overcome by helping communities grow. We have a prestigious track record of building successful communities, e.g. the Research Software Engineer (RSE) campaign grew from a handful of people to an international community of around 10,000, and the Hidden REF community has gained recognition for hundreds of academics whose work is vital but overlooked by traditional research. The successful applicant will work primarily with both of these vibrant communities.

You will develop community building strategies, organise events, build contacts and support stakeholders. You will liaise with academics, policymakers and supporters from across research, industry and government, develop strategies for community building, develop a network of contacts, and represent the Institute at events.

The position will be based in the Southampton Research Software Group (SRSG) at the University of Southampton. The SRSG was one of the first RSE Groups set up in the UK, and is the base of operations for the Research Software Engineers' and the HiddenREF campaigns. You will work closely with the other Software Sustainability Institute sites in Edinburgh, Manchester and Oxford.

To be successful in this role, you must have a strong desire to improve academia and the research environment in general, and you must enjoy working with people. A track record of successful community engagement is highly desirable. You must have good communication skills. You will come into contact with a wide range of academic disciplines, so an openness to learning new ideas about new fields is also vital.

The position will initially last for 12 months but will be expected to continue for much longer dependent on funding.

We promote a healthy work life balance with generous holiday allowance (30+ days), flexitime and flexible working options including part time, hybrid on-site / remote working, access to onsite childcare facilities and our comprehensive benefits package also includes a contributory pension scheme, subsidised health and fitness facilities, a cycle-to-work scheme, and a range of discounts. For more information on our benefits, please visit our recruitment pages.

The University of Southampton is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, and an excellent teaching and learning experience for our students. We aspire that staff are equally valued and respected, and students are encouraged to thrive academically. As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

For further information, please contact Simon Hettrick: s.hettrick@software.ac.uk.

This role is considered an Enterprise Role in line with the University of Southampton career pathways.

Application Procedure 

You should submit your completed online application form at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Sian Gale (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 2750 or email recruitment@soton.ac.uk.  Please quote reference 2073222FP on all correspondence.