Researcher Developer

We have an exciting opportunity to join our friendly and supportive Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) team for this maternity cover role. We are recruiting for a Researcher Developer to contribute to the delivery of the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy and Corporate Plan on a part-time, 0.5 FTE basis (flexible working days/hours). Applications from (doctoral) researchers looking to transition to professional services are actively welcomed.

Edinburgh Napier University, the number one Modern University in Scotland, delivers the skills and experience that matter and impact the most. We combine professional know-how with an academic approach and work-related learning to help our students succeed beyond university. Meanwhile, our research shapes the world around us, improving lives in Scotland and across the globe.

Our phenomenal results from the Research Excellence Framework (2021) are testament to our growing strength and capability as a research institution. These results, alongside our consistently positive National Student Survey results and sustained high levels of graduate employability, demonstrate the increasing impact of Edinburgh Napier's collective work, quality, and commitment.

REF 2021 assessed 68% of our research as either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”, up 15% since 2014. Additionally, the University’s research power metric rocketed from 250 to 718, making Edinburgh Napier the top ranking Scottish modern university for both research power and research impact.

The University’s improved research power rating will now see our research funding increase as we take significant strides to grow our reputation as a research-focused institution as well as a teaching one.  We are confident that we are well on our way to establishing ourselves as one of the UK’s world-leading universities in research.

The Role 

Reporting to the Head of Researcher Development, you will contribute to the enhancement of research and innovation activities through project managing and co-ordinating professional development in line with the university’s strategic goals and with sector best practice in skills training for researchers.

You will focus on developing research students and researchers across the University to equip them with the capabilities appropriate for research and research-related careers within academia and beyond. The role may also involve supporting research supervisors to enhance their practice through development and the sharing of practice. We are actively working on embedding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout our researcher development programme to make inclusivity for our researchers a priority.

As part of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise team, as Researcher Developer the primary responsibility is to project manage and co-ordinate the provision of development activities for our research degrees students and research active staff across the university. A key aspect of the role is liaising with stakeholders as you will be working with external facilitators and other teams in RIE to provide training for our researchers in research funding, Knowledge exchange and Public engagement, as part of our research strategy.

We currently offer hybrid working and flexible working opportunities. Whilst many of the role requirements can be carried out remotely, we have some occasions and key programme events which will require the role holder to be on campus. For example, our research student induction days in October and March, our Researcher Skills Forum in the spring, and writing events in May/June are delivered in person.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity, you can view the full job description by clicking here.  

Who we’re looking for  

Qualified with a degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline, you will have:  

• Experience in planning, facilitating, and evaluating researcher development activities
• Excellent communication and networking skills, including the ability to work and build relationships at a range of levels within an organisation 
• Familiarity with contemporary developments in research and innovation, researcher development and in learning, teaching, and assessment practice
• Familiarity with policy context for researcher development

Square peg in a round hole? Even if you think you don’t fit all of the criteria, we would still like to hear from you, so please get in touch for a chat. We welcome applications from those with different skillsets, backgrounds and perspectives.

For informal inquiries, contact Gráinne Barkess, Head of Researcher Development: g.barkess@napier.ac.uk.

Benefits we offer

Salary: Grade 6, £42,155 - £51,805 per annum (pro rata)

We offer a great working environment where we support ambition, recognise achievement, and offer an attractive benefits package.

This includes:

• hybrid working and flexible working opportunities
• minimum of 36 days annual leave including 10 fixed holidays (pro-rata)
• a generous pension scheme (employer contribution of 20.8%)
• various learning and development opportunities
• discounted access to onsite and local gym facilities and a wide range of other staff discounts

For more information on our wide range of benefits, click here.

Additional information 

Application closing date: 23:59 on Sunday 16^th April 2023

Interview date: Tuesday 25^th April 2023

Edinburgh Napier is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels proud, confident, challenged and supported and are holders of Disability Confident, Carer Positive and Stonewall Diversity Champion status. Please see here for more information.