Senior Lecturer in International Development

Job description

The Department of International Development, King’s College London, is an innovative and contemporary Development Studies department. Our focus is on countries where foreign aid is largely irrelevant, where wealth sits alongside poverty and precarity, and where inequalities frame development. The mission of the department is to explore the sources of success as well as understand the major development challenges these countries continue to face.  

The Department is seeking to appoint a Senior Lecturer in International Development, with specialist expertise in political anthropology. The successful candidate will have a PhD in Social Anthropology or a closely related discipline, and experience in all aspects of academic life and work. The successful candidate will also have an outstanding track record in research, teaching, publications, grant-making and other forms of scholarship, with some experience of academic leadership, and demonstrable commitment to collegiality, diversity, equity and inclusion. You will be expected to play a role in providing academic leadership and fostering research and educational excellence, as well as taking on administrative roles within the department.  

We welcome candidates with research interests in power and politics and the application of these to questions of social justice. We seek specialist expertise in the teaching of advanced qualitative methods and applied and innovative social science methodologies. Candidates must demonstrate how their teaching, research and administrative experience engages constructively with critical approaches to development from a gender- and race-aware, Global South-focused and/or decolonial perspective.  

You will be expected to contribute to PhD supervision and teaching on the Department’s undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, and to contribute to the development of new MSc and Undergraduate programmes, including online programmes. You will have teaching experience, experience in supervising doctoral research students, and a strong dedication to collegiality and to mentoring junior colleagues. You will have a track record of developing grant applications and demonstrated commitment to engaging with policy makers, practitioners and publics beyond academia.

Experience or familiarity with the academic environment in the UK is an advantage. You will be responsible to the Head of Department of International Development. 

At King’s, we are deeply committed to equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity and inclusion in all our activities so that the university is an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. King’s offers inclusive benefits to staff including flexible working, Enhanced Parental Leave, funds for Parents and Carers and the potential to join community staff networks.  The Department of International Development is committed to the provision of equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity for all our students, staff and visitors. We hold   Bronze Athena SWAN Certification and King’s was awarded a Race Equality Charter Bronze Mark in 2020. Our policies align with the College’s equalities policies, including efforts to build an anti-racist university as outlined in the   King's Race Equality Action Plan 2020-2024. We work to ensure that applicants from under-represented backgrounds and those with protected characteristics feel confident applying to work in our Department. 

This post will be offered on a full-time, indefinite contract.

Key responsibilities

• To undertake and publish high-quality research, developing a portfolio of individual/joint research projects with high quality outputs and impact in line with Departmental, School and College research strategies and research profile.  
• To contribute to the development of a new research group on Creative Contestations and the Politics of Injustice.  
• To teach advanced methodology courses on ethnographic and qualitative research.  
• To take an active role in securing external major funding for research activities, for example from the ESRC or ERC. 
• To be willing to contribute to academic leadership within the Department.   
• To contribute to the ongoing development and design of new and existing teaching programmes in the Department and the College. 
• To participate fully in assessment and examination processes as appropriate using a variety of methods and techniques and provide effective, timely and appropriate feedback to students to support their learning, and to assist students with difficulties. 
• To undertake the supervision of postgraduate research, at Masters and PhD levels. 
• To promote the aims of the next generation of academics by mentoring early career researchers and junior staff as required. 
• To engage in external academic activities in accordance with the Department, School and Faculty’s research strategy, and which will enhance its national/international research profile. 
• To contribute to performance and development review processes as appropriate in accordance with the College’s strategy. 
• To engage in professional development as appropriate to update skills, and to support teaching excellence. 
• To demonstrate impact produced from own research, demonstrated by links with non-academic stakeholders and significant public engagement activity. 
• To undertake any other reasonable duties requested by the Head of Department. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.       PhD in Social Anthropology or a closely related discipline or interdisciplinary field applied to development, with a preference for candidates whose work focuses on power, politics and social justice.

2.       Evidence of an established and expanding research profile of an international standard as evidenced by publications and successful grant capture, with demonstrable impact on the field.

3.       Demonstrable experience with teaching a wide spectrum of approaches to development from a gender- and race-aware, Global South-focused and decolonial perspective.

4.       Demonstrable ability to design and deliver teaching effectively at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level, including on qualitative research methodology and social justice.  

5.       Demonstrable commitment to and/or experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and diverse research and teaching environment, including a good understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion and how these principles can be applied in a higher education setting.

6.       Evidence of supervision of PhD students.

7.       Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and maintain good working relationships and work collaboratively as part of teams.

Desirable criteria

1.     Demonstrable and advanced skills in innovative research design and the application and teaching of innovative research methodologies. 

2.     Experience of engagement with non-academic stakeholders and broader publics.

Further information

The selection process will include a presentation to the wider department and a panel interview. 

The post is scheduled to start in August 2023.