UK Data Archive
The UK Data Archive is pleased to announce a vacancy for a Senior User Support and Training Officer within the UK Data Service. This post will support researcher activity relating to use of our social science data collection and within our busy Secure Lab (a Trusted Research Environment).
The UK Data Service is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to meet the data needs of researchers, students and teachers from all sectors, including academia, central and local government, charities and foundations, independent research centres, think tanks, and business consultants and the commercial sector.
Therefore, whilst this appointment is fixed-term until 31 March 2024 in the first instance, this post could likely continue beyond that subject to continued funding where the UKDA funding is on a cyclical basis.
We would encourage you to get in contact with the hiring manager, John Sanderson (jpsand@essex.ac.uk), to discuss this opportunity and support provided in the role in more detail prior to making your application.
Duties of the Role
Using your excellent analytic and communication skills you will provide a range of researcher-oriented activities, including: advising on the content of data, appraising research project proposals for robust statistical methodology, reviewing statistical outputs for potential disclosure risk and reproducibility (syntax/code, tables and narrative), delivering training on the use of safe environments, and advising on statistical software packages available in our Secure Lab.
You will need to be a confident and clear speaker and will be expected to represent the Service at various external meetings.
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found within the job pack.
Qualifications and Skills required
The successful applicant should possess a postgraduate degree or comparable experience in a data-using discipline.
You will have a background and expertise in social science methods and data analysis, with a good practical understanding of statistical data quality and analytic outputs. You should be a confident user of R and /or Python and be familiar with their various software libraries.
The role could provide an excellent opportunity for a postgraduate Early Career researcher to develop detailed insights into the use and governance of potentially disclosive social science data. Equally, it may provide an opportunity for a data/business intelligence analyst looking to develop experience of the use of data in academic research settings.
Appointment to this post can be up to full-time (36 hours per week), but we would also welcome part-time applications for 0.6 FTE or 0.8 FTE. In addition, a job share arrangement could be considered for the right candidates and we would similarly welcome applications from those looking to work 0.5 FTE (18 hours per week) on this basis. We would welcome applications from existing PhD students, who can commit to 3 days per week if the part-time working arrangement aligns with your studies.
The role involves access to Government systems, information or data and will be subject to the staff vetting process. Further information can be found in the job pack.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: https://www.essex.ac.uk/life/student-facilities/religion-and-faith
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification, which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email the Resourcing Team (resourcing@essex.ac.uk).
*More information: Working at the University
