Research Assistant – Ethics and Environment

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

Background

NUS represents the interests of more than 7 million students and we are a household name. The Ethical and Environmental Department is responsible for the promotion of the sustainability agenda within the students’ union movement. This comprises the delivery of specific programmes designed to reduce the environmental impact of our member unions and their institutions, the greening of our suppliers, and minimising the NUS Group’s own environmental impact. The Department comprises a team of people with a broad range of projects. As a research-led organisation, the work of our Research Team plays a pivotal role in determining what the Department does, and how it does it. Our ethical and environmental research work is varied and includes research projects within the student movement, commercial market research, and social research for third and public sector organisations.

 

Objective

To support the work of the Research and Ethics and Environment Departments through providing project support across the range of Ethical and Environmental research projects including:

• Ethical and environmental research projects within the NUS movement
• Commercial market research for external clients
• Public sector / Third sector / Education sector social and market research.

 

To work collaboratively with the Senior Research Officer – Ethics and Environment to ensure high quality delivery of research. 

 

The research projects outlined above are varied and will allow the research assistant to support qualitative and quantitative research including:

• Quantitative tabulation and charting
• Qualitative analyses
• Scheduling focus groups
• Programming and monitoring online surveys
• Drafting simple reports and presentations
• Checking and programming online research materials
• Support in focus groups

 

Benefits of this opportunity:

Our Research Assistant will combine their passion for research and ethical and environmental issues to contribute across the breadth of the ethical and environmental research programme, whilst developing their research skills and capabilities.  The successful graduate will have opportunities to work across a number of different project gaining skills in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis, project administration and drafting outputs.  Using their passion for ethical and environmental issues, the research assistant will contribute to NUS’ high profile sustainability projects working across both E&E and research departments.

 

Future employment potential and options:

This is a 6 month position on a full time basis.  

Key Task 1

Project management support

• Deliver systems and processes appropriate to projects and programmes as created by the research project manager
• Work with the wider project teams, delivering communications and project status updates as required

 

Key Task 2

Quantitative fieldwork support

• Programme online surveys into SNAP
• Test online surveys
  • Provide regular response updates

 

Key Task 3

Qualitative fieldwork support

• Working closely with the research teams, schedule focus groups and all aspects of focus group administration e.g. organising financial incentives, recruiting respondents, booking venues, delivering focus group packs including registers and permission forms
• Provide regular recruitment updates
  • Potential to run straightforward focus groups

 

Key Task 4

Quantitative analysis support

• Create tables from table specifications
• Create charts from chart specifications
• Populate report and presentation templates with tables and charts

 

 Key Task 5

Qualitative analysis support

• Some transcription duties
• Management of external transcribers
• Populate analysis grids
• Manage project administration, maintain project records and produce updates as required

 

  Key Task 6

Other duties

• Submit project updates to research team
• Support members of the other departments as part of our Group values.
• Other duties as may reasonably be required by the Senior Research Officer – Ethics and Environment.

  

Employer: NUS

Salary (per annum pro rata):  £18,000 pa pro rata

Interview Date:  9^th October 2013

Telephone Interviews, Week Commencing:  30^th September 2013. The telephone interviews will be short and fairly informal.  Please make sure you are contactable during the stated week.

Closing Date: 29^th September 2013

Start Date:  21^st October 2013

Length of Opportunity: 6 months

Hours/Week:  9am to 5pm.  Core hours can be negotiated to suit the applicant, but must be worked between 8am and 6pm.         

Work outside normal hours:  Due to the nature of this position, occasional visits to alternative NUS offices will be required. Further travel to meet project commitments may be required.

Base:  NUS HQ, Macadam House, 275 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8QB

Department:  Research / Ethics and Environment

Reports to:  Rachel Drayson