Assistant Professor in Social Policy

The UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice seeks to appoint a permanent Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Social Policy. We welcome applicants with a PhD in social policy or a cognate social science discipline (e.g. sociology, political science, economics, public administration) and a record of research and teaching in this field.

The successful applicant will join a team of research active scholars delivering undergraduate modules in social policy and a graduate programme in public policy. UCD Social Policy is consistently ranked in the top 100 in the world in the QS subject rankings. They will work within an interdisciplinary school alongside fellow academics specialising in social work and social justice.

We particularly welcome candidates who can contribute to teaching Irish social policy, poverty and inequality, labour market policy, family policy, migration policy, and European/global social policy.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to teaching and research supervision on the Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc) degree and other interdisciplinary teaching across the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. S/he will also undertake research, knowledge generation and dissemination of research, seek outside research funding, supervise postgraduate students, and carry out academic and administrative functions as identified by the Head of School.

Link to application: https://my.corehr.com/pls/coreportal_ucdp/apply?id=019526

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

The duties of the successful candidate will include but not necessarily be limited to the following:

Research

• Undertake and publish high quality research and scholarship in social policy through top internationally renowned peer reviewed academic publications and by other appropriate means;
• Supervise and manage student research projects from undergraduate to PhD level;
• Engage in initiatives to successfully attract national and international research funding;
• Engage actively with research groups in the School, College and/or UCD concerning fields of research interest.

Teaching

• Actively contribute to the undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes as directed by the Head of School. Inter alia, this will involve module design and delivery, examination and assessment, quality assurance and enhancement, and associated administration;
• Contribute to the development of new modules and programmes in the field as required by the School;
• Develop a learning environment that embraces up-to-date teaching and learning methods and prioritises student development;
• Provide academic advice, support and supervision for students;
• Contribute to the academic life of the School, College and the University;
• Develop international links and participate in research meetings, conferences and workshops;
• Participate in School/College committees and boards;
• Contribute to the School’s outreach, community engagement and access activities;
• Make a significant contribution to the general administration of the School;
• Contribute to knowledge exchange and the professional development activities of the School.

General

• Actively promote the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all activities;
• Support student recruitment activities;
• Undertake such other duties as directed by the Head of School in line with the contract of employment.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.

Mandatory

•  A PhD in Social Policy or a cognate social science discipline (e.g. sociology, political science, economics, public administration) upon commencement of employment;
• Experience of teaching (i.e. design, coordination, delivery and assessment) of social policy or related modules at undergraduate level;
• Ability to teach a range of academic courses outside their own area of research interest and to work as a member of a teaching team;
• A research and publication record in social policy (or related disciplines), as demonstrated by a record of publications in relevant scholarly journals or in books published by scholarly publishers;
• Experience applying for funded research and/or working on funded research projects;
• Excellent administrative and interpersonal skills including the ability to work well as part of a team;
• Candidates must demonstrate how they can positively contribute to fostering an inclusive environment and a level of awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable

Interest and experience of using innovative pedagogical approaches to learning.
A demonstrable capability to teach Irish social policy as well as the capability to make a teaching contribution in the fields of comparative and/or European social policy.
Experience of engaging with policy makers and civil society groups.
A capacity and enthusiasm for working in an interdisciplinary context within the School and the wider academic community.