Lecturer in Public Policy

QUEENS UNIVERSITY BELFAST; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university is seeking a Lecturer in Public Policy starting January 2026. The role involves advancing the MSc in International Public Policy and expanding public policy offerings in undergraduate degrees. Candidates must hold a PhD (or nearing completion) and demonstrate a record of high-quality research and teaching experience. This position offers competitive salary and an attractive benefits package.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks

Pension schemes

Flexible working options

Support for physical and mental health

Qualifications

• PhD (or close to completion) in a discipline with a strong Public Policy profile.
• Record of publication of high-quality research outputs.
• Evidence of independent contribution in research projects.
• Teaching experience at undergraduate or postgraduate levels.
• Ability to teach across Political Science and Public Policy.

Responsibilities

• Support research and teaching at all levels in Public Policy.
• Advance the MSc degree in International Public Policy.
• Expand the public policy profile in undergraduate degrees.
• Contribute to the work of the Centre for Public Policy and Administration.

Skills

Research methods

Public Policy

Teaching

Leadership

Education

PhD in Political Science or Public Administration

Job description

Organisation/Company QUEENS UNIVERSITY BELFAST Research Field Political sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) First Stage Researcher (R1) Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 13 Oct 2025 - 00:00 (UTC) Type of Contract Permanent Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy, and Politics at Queen's University Belfast, is one of the UK's leaders in internationally recognised research and teaching in Politics and International Relations. The School seeks to appoint a Lecturer in Public Policy from January 2026, to support research and teaching at all levels of the field, including research methods.

Politics and International Relations has a diverse and vibrant research culture, and the successful candidate will complement the current staff profile by bringing expertise in (international) public policy or global governance by means of either broad specialisms in governance and policy-making, or substantive research expertise in respect of particular policy regimes or international public policy issues, such as technology and XAI in government, health and well-being, sustainability, cybersecurity, inequality, or urban governance.

About the person:

The appointed person will play a central role in all the School's research and teaching activities, with a specific focus on helping to (a) advance our MSc degree in International Public Policy, including methodological training specific to the degree, (b) expand the public policy profile of our undergraduate degrees in Politics and International Relations; and (c) contribute to the work of the Centre for Public Policy and Administration.

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate you have:

• A PhD (or close to completion with thesis submitted and viva scheduled) in a discipline with a strong Public Policy profile, e.g., Political Science, Public Administration.
• Record of publication of high-quality research outputs appropriate to stage of career.
• Evidence of independent contribution in research projects and outputs.
• Teaching experience commensurate with career stage, including undergraduate or postgraduate teaching, project supervision, assessment and feedback experience.
• Ability to teach across Political Science and Public Policy, including research methods.
• A track record of leadership, demonstrated as evidence of leadership of, or significant contribution to major initiatives that significantly improved education, research or administrative processes.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information on our website..

What we offer:

Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more on our website.

Queen's University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena Swan and have established staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality.

For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit our website.

If you are an international applicant and don't already hold a visa that permits you to take up the role you are applying for, please use the information provided on our website to self-assess whether the University is likely to be able to support a visa application.