Research Assistant (fixed-term) (ED12782)

University of Bath; Bath; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Bath seeks a candidate for an 11-month project focusing on food insecurity and transport policy. The role involves community engagement, project management, and developing evaluation tools, making it ideal for those passionate about social sciences and stakeholder interactions. This position offers competitive salary and numerous professional development opportunities amidst a diverse and inclusive environment.

Benefits

Free counselling services

Cycle to work scheme

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Staff discount at Team Bath gym

Annual leave allowance with additional discretionary days

Professional development opportunities

Family-friendly workplace

Relocation allowance

Visa reimbursement

Qualifications

• Experience in community engagement with diverse populations.
• Strong research and evaluation skills, including desktop research.
• Ability to manage multiple project tasks and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Organising team meetings and assisting project management.
• Liaising with stakeholders and community partners.
• Conducting desktop research and writing reports.

Skills

Community engagement

Research skills

Project management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Education

Degree in social sciences, public health, urban planning

Postgraduate qualification (desirable)

Job description

About The Role

Food and Transport: A System that Works for Everyone

Research on food insecurity in Bath and Northeast Somerset identifies the importance of public transport to people’s ability to access food.

This role is to support an 11-month project, establishing community workshops to develop and test a persona-based training package for transport policymakers and providers.

The aim is to embed marginalised voices in the design and operation of local transport.

You will work with the research team (Dr Blackwood, Department of Psychology; and Dr Fletcher, School of Management); and with our community partners, including B&NES Council Public Health and Transport teams, Age UK, and the B&NES Affordable Food Network.

Interviews for this position are expected to take place on the 14th or 15th July.

Duties Will Include

• Organising team meetings and assisting project management.
• Liaising with stakeholders
• Organising workshops with policy makers and community groups
• Assisting with the development of persona-based training tools
• Designing and implementing evaluation of workshops
• Conducting desktop research
• Writing reports
  
  

As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.

Our ideal candidate

This position would particularly suit someone interested in the development and evaluation of innovative processes and tools for engagement with policy makers and other stakeholders (e.g., transport providers, advocacy organisations, community members).

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and attributes:

• A degree in social sciences, public health, urban planning, or a related field.
• Experience in community engagement and working with diverse populations.
• Strong research skills, including desktop research and evaluation research.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey information to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team, including public health and transport officials, transport providers, and community groups.
  
  

It would be desirable for the candidate to also have:

• Postgraduate qualification.
• Experience of working with food insecure people.
• Familiarity with persona-based research approaches.
  
  

What We Can Offer You

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

• Free counselling services through Health Assured
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
• Staff discount on language courses
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning and more
• Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• Local discounts and more
• A family-friendly workplace
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance
• Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
  
  

We are committed to continually expanding our benefits to better support you and enhance your experience with us. Find out more about our benefits.

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us @UniofBath and @UniofBathJobs on X for more information.

Closing Date: 22 Jun 2025

Department: Education & Research

Salary: £30,805 to £37,174