Job Description Research Fellow

Job title Research Fellow

Department Education Studies
Grade 6

Job purpose (a The Department of Education Studies is looking to recruit a Research Fellow to work on an EEF-
brief summary funded evaluation of tutoring for post-16 GCSE Resit students. The study, led by Dr Rebecca
of the role) Morris and Dr Tom Perry, begins in Summer 2024 and runs until March 2027. Co-investigators
on the project include Dr Paul Thompson (CIDD, University of Warwick) and Dr Ellie Willard
(Leeds Beckett University).

This project is a large-scale, national evaluation of a tutoring intervention which has been
developed and is implemented by the charity, Get Further. The evaluation will include further
education (FE) colleges across England, and will seek to understand the impact of this tutoring
approach on young people’s attainment in English and Maths GCSE, as well as on their feelings
of confidence, engagement and motivation.
Duties and
responsibilities Working closely with the research leads and other members of the team, the post-holder will
be responsible for and engaged with a range of activities across the duration of the study,
including:
• Project planning, management and organisation.
• Liaison and communication with EEF (project funders) and Get Further (intervention
developers)
• Reviewing literature and preparation of ethical approval documents
• Supporting with the development and completion of evaluation documents (e.g.
project protocol)
• Design of research instruments
• Data collection and fieldwork in colleges across England
• Regular communication and engagement with participating colleges, leaders and
teachers.
• Data analysis and synthesis
• Writing up and publication/presentation of findings.
Training will be provided for each aspect of the study. The successful candidate will also have
the opportunity to contribute to all outputs from the study, including journal articles, research
reports and conference presentations.
The role is full-time (1.0 FTE) although we will consider job shares.
Some travel within the UK will be required as part of this role. Travel and subsistence expenses
will be covered for this work.

Successful applicant to start as soon as possible.

If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it
conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of
the University grade structure. Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD,
you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade
structure.

For further information about the Department for Education Studies, please visit our website.
To apply please complete your essential personal details and attach a CV and cover letter by
the closing date. Please ensure your CV includes your most recent employment experience
along with any additional relevant experience and education history. Your cover letter should
detail how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for this post.
The interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed
 Person Specification
The Person Specification focuses on the essential and desirable knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the
role effectively. This is measured by (a) Application Form, (b) Test/Exercise, (c) Interview, (d) Presentation.

Essential Essential Criterion Description Measured by

Criterion No.
E1 Hold a doctorate in education or a related field (e.g. psychology, A
sociology, social policy, economics), or be close to completion
E2 Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal A,C & D

E3 Have knowledge and experience of the school and/or post-16 A&C

education sector in the UK
E4 Be able to liaise confidently and professionally with funders, A&C
colleges, teachers and others involved with the project
E5 Have excellent IT skills, including an up-to-date and comprehensive A,C & D
knowledge of Microsoft Office, and a willingness to learn new IT
platforms and skills
E6 Have excellent organisational skills A&C

E7 Experience of managing large-scale or complex research projects A&C

E8 Experience of designing and carrying out mixed methods research A&C

studies
E9 Experience of organising and carrying out data collection in schools A,C & D
or colleges, including interviewing staff and students, using
questionnaires and/or carrying out observations
E10 Proven record keeping, data management and meeting deadlines A&C

E11 Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience in establishing and A&C

managing effective relationships with diverse groups to deliver
projects or activities
E12 Willingness to travel to a number of destinations across England for A&C
contribution project meetings, data collection, and conferences.

Desirable Desirable Criterion Description Measured by

Criterion No.
D1 Knowledge and/or experience of English/Maths GCSE curriculum A&C
and assessment, and GCSE resits
D2 Knowledge of randomised control trials in education A&C

D3 Evidence of research-focused publications A&C