Early Career Researcher Network (Ecrn) Officer X2

The British Academy – the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – is seeking two Early Career Researcher Network Officers to join our department, providing key support in the delivery of the ECRN Programme.

The role

As part of the Academy’s Research Directorate, the ECRN Team is friendly, fast-paced, supportive and a growing team (currently four people). These roles will support the scaling-up plans to deliver the Network throughout the UK.

The ECRN Officer role is the main point of contact for three Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) regional clusters, providing support in the day-to-day operational delivery of the Network, as well as coordinating events, Seed Funding Grant calls, and skills development opportunities. These roles will support the recruitment and roll out of new regional clusters, maintaining and improving operational practices and policies and working closely with Early Career Researchers (ECRs), regional partners, Fellows and staff of the British Academy, and other stakeholders.

This is a key opportunity to establish relationships and make an early positive impact within the ECRN. You will be an effective communicator and a team player who is able to collaborate with both external and internal stakeholders, be self-directed, and be happy to take initiative. A keen attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving in terms of planning, prioritisation and demonstrating resilience when faced with adversity is essential.

The ECRN will have nine Clusters by 2025, and the three ECRN Officers will have a focus of three Clusters each. The division of Clusters is likely to be:

1. South West/South Wales; Midlands/mid-Wales; North West/North Wales
2. Scotland; Northern Ireland/North East; Yorkshire
3. London; South East; East of England

We are recruiting two Officers to cover the non-London-based regions (1 and 2 above) These roles will require travel between the regional clusters that you will be responsible for. This will be to attend events and meetings with delivery partners where appropriate. There will be an expectation to be in the London Office once a month.

About the Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. Today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, culture, and societies. With a Fellowship of around 1,400 leading national and international academics, the Academy invests in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engages the public with fresh thinking and debates, and brings together scholars, government, business, and civil society to influence policy.

The Academy currently has five directorates: Communications & Marketing, Development, Policy, Research, and Resources, plus a small Governance & Fellowship Team. We have increased staffing in the last 12 months and expect to continue to grow this year.

Working at the Academy

Our senior management team has worked with staff to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and empathy, in which all contributions are recognised as we work towards our common goals. Our people strategy and working practices focus on building strengths and sharing insights, with learning and development, wellbeing, and equality, diversity and inclusion at the centre of how we operate as an organisation. Investing in our staff and encouraging a healthy work/life balance is central to our success as we move forward and continue to grow.

Terms and conditions

The British Academy is based at 10–11, Carlton House Terrace, London SW1, a Grade 1 listed building. We offer a competitive benefits package, including a 35-hour working week, with hours and location worked flexibly under our hybrid-working policy; 34 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays; a subsidised canteen and an excellent occupational pension.

How to apply

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds in line with our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment, promoting equal opportunity, and addressing under-representation. We will make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and offer an interview to those meeting the minimum selection criteria.

To apply, and to see the full job description and our workplace values, please follow the link to access the Applied recruitment platform. Please contact the HR team at hrteam@thebritishacademy.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Closing date: Noon on 31 January 2024.