See below for details of a senior research position in Society,
Institutions & Governance (closing date 1.2.08):
The Macaulay Institute are seeking an experienced qualitative
researcher to provide leadership to a growing research team. You will
manage projects on rural development and resource management within the
wider Socio-Economic Research Group.
You have a reputation for theoretical excellence, methodological
innovation and an interest in applying these to contemporary societal
issues, both in Scotland and internationally. You have a strong
publications record, demonstrated project management experience, and a
proven ability to win research funding. Experience of rural or
environmental research is desirable but not essential.
Starting salary within the range £36,500 - £41,800 per annum with
excellent employee benefits including final salary pension scheme.
Quote Ref MA43/07
Further information below ...
(and application forms can be obtained from:
Human Resources
The Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH
T:01224-498200
www.macaulay.ac.uk/jobs )
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Socio-Economic Research Group is seeking an experienced qualitative
researcher to provide leadership to our Society, Governance and
Institutions Group. This is a full-time and permanent research position.
You will join an innovative and dynamic team of researchers committed
to both excellence and relevance in rural, environmental and land use
research. We would welcome applicants from a broad range of
disciplines (such as anthropology, social psychology, sociology,
political science and human geography) as the focus is the application
of qualitative approaches.
You should enjoy applying theoretical and methodological approaches to
issues of land use and the rural environment. You will have a
reputation for theoretical excellence, methodological innovation and an
interest in applying these to contemporary societal issues, both in
Scotland and internationally. Whilst the Macaulay Institute’s focus
is predominantly rural land use, we would welcome applications from
candidates working on a broad range of topics who meet our essential
criteria.
This post is offered at Band 4 (which broadly equates with Senior
Research Fellow).
Main responsibilities
The post holder will be expected to:
● Undertake innovative and policy relevant research in designated
areas
● Identify emerging research areas and position the group
accordingly
● Promote, explain and embed the use of qualitative approaches
within the Institute and with funding bodies
● Submit and publish articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals
● Submit tenders and win external project funding, in
collaboration with Institute or external colleagues
● Present papers and attend conferences in your subject area
● Enrich the academic life of the Institute through internal
seminars and lectures
● Engage with non-specialist audiences to disseminate research
findings
● Supervise staff and PhD students
● Work effectively within the existing team
● Engage in aspects of group and Institute administration as
required
Specific areas of work
The post-holder will contribute to a programme of work in one or more
of the following areas. Potential research themes provided are
illustrative as we would expect experienced researchers to devise their
own niche within the broad programme.
1. Developing Rural Scotland
Your work will contribute to, and shape, ongoing work within a wider
team addressing aspects of landscape values, land management policies,
access and recreation, environmental justice and management of protected
areas.
2. Governance of Environmental Resources
Your work will contribute to, and shape, ongoing work (institutional
ethnography, good practice reviews; integrated assessment) in this field
within a wider interdisciplinary team addressing this theme.
3. Promoting and Managing Biodiversity
Your work will contribute to, and shape, ongoing work within a wider
team addressing aspects of conflict resolution; valuation studies and
policy analysis.
4. The sustainability of Scottish farming systems
Your work will contribute to, and shape, ongoing work in this field
within a wider interdisciplinary team addressing aspects such as
integrated sustainability assessment, participatory modelling and supply
chain analysis within this theme.
The interaction between these issues and the challenges of: adaptation
to and mitigation of climate change; encouraging biodiversity; and
enhancing rural sustainability are key themes for these work packages.
Climate change is a new research theme with several new staff members
recruited.
In addition the post holder will be expected to submit tenders for new
project funding sources and contribute to the external profile of the
Institute through participation in international research networks.
For an informal discussion of the post, please contact Kirsty
Blackstock, [log in to unmask], tel ++44 (0)1224 498200.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Criteria (prioritised) Essential Desirable
Reputation Well networked in research and policy arenas (invited
speaker, editorial board member, working group advisor
etc) Membership of appropriate professional bodies and learned
societies
Experience Demonstrated competence in design and application of
different qualitative approaches; demonstrated commitment to using
qualitative methods in research Knowledge of Scottish environmental and
rural development issues; Knowledge of Scottish policies;
Interest in mixed & integrated methods
Project leadership Substantial project management and project team
leadership experience Experience of mentoring & supporting more junior
staff
Publications Significant record of peer reviewed publications based
on qualitative research (preferably ISI journals) Range of
publications from ISI journals, books, popular articles and conference
papers
Income generation Evidence of external income generation (leader
on at least one major project, track record of successful funding
submissions) Evidence of ability to win funding from a variety of
sources from local to international
Team Working Ability to work effectively as part of our team Ability
to build a team and/or generate team spirit
Communication skills Excellent communication skills (oral and
written); ability to communicate with diverse audiences Experience of
public and/or stakeholder engagement in research
Interdisciplinarity Interest in collaboration with economic &
natural scientists; Openness to an interdisciplinary research
ethos Experience of working in an interdisciplinary
environment
Qualifications PhD or equivalent in a relevant discipline
Experience of rural development and/or natural resource
management and/or environmental management and/or science-society issues
Computer Skills Ability to use standard word processing,
internet and email programmes Experience with data management and data
analysis software
Travel Willingness to travel in UK and internationally N/A
Driving Skills Ability and willingness to drive in the UK Full
current UK driving licence
About the Socio-Economic Research Group
The Socio-Economic Research Group (SERG)
(http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/economics) is one of five science areas in
the Institute, with over twenty post-doctoral researchers and four PhD
students. SERG is dedicated to research of international excellence in
advancing interdisciplinary understanding and management of
environmental and rural policy issues. Our research aims to explain how
humans interact with their environment expressing multiple values
through economic, social and institutional arrangements.
The main emphasis of SERG's work is on environmental management,
sustainable rural development and decision processes, with a particular
regard for human behaviour and institutional structures. The research is
essentially interdisciplinary with a central concern for the quality of
life. We adopt approaches from a range of disciplines, going beyond
standard economic and social science methods. This involves the use of a
variety of quantitative and qualitative tools.
Members of the other science areas within the Macaulay Institute, in
addition to other research organisations and universities, both national
and international, are involved in SERG activities. SERG maintains
direct links with the University of Aberdeen, primarily via the
Department of Geography & Environment. Members of SERG contribute to
undergraduate and post-graduate teaching as guest lecturers but have no
teaching obligations.
The group is highly international in character with researchers and
PhDs from several countries in Europe, America and Africa, and with a
range of research projects reflecting this diversity. The group
maintains a lively research ethos, engaging in seminar programmes at
group and Institute level, and hosting academic visitors from around the
world for exchanges from a few days to several months.
Research Activities
Approximately 70% of SERG resources are directed to meeting the
research objectives identified in the Scottish Government Rural and
Environment Research and Analysis Directorate (RERAD) Research Strategy
Programme 3 (Environment - Land Use and Rural Stewardship). The group is
also involved in a number of other project areas funded by UK, European,
and international agencies. Our research interests range from the local
to the global scale. A sample of recent and current research activities
is given below:
● New research tools for policy appraisal related to land use and
rural activities
● The role of woodlands in carbon sequestration
● Indicators of rural sustainability
● Value of rural landscapes
● Economic valuation of biodiversity and climate change impacts
● The role of governance and participation in rural development
programmes.
● Urban-rural interrelationships, economic and demographic
patterns
● Farmer incentives for cooperative action
● Property rights and collective resource management
● Rural-urban wage differentials and causes of inequality
● Good practice in farmer learning regarding the environment
● Commercialisation of public recreation in public forests
● Impacts of land reform on rural Scotland
ABOUT THE MACAULAY INSTITUTE
The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) is a charitable
company limited by guarantee. It is a not-for-profit organisation
governed by a voluntary board. The Institute is one of the main
research providers for the Scottish Executive, which provides the
majority of its funding. The Institute is the largest organisation
within the Macaulay Group. Also in the Group are the Macaulay
Development Trust (MDT) and its two commercial subsidiaries, Macaulay
Research Consultancy Services Ltd (MRCS) and Macaulay Enterprises Ltd
(MEL). The Trust and its subsidiaries are committed to the support of
the Institute.
MLURI was formed in 1987 by the merger of the Macaulay Institute for
Soil Research (established in Aberdeen) in 1930 by funding from Dr T B
Macaulay of Montreal, to improve farming in Scotland with the Hill
Farming Research Organisation (established near Edinburgh in 1954).
The aim of MLURI is to be an international leader in land use research,
with its remit being to undertake research on the environmental,
economic and social impacts of rural land use and on the consequences of
potential changes in policy, management, climate and pollution.
There are 280 members of staff at the Institute, the majority of whom
are based at the headquarters at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen. Sited in
prime parkland on the outskirts of the city, the building provides
attractive office accommodation and offers state of the art laboratory,
analytical and computing facilities. Extensive field experimental
facilities are provided at our two field research stations: Glensaugh,
near Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire and Hartwood, near Shotts in
Lanarkshire.
The Institute has Investors in People accreditation and is committed to
the development and training of its staff both in work-related skills
and personal development. The analytical laboratories have UKAS
accreditation under ISO 17025 and the Institute holds the ISO 9001
Quality Assurance standard.
The Macaulay Institute undertakes research that provides scope for:
● the protection and enhancement of natural resources
● rural economic development and a viable rural community
structure
The Institute is a multi-disciplinary research institute with soil,
plant and animal scientists, geographers, socio-economists and IT
specialists all working together under the same roof. This facilitates a
more holistic approach to research on land use than is possible in more
discipline-based research organisations. Our multi-disciplinary staff
resource is one of the great strengths of the Institute, unique in the
UK, and allows us to create inter-disciplinary teams to tackle research
issues relevant to land and environmental research in Scotland, the
United Kingdom and internationally.
Our research is aimed at meeting the needs of land managers and those
formulating and implementing land use policy in the UK, Europe and
elsewhere. We provide information for government policy advisers,
government agencies, the water industry and the statutory environmental
protection agencies at the catchment, regional and national level.
At any one time there are some 200 research projects and contracts
being conducted at the Institute. Increasingly these research projects
involve collaboration with several organisations including other
Institutes, academic institutions and commercial organisations.
The Institute wishes to bring together researchers and environmental
companies and agencies on our Craigiebuckler site, establishing it as a
site of environmental excellence. Plans are being drawn up to further
develop the facilities and accommodation on the site. In conjunction
with the University of Aberdeen, the Institute has set up the Aberdeen
Centre for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), based at Craigiebuckler
and providing facilities for University and Institute staff to work in
collaboration to attract funding and conduct international quality
research.
The total annual income for the Macaulay Group as a whole is just over
£13 million. £8.5m of this comes from the Rural and Environmental
Research and Analysis Directorate (RERAD). The rest of the income is
made up of other research contracts, income from European Commission
contracts and research and consultancy undertaken by the Macaulay
Research Consultancy Services Ltd, (MRCS) and Macaulay Enterprises Ltd.
Further information on the Institute and its subsidiaries can be found
on the following websites: http://www.macaulay.ac.uk,
http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/MRCS
and http://www.macaulayenterprises.co.uk
GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
Probation
Appointments are subject to a probationary period of six months.
Remuneration
Salaries are paid monthly direct into employees’ bank accounts.
Starting salary, depending upon qualifications and experience, within
the range £36,500 - £41,800 per annum.
Hours of Duty
The official hours of the Institute are based on a week of 42 hours
gross, 37 hours net.
Standard hours are:
Monday to Thursday - 8.45 am to 5.15 pm
Friday - 8.45 am to 4.45 pm
with a break for lunch from 12.45 pm to 1.45 pm
A Flexible Working Hours scheme is also in operation
Lunches are available in the Institute staff dining room
Leave
Annual leave is 27 days on appointment, rising to 30 days, plus 10½
days public and privilege holidays.
Sick Leave
Employees with less than 26 weeks of completed employment will receive
full rate sick pay of not more than one week for every four weeks of
completed employment. Employees with 26 weeks or more of completed
employment are entitled, in any period of 4 years or less, to receive
full rate sick pay for a maximum of 6 months, followed by sick pay at
half rate for a further 6 months.
Superannuation
You will be eligible to join the Research Councils’ Pension Scheme.
You will have the choice of either:
i) an attractive, index-linked defined benefit pension scheme that
currently has a 3.5% member contribution rate. The bulk of the cost of
this scheme is met by the Institute; or
ii) a stakeholder pension with a contribution from the employer. Our
basic contribution is based on your age, and we pay this regardless of
whether you choose to contribute anything. You do not have to contribute
if you do not wish to but, if you do, we will also match your
contributions up to an additional 3% of pay.
Smoking in the Workplace
In line with current legislation no smoking is permitted in the
Institute.
Car Parking
Free car parking is available within the Institute grounds.
Nursery
A nursery facility (First Class Nursery) is available on site. It is
located within the Cunningham building, adjacent to the main Institute
building, and is operated by a contractor on behalf of MLURI. The
staff at First Class includes fully trained Nursery Nurses and the
Nursery proprietor is an experienced primary teacher. The Nursery,
which caters for children from 0 to school-age, is open from 8.00 am -
6.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Childcare Vouchers
The Institute operates a Childcare Voucher Scheme.
Completed application forms must be returned to Human Resources at the
Institute by 1 February 2008.
Dr Katrina Myrvang Brown
Post-doctoral Researcher
Society, Institutions & Governance
Socio-Economic Research Group
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB15 8QH
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 498200 Ext. 2349
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 498205
Web: www.macaulay.ac.uk/serp/index.html
Email: [log in to unmask]
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