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Job opportunity: Research Assistant, parliament and Brexit
19 June 2019
Following the success of Constitution Unit Director Professor Meg Russell in winning a prestigious three-year Senior Fellowship with the UK in a Changing Europe programme (funded by the ESRC), the Unit is now seeking to recruit a Research Assistant to work with Professor Russell on parliament and Brexit – starting in September 2019. The mission of the UK in a Changing Europe is to promote rigorous, high-quality and independent research into the complex and ever changing relationship between the UK and the EU, and this project will contribute by focusing on ‘Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution’.
The project will involve a mixture of public outreach activities (e.g. media appearances, public speaking) and detailed research and publications on the topic of parliament and Brexit. The latter work is anticipated as having three strands – on tensions between principles of direct and representative democracy, on parliament’s influence over the Brexit process, and on possible future procedural reforms. The new researcher will support Professor Russell throughout the project, including gathering and analysing data from the parliamentary record, organising interviews, conducting literature reviews, drafting background briefings, contributing to outputs such as blog posts, articles, and a likely book. The appointee will also provide some support for social media interventions and public events, and liaise with the UK in a Changing Europe team (based at King’s College London).
The successful applicant will have a first-class Bachelors degree, or a Masters degree at merit/distinction level in political science, law or a related field. They will have a keen interest in, and demonstrable knowledge of, the UK parliament and Brexit. They will also have excellent written communication skills, excellent planning and organisational skills, and demonstrate clear critical thinking. Prior experience of research on the topics of parliament and Brexit, of working in a political research environment, of conducting content analysis, interviews or writing briefings for policymakers would be an advantage, as would familiarity with literatures in legislative studies, democracy and representation.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Constitution Unit at a time when the topics that we research have never been more in the news. In particular, this opportunity to work on parliament and Brexit addresses questions right at the heart of current political debates, with prospects of enhancing public understanding, contributing to academic analysis, and influencing real-world political decision-making.
This is a full-time post, currently funded until 31 May 2022. The starting salary is £30,922 (inclusive of London allowance).
Applications should be made via UCL’s online system. Applicants are required complete a short application form, and upload a CV, providing full details of educational qualifications prior work experience, plus a covering letter (maximum two pages) setting out clearly why they are interested in the position and how they meet the selection criteria. The closing date is 14 July, and interviews will be held on 30 July 2019.