Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield

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We are investing in an appointment in the area of digital news cultures to enhance and expand upon the subject areas offered by our strong interdisciplinary research and teaching team. The post holder will make a key contribution to the department’s 2021 REF submission, enhance existing teaching and contribute to the development of new areas of research and teaching and enhance the department’s profile as a centre of excellence for the study of news and journalism in the digital age. The post holder will make a strategic contribution to the development of the department and bring expertise in any of the following or related areas: hyperlocal news, digital news innovations and disruptions, the culture and power dynamics of digital news content, production, participation and consumption. We welcome applications from a range of disciplinary backgrounds.

The successful candidate will have a PhD (or equivalent academic/professional achievement) in a relevant field, a well-established research profile, play a central role in the Department’s Research Strategy through the delivery of high quality internationally peer reviewed research outputs and a track record of research funding bids, have a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, a proven teaching ability, and will make a key contribution to advancing the Department’s leading position in the field. You will contribute to the Communication, Media and Journalism (CMJ) research group and more widely across the Faculty of Social Sciences and the University.

Specifically, the post holder will

• bring high levels of research expertise, high quality international peer reviewed publications and funding
• contribute to the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate MA programmes
• demonstrate an interest in and engage with student newsroom-based activity in innovative ways and work collaboratively with other staff in the department to engage in curriculum development
• be open to explore ways in which your research has impact potential by bringing benefit to non-academic organisations.

Person Specification

You should provide evidence in your application that you meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure your abilities in these areas including reviewing your online application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.

Criteria

1. A PhD (or equivalent academic/professional achievement) in a relevant subject area.

2. Proven teaching ability 

3. Previous experience of working as a lecturer

4. An established research profile, as evidenced through publications in high impact peer reviewed journals (4* or 3* REF 2014 standard) and/or other measures.

5. Strong commitment to and potential for generating research income.

6. Possess or be willing to undertake a teaching qualification 

7. Proven teaching ability in areas relating to digital news cultures 

9. Knowledge and experience of evaluation, development and innovation in research-led learning and teaching.

10. Knowledge and experience of technologies to support learning and teaching (desirable)

11. Experience of supervising PhD students 

12. Ability to manage resources effectively

13. Experience of applying for externally funded research 

14. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal including effective use of technology where appropriate.

15. Ability to communicate research findings via a variety of media

16. Experience of adapting own skills to new circumstances

17. Proven ability to work to and meet deadlines 

18. Excellent planning and organisational skills, including the ability to undertake administrative duties efficiently and effectively.

About the Team

The University of Sheffield builds teams of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience. We are consistently ranked in the top 100 of the world’s universities; however, we offer much more than this.

By joining the University, you will be joining award-winning teams and departments who are all working together to make the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is a large and diverse grouping of thirteen departments that offer professional education alongside more traditional social science disciplines. This rich and exciting inter-disciplinary mix encompasses both world-leading academic research and education and a strong practitioner focus in particular areas. It uniquely positions the Faculty among Sheffield's peer institutions.

The Department of Journalism Studies is one of the major journalism research and teaching establishments in Europe. We are committed to a teaching and research programme that takes an interdisciplinary approach to the fields of factual media, journalism and communications. The 2014

Research Excellence Framework put the University of Sheffield in the top ten percent of all UK universities. It judged the department’s research environment as of world leading quality and that our research has significant global impact. The Communications, Media and Journalism research group (CMJ) draws together all the research active staff and doctoral students in the department, reflecting its wide variety of research expertise in: public and political communication, media law and policy, international law, conflict and crisis communications, propaganda and strategic communication, the historical study of journalism, contemporary European history, media and international politics, war and media, media freedom and the role of the factual media in post conflict reconstruction. The department is home to our Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) and the Centre for the Study of Journalism History.

Our staff are drawn from both journalism and academia and we have an excellent network of national and international contacts, in journalism, civil society organisations and in the academic world. We have a thriving international community of postgraduate research students, taught postgraduates and undergraduates. Our alumni are working in newsrooms in the UK and abroad as reporters, editors, producers, presenters while others have gone on into the communications sector more broadly as well as in to academic careers.

The department has grown significantly in recent years. Our MA Global Journalism and MA International Public and Political Communication in particular attract students from all over the world and these courses have a strongly international curriculum. Our undergraduate programme is one of the most applied for in the country.

For more details about the department please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/journalism

Job Description

We seek applications from ambitious, highly motivated and talented individuals who will be keen to play an active role in maintaining and enhancing the department’s national and international reputation for research, teaching excellence and innovation. The appointee will have a strong commitment to both research and teaching, and to interdisciplinary collaboration, and will make a key contribution to advancing the School’s competitive position. They will also contribute to our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

We welcome applications from high-quality candidates with research expertise that will complement and strengthen our existing research profile in communications, media and journalism. The successful applicant will make a major contribution to the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, with the potential to take the lead on programme coordination, and module co-ordination and development. We look for ambitious, highly motivated and talented individuals with a proven track record of research expertise and publication that will complement and/or strengthen our existing research profile, and who will be keen to play an active role in enhancing the department’s national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence and innovation.

Applicants will be keen to contribute to the department’s Communication, Media and Journalism research group and the Faculty of Social Sciences Digital Societies Network, as well as collaborating with colleagues in the department, and more widely across the Faculty of Social Sciences and the University.

Applicants should make clear how their research will contribute to the department’s research environment and how they can contribute to its teaching portfolio.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct personal research and scholarship and generate research funding from external agencies;

• Participate in and establish productive research links and collaborations within the wider University and beyond;

• Manage and/or co-manage external research funding to successful conclusion, and manage and monitor the work of research staff as appropriate;

• Disseminate research outcomes through publications in high-impact journals and other highimpact channels including academic and professional conferences;
• Manage, supervise and support research students and colleagues;
• Work with departmental colleagues to foster a culture of mutual support and collegiality;
• Design and deliver high-quality, research-led learning and teaching for modules on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including: identifying learning objectives, determining appropriate curricula, selecting teaching methods and resources, preparing teaching material, communicating subject matter, encouraging and supporting student inquiry;

• Conduct assessment of postgraduate student work, including: design of assessment approaches and criteria, provision of formative and summative feedback (oral/written), marking to agreed deadlines;

• Supervise and assess undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations;
• Carry out module and programme evaluation and implement teaching quality assurance and enhancement strategies;

• Carry out a pastoral role for students such as acting as Personal Tutor to postgraduate students, referring students to the appropriate authority for guidance as necessary, and collaborate with colleagues to identify and respond to students’ needs;

• Contribute to teaching-related and other administrative activity within the department as assigned by the Head of Department;

• Participate in Department/Faculty committees and working groups as appropriate;
• Demonstrate external recognition through professional activities such as committees, conference organisation, refereeing of research papers and grant applications, journal editing and external examining;

• Self-generate work through research and scholarship, curriculum development, and innovation in teaching and administration;

• Plan and prioritise own daily work and forward plan up to five years for some tasks. For teaching, plan up to one year ahead, or in the case of significant programme changes or new programmes and modules, up to two or more years ahead of their introduction;

• Deal with reactive requests daily such as those concerning teaching, supervising students and administrative tasks;

• Coordinate and contribute to team teaching, which will include liaison with other academic staff and/or university teaching assistants, to ensure modules complement others taken by students.

• Engage with vocational elements of our provision in innovative ways that draw on your research strengths.

• You will make a full and active contribution to the principles of the ‘Sheffield Academic’. These include the achievement of excellence in applied teaching and research, and scholarly pursuits to make a genuine difference in the subject area and to the University’s achievements as a whole. Further information on the underpinning values of the Sheffield Academic can be found at: Sheffield Academic.

• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Reward Package

Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 9 staff.

Salary for this grade: £51,630 - £58,089 per annum Potential to progress to £67,317 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

This post is open ended.

This post is full-time:

This role has been identified as a full-time post, but we are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities with our staff which benefit both the individual and the University (See www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/guidance/flexible/arrangements). Therefore, we would consider flexible delivery of the role subject to meeting the business needs of the post. If you wish to explore flexible working opportunities in relation to this post, we encourage you to call or email the departmental contact listed below.

Selection – Next Steps

Closing date: For details of the closing date please view this post on our web pages at www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs

Following the closing date, we will contact you by email to let you know whether or not you have been shortlisted to participate in the next stage of the selection process. Please note that due to the large number of applications that we receive, it may take up to two working weeks following the closing date before the recruiting department will be able to contact you.

It is anticipated that interviews and other selection action will be held on the 21 May 2019. Full details will be provided to invited candidates.

For more information on our application and recruitment processes visit

www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/info

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries about this job and the recruiting department, contact: Professor Jackie Harrison on j.harrison@sheffield.ac.uk

For administration queries and details on the application process, contact the lead recruiter: Samantha Bharath on sam.bharath@sheffield.ac.uk.

For all online application system queries and support, visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/applying