Overview

Permanent Whole-time Post

UCC wishes to appoint a Lecturer in Social Policy. Applicants with a proven commitment to excellence in teaching and research in Social Policy are welcome. Research expertise in any of the following areas is desirable; Early Years and Children/Childhood, Migration, Family, Care/Caregiving. In line with the University’s strategic objective as a research led institution, the duties of all academic staff will include research, research-led teaching and contributions to the University, the discipline and the community.

Reporting to the Head of School, the successful candidate will be expected to: engage in research and publication; teach on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes; supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research; and contribute to the collegial functioning of the School. The ideal candidate will make a strong research-led contribution to the BA in Early Years and Childhood Studies and will also make some contributions to other programmes in the School.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Professor Máire Leane, Head of School of Applied Social Studies, Tel: +353 21 490228.

Further information on the  School of Applied Social Studies can be found on the School website.

This position is being filled as part of UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures.

What is UCC Futures – Collective Social Futures

UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures is re-imagining and addressing the complex and intertwined societal, environmental and political challenges faced across the world. These include social and gender-based inequalities, geopolitical shifts, migration, health and climate change and the urgent need to foster a more caring and liveable world for all. The imperative to develop more collective and social visions of the future is more pressing than ever. By driving innovative, critical, theoretical, participatory and community-engaged research, UCC Futures – Collective Social Futures will foster excellence in social research to understand, re-envision and enact our collective social futures.

Duties of the post

In accordance with the University’s strategic objective as a research led institution, the duties of all academic staff will include research, research-led teaching and contributions to the university, the discipline and the community. The academic staff member shall teach and examine, undertake administrative duties and carry out other duties appropriate to the post under the general direction of the Head of the School of Applied Social Studies.

The roles and responsibilities outlined below are to be interpreted in the context of the relevant Statutes and where there is any difference arising from interpretation, that statutory provisions take precedent. For the sake of clarity, the relevant elements of the statutes not already incorporated in the numbered sections are appended in italics under each subheading.

Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions

Teaching and Examining

1. Contribute to and assist in the delivery of research led teaching, assessment and examining on courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and where appropriate adult and continuing education courses;
2. Supervise research projects for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes;
3. Undertake the development and regular evaluation of modules with reference to content, delivery and assessment;
4. Participate in the development of new curricular initiatives;
5. Participate in accreditation processes as relevant;
6. Demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning and apply innovative teaching and learning methodologies within the School of Applied Social Studies and within other academic units in the University, as appropriate;
7. Contribute towards the maintenance of academic standards within his/her discipline:

• to give the students attending his/her ordinary lectures assistance in their studies, by advice, by informal instruction, by occasional and periodic examination, and otherwise, as s/he may judge to be expedient; also, to make such arrangements as s/he sees fit to make to meet students who have individual queries;
• to give instruction to his/her students and assist them in the pursuit of knowledge;
• to hold, or assist at, all University examinations in the subjects with which s/he is an examiner.

Research

8. Engage in productive research and scholarship and contribute to the advancement of knowledge, participate in research activities and publish the research in appropriate peer-reviewed publications, creative works or other forms of scholarship appropriate to the discipline;
9. Supervise postgraduate research students (particularly PhD students);
10. Undertake initiatives in generating research income as appropriate to the discipline;
11. Engage in other scholarly activities relevant to the research discipline.

Contributions

12. Participate in the administrative activities of the department/school and the academic life of the College and University;
13. Act as a member of such committees as may be required by the University;
14. Develop links with professional bodies and external agencies, where appropriate;
15. Promote the discipline both inside and outside the University and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University and society;
16. Carry out other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned by the head of discipline/department/school:

• to carry out administrative and other appropriate duties lawfully allocated to them within their department or other academic unit;
• if a member of the Academic Council, to attend its meetings;
• to serve upon all the committees to which s/he may be appointed by the Governing Body or the Academic Council, and to assist and co-operate with the Governing Body in such other reasonable ways as the Governing Body may prescribe, for the maintenance of discipline and good conduct among the students, or for the general business of the University.

The above listing is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake duties as can reasonably be expected. All staff are required to be flexible, co-operative and professional within the needs of the post and the Discipline/Department/School, College and University. The University is undertaking a major reform of its internal structures which may necessitate possible future changes in the organisation of its activities.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will be expected to meet the following essential criteria:

Qualifications | Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions | Other

Qualifications

Essential Criteria

1. A doctorate, equivalent professional qualification or research experience leading to publication in the relevant discipline.

Teaching and Examining

Essential Criteria

2. Relevant teaching experience or evidence of teaching potential;
3. An ability to contribute across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes both in and outside the area of research specialisation;
4. Evidence of a commitment to excellence in research led teaching;
5. Evidence of an understanding of and willingness to use modern teaching technologies and potential for innovative teaching and curriculum development;
6. Evidence of an ability to teach, inspire and supervise students, communicate ideas and concepts in a teaching and learning environment.

Research

Essential Criteria

7. Evidence of appropriate research achievement as indicated by published work and other research outputs appropriate to the discipline;
8. Potential to attract funding through competitive research grants or other sources as relevant;
9. Experience of or potential for research supervision (particularly PhD students);
10. Ability and willingness to collaborate with colleagues on research projects, as appropriate to the discipline.

Desirable Criteria

11. Evidence of other relevant scholarly activity.

Contributions

Essential Criteria

12. Administrative experience or evidence of ability to contribute to academic administration;
13. Experience in or potential to participate in relevant academic and professional associations/bodies as appropriate;
14. The potential to participate in and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University, the academic discipline and society at large.

Other

Essential Criteria

15. Good communication and interpersonal skills;
16. Evidence of ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team;
17. Ability and willingness to work in a collaborative environment;
18. An understanding of, and empathy with, the concerns of students;
19. A commitment to the long term development of the discipline.

Salary Information

Applications for this post

How to apply

Applications for this post are received through UCC's online application portal. You'll be required to set up a profile (if you don't already have one). 

You can find the posts associated with UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures by selecting 'Academic UCC Futures' in the search by vacancy type field.

Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to uccfuturesrecruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job title.

What to include in your application

Applications should consist of your academic CV and a cover letter demonstrating your academic and research achievements. We would also like to hear about your research ambitions and how your academic and research profile aligns with the UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures initiative.

Details of the following should also be included, as appropriate:

• Publications
• Research Interests
• Grants and Funding
• Teaching Interests and Abilities
• Teaching Objectives and Methods

Who to contact

We encourage all applicants to contact us prior to making an application for the position. 

• Contact: Informal queries about this post can be made in confidence to: Professor Máire Leane, Head of School of Applied Social Studies, Tel: +353 21 490228.

Deadline for applications

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12pm (Irish Standard Time) on Thursday, 29 June 2023. No late applications will be accepted.

Equality statement

University College Cork is committed to being a fully inclusive global university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values under our UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028. UCC holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing equality in higher education. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of age, care-giving status, disability, ethnicity, gender and/or gender identity or expression status, nationality, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/creed, and/or sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting all staff through flexible working schemes, family-friendly policies, training and development, and staff networks. We value the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seek to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of each individual in line with equality legislation. We encourage applicants to consult our Dignity and Respect Policy and learn more about our EDI related initiatives.