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We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Join a leading school of Geography and Planning to work on a major, new ESRC-funded project, ‘Planning for Nature’ that investigates the relationship between urban planning and nature recovery. This role offers an outstanding opportunity to engage with a wide variety of policy makers, professionals and communities concerned about urbanisation and the environment in the UK. Drawing on your research and impact experience, you will assist in developing links with project partners, preparing materials that will assist policy makers, practitioners and communities, and ensuring that the project’s research findings are widely disseminated and of use to the wide-range of groups active in this area.

You will be supported to develop innovative ways of communicating research findings, engaging with a diversity of stakeholders, and developing persuasive and useful materials for a range of audiences. Becoming part of our interdisciplinary project team, you will play a pivotal and valuable role in ensuring that this major new project generates knowledge and understanding that is of use to the range of organisations, groups and individuals who are seeking to ensure that urban development decisions lead to a better outcome for nature.  

The position offers the successful candidate a chance to benefit from wider career development opportunities through Sheffield’s Urban Studies Early Career Researcher Network, supporting researchers through a structured programme of activities.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Take a leading role in shaping how the Planning for Nature project communicates its research findings to a wide and diverse range of audiences
• Engage with project partners in England and Scotland, ensuring that they are kept informed of project activities, outputs and events, including providing support to the Project Advisory Board
• Develop appropriate materials for a range of audiences (such as policy-makers, practitioners and communities) that summarises research findings and translates them into useful materials that inform their practice
• Generate persuasive materials in a variety of media, including written, visual, and audio-visual
• Disseminate the project’s research findings through a variety of outlets, including online, print, and in-person
• Assist in the preparation of a range of non-academic publications and reports arising from Work Packages within the project
• Design, co-produce, facilitate and organise events at which academic and non-academic partners are engaged with the project, including Project Advisory Board meetings, academic events, and internal network-building activities within the University of Sheffield
• Build networks with policy makers and professional communities
• Work collaboratively with project partners to enhance research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit and identify opportunities for knowledge exchange.
• Identify longer-term opportunities to secure and advance impact from the project
• Take a leading role in organising and managing team/group meetings and wider events (focus groups, interviews, workshops, policy sprints) to ensure the effective running of the project.
• Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the project and School.
• Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria

• An understanding of policymaking and experience of engaging policymakers and/or practitioners with research (assessed at: interview/application)
• Have completed or be near to completing a PhD (or hold equivalent research experience) (assessed at: interview/application).
• Ability to identify and develop appropriate strategies to communicate research findings to a range of academic and non-academic audiences (assessed at: interview/application)
• Experience of engaging non-academic audiences with research findings and outputs (assessed at: interview/application).
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and experience of writing for different kinds of audiences (academics, policymakers, practitioners, the general public, social media) (assessed at: interview/application).
• Experience of engaging with and developing networks, both academic and non-academic for the dissemination of research.
• Experience of designing, co-producing, and/or facilitating events aimed at policymakers, practitioners, or communities e.g. workshops, seminars, and engagement activities (assessed at: interview/application).
• Ability to work with academic and non-academic partners to agree and deliver project objectives (assessed at: interview/application).
• Ability to organise own workload, prioritise and work to deadlines both collaboratively and independently with a high degree of personal effectiveness (assessed at: interview/application).
• Ability to develop creative approaches to problem solving (assessed at: interview/application).

Desirable criteria

• Research experience in planning, environmental studies, or ecology
• Engagement with and understanding of policy and practice in the environmental, development or planning sectors

Further Information

Grade: 7 (£38,249.00 - £40,497.00)

Duration: 24 months, from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027

Line manager: Principal Investigator

Direct reports: Principal Investigator

For informal enquiries about this job contact
Professor Malcolm Tait, Principal Investigator: on m.tait@sheffield.ac.uk or on 0114 222 6919

For further information on the Planning for Nature project, see www.planningfornature.org

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in July 2025. This will consist of an interview and short presentation. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage the week after the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact gpl-ops@sheffield.ac.uk

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).
 

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.