The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

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.

Overview

The Centre for Care is a research centre established following a highly competitive process run by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The Centre’s focus includes experiences of providing and receiving care across the life course; the networks, communities and systems that affect people who need care and support; the causes and consequences of inequalities in care; and the workforce changes needed to secure quality care for the future. Working to develop new knowledge that can transform lives for the better, the Centre for Care uses its collective resources to undertake multi-disciplinary research and generate new knowledge to serve the wider world. The Centre is led by investigators in five universities, three major charities and the Office for National Statistics and has its base in the University of Sheffield’s Centre for International Research on Care Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE). It works in close partnership with a large network of care sector partners and leading international research teams, co-producing its research with people who need care, carers, care workers and others.

The successful candidate will join the Care Trajectories and Constraints research group, working directly with Professor Majella Kilkey on a programme of work around Borders and Care, exploring the topic of care and its intersection with migration, borders and bordering, including a focus on the care workforce in (re)bordered Britain. An experienced qualitative researcher, you will have a strong commitment to co-production and to undertaking impactful social science research. 

Main duties and responsibilities

• Be an active member of the ESRC Centre for Care, attending and contributing to Centre activities and Care Trajectories and Constraints and Borders and Care team meetings. Collaborate effectively with colleagues, including those in partner universities and with social care, voluntary sector and industrial partners.
• In close collaboration with your research group leader, plan, develop and undertake research on Borders and Care. As required, develop literature reviews, research protocols and ethics submissions; contribute to external funding applications; conduct primary research; organise, accurately record and analyse data collected; prepare data for archiving; and prepare reports of research findings and other outputs, tailoring content to meet the requirements of a varied audience and readership.
• Ensure key research contributions are successfully completed within allocated resources.
• Keep progress under regular review in consultation with your research group leader.
• Keep clear and secure records, collate information efficiently, arrange meetings as required and keep records of all activities; perform other administrative duties as required.
• Comply with all Centre for Care reporting arrangements and contribute as required to data validation, auditing and quality requirements, working within the Centre for Care data management protocols.
• Collaborate effectively with international partners, including for the collation and synthesis of relevant materials from international projects and contexts.
• Contribute effectively to academic publications of exceptional quality, in line with the Centre for Care’s publication strategy, to include co-authored papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Present the results of the research at academic and policy conferences and other events.
• Make innovative use of web platforms and social media and develop multimedia outputs to secure wide dissemination.
• Keep abreast of relevant academic and policy developments, including by reading academic papers, journals and textbooks and contributing to Centre for Care seminars and workshops.
• Manage your own work effectively, using discretion to determine priorities while ensuring there is cohesion with the wider Centre for Care programme.
• Assist in identifying research risks, monitoring, taking action and seeking advice as appropriate, collaborating with others and applying research safety and ethics protocols.
• 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

• PhD in a social science subject (or equivalent experience), preferably as applied to care and its intersection with migration, borders and bordering [Application form]
• Evidence of strong qualitative research methods expertise to include in-depth interviewing, coding and analysis of qualitative data  [Application form / Interview]
• Experience of, and skills in, conducting research within the area of migration, borders and bordering [Application form / Interview]
• Demonstrable interest in understanding and researching social care [Application form / Interview]
• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team  [Application form / Interview]
• Commitment to co-production and involvement of users in research [Application form / Interview]
• Commitment to engaging with non-academic partners and achieving research impact [Application form / Interview]
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, including report writing and delivering presentations [Application form / Interview]
• Ability to write up research clearly and effectively in multiple forms (e.g. reports, journal articles, policy briefs, collaborative outputs with partners)  [Application form / Interview]
• Ability to work independently, seeking guidance where appropriate, and to adapt own skills to new circumstances  [Application form / Interview]

Desirable criteria 

• Knowledge of policy contexts relevant to the research  [Application form / Interview]
• Experience of developing / contributing to the development of funding applications  [Application form / Interview]

Further Information

Grade: 7

Salary: £38,249 - £46,735

Work arrangement: Part-time - 0.5 FTE

Duration: 01 September 2025 to 30 June 2026

Line manager: Co-Investigator in the Centre for Care

Our website: https://centreforcare.ac.uk/

For informal enquiries about this job contact
Majella Kilkey, Centre for Care Co-Investigator and Professor of Social Policy on M.Kilkey@sheffield.ac.uk  

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in early July 2025. This will consist of an interview and presentation. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 23rd June 2025. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Richard Franey on ssrfinance@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.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • 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.

Criminal record

A basic DBS check will be needed for this role. More details on the checks can be found on the Government website: gov.uk/criminal-record-checks-apply-role (opens in a new window).

Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right. More information can be found on our Information for candidates page:- sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/candidates (opens in a new window).

The University of Sheffield is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our staff and students. It is an offence to apply for this role if you have been barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. Applicants will be subject to relevant safeguarding checks in line with the requirements of each role and the guidance from the Department for Education.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
- Childcare disqualification
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
- Medical
- Online and social media
- Eligibility to work
- Satisfactory references
- Suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Safeguarding policy

Employment of ex-offenders policy