Vacancy - Deputy Director White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership - Data, Communications & New Technologies (DCT) Pathway

About the WRDTP and its Pathways

The WRDTP is a partnership of seven universities, which brings together the Universities of Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield and York to deliver cutting edge social science training to postgraduate researchers. Our training is open to all social science PGRs in the partnership, regardless of funding status.

The WRDTP is organised around seven interdisciplinary pathways, which bring together researchers to address the most pressing challenges facing the world today. These pathways are integral to the WRDTP’s PGR training and development offer. Pathway training enables our PGRs to engage critically with research outside their own specific discipline; be exposed to the latest cutting-edge methods in the field; provides important opportunities for networking, dissemination and impact; and facilitates the development of engaged cohorts committed to tackling common concerns.

About the Pathway Deputy Director role

Our Pathway Directors are each supported by a small number deputy directors, based in universities across the partnership. Together, the Pathway Director and their Deputies are responsible for organising an annual programme of Pathway-focused training and development. Working collaboratively, the Pathway Director and their Deputies ensure that the programme of Pathway training and development offered is innovative, inclusive and engaging; and of relevance to PGRs working on a range of cognate issues that fall within a pathway’s remit.  This vacancy is within the Data, Communications and New Technologies pathway.

The role of Pathway Deputy Director will be taken up by an academic colleague with:

● enthusiasm for research methods training and a genuine commitment to PGR support and development.

● experience of delivering PGR training and/or support.

● a background in interdisciplinary research relevant to the Pathway.

The Pathway Deputy Director is recruited from within a partner institution, and can be from any of the departments and schools that have been formally accredited by the WRDTP. When making an appointment, attention will be paid to how the applicant’s research profile fits with the pathway’s scope.

Workload and tenure

The role of Pathway Deputy Director has an indicative workload of 0.1 FTE attached to it. This is to provide role-holders and line managers with a realistic sense of the time that is required to undertake the role. The term is for three years, with the expectation that post-holders continue in role during periods of study leave and similar.

At the point of application, applicants should confirm that their Head of Department/School supports the 0.1 FTE indicative workload allocation. Once the appointment has been made, the WRDTP will ask the Head of Department/School for confirmation that the role-holder will have sufficient time to commit to the role.

The WRDTP fully recognises that workload allocation models and tariffs are institutional matters; and that different institutions may have different conventions for ‘workloading’ external commitments. Whilst the WRDTP does not want to specify how roles are incorporated into workload models, it is important that role-holders have the time necessary to fulfil the role.

Specific responsibilities

● Working collaboratively with the Pathway Director and fellow Pathway Deputy Directors, plan and deliver an annual programme of pathway-focused training, ensuring that this offer is pluralist and innovative, so that PGRs have the opportunity to explore a wide range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, and engage with cutting-edge research methods. There is a minimum expectation that 4 events per year are offered by each pathway team per year.

● Attend the WRDTP Training Group annual planning event. These are scheduled as follows:

○ To plan for the 2023/4 academic year: 12:00-15:00, 4 October 2023 at the University of Bradford

○ To plan for the 2024/5 academic year: 10:00-13:00, 22 May 2024 at Sheffield Hallam University

○ (Please note that hereafter, the annual planning event will be held in May/June only)

● Ensure that the pathway training offered is accessible and inclusive, taking into account the different learning needs and styles of the PGR community.

● Contribute to the organisation and/or delivery of cohort-wide WRDTP events, in particular the Welcome Day, the Working Beyond Disciplines workshop and the Annual Conference.

● Provide relevant and engaging content (reading material, podcasts, videos) to support pathway-focused training activities, which can be hosted via the WRDTP website. This should include accessible ‘bite sized’ materials that can be shared beyond the WRDTP.

● Assess a share of applications to the annual WRDTP Pathway Studentship competition, ensuring that applications are treated in a fair, rigorous and timely way, in accordance with the WRDTP assessment criteria.

To find out more please contact Professor Edward Newman - e.newman@leeds.ac.uk  Closing date for applications is 12:00 on 31st July 2023.