Job description
Job: Research Officer (Economics)
Type: Temporary (6 Months)
Location: Greater Belfast
Salary: £50,684
Hours of work: 37 Hours Per Week (Monday- Friday)
The standard working week is 37 hours (excluding meal breaks) across 5 days, Monday to Friday. The hours of work each day will be scheduled between 8.00am and 6.00pm.
Closing Date: Noon on the 13/09/2024
On behalf of the NI Assembly, MPA recruitment welcome suitable applications for the roles of a Research Officer (Economics).
Research Officers work directly with Assembly Members and Committees in the production of non-partisan, objective and evidence-based research. Each Research Officer is responsible for authoring research concerning a specific subject area (specialism) within the remit of the devolved powers of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The research produced by Research Officers is routinely published and can involve written, oral and visual presentations to Assembly Committees in open and closed sessions.
Main duties and responsibilities of the Research Officer are:
• Scope research requirements with individual MLAs, Assembly Committees and Officials, as well as, on occasion, others.
• Retrieve and synthesise information and data from a wide range of sources, including online databases.
• Deliver high quality and impartial research and analysis on economics, including public finance, in a timely and accurate manner.
• Produce a range of well-written, concise and accessible research outputs, which are evidence-based and address policy, legislation and/or public finance – for example: research papers; briefing papers; blog posts; training materials; digital dashboards; and infographics.
• Present - clearly and effectively - research briefings and training materials, to individual MLAs and their staff, as well as Assembly Committee Members and Officials: this includes responding to their questions; and for Assembly Committees, this largely occurs in public session.
• Contribute to the peer review of RaISe colleagues’ research outputs.
• Identify potential witnesses and specialist advisors - academic and non-academic – for Assembly Committees’ consideration and use.
• Maintain a specialist knowledge of this post’s research portfolio through ongoing learning and development – for example: tracking relevant developments across government, at international, central and devolved levels; attending seminars and conferences (in-person and online); keeping abreast of relevant academic and non-academic literature; reading newsletters and updates, maintaining networks, etc.
• Provide support, including “buddying” when requested, to those working in undergraduate and postgraduate placements and internships, and those recently joining RaISe as new (permanent and temporary) staff,
• Facilitate public events – for example: Assembly Committee Inquiries; RaISe’s Academic Engagement-related events, such as individual seminars in the Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS).
• Proactively forge and develop appropriate links with departmental officials, external research bodies/communities, academics, RaISe counterparts in other such library and research services and other.
• Work collaboratively and collegially, as an effective Team member.
• Contribute to the development of RaISe, including identifying potential new outputs and improving service delivery more generally.
• Carry out such other duties within RaISe’s business area, which are reasonably required of this post.
• Comply with Assembly policies, procedures and practices applicable to Assembly Officials, including, but not limited to, those relating to Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work, as well as those requiring completion of mandatory training courses.
• Carry out any other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of this post.
Essential Criteria:
Applicants must, by the closing date:
1. Be in possession of at least a second-class honours degree (or equivalent or post-graduate qualification), which contained at least 50% of the course content relating to policy development or law-making in the area of economics, including public finance.
AND
2. Have at least two years of work experience post degree (or equivalent or post-graduate qualification) in:
a) Conducting objective, evidence-based research on economic issues, including public finance. This includes the collation, validation and visualisation of a wide range of date – qualitative and quantitative; and
b) Producing and delivering evidence-based research findings on economic issues, including those concerning public finance, to help inform discussion and decision making relating to policy development or law-making in that area.
How To Apply
To apply for this position please send your CV to chris.oneill@mparecruitment.co.uk
Or for further information and a confidential discussion on this post please call Chris at our Belfast office on 02895 211111
Please ensure your CV is accurate and updated with full personal contact details, education history, qualifications, and employment history.
MPA Recruitment are operating as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.
MPA are committed to providing equality of opportunity in employment and welcome applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of gender, marital or family status, religious belief, political opinion, disability, age, race, nationality, or sexual orientation.