appointment of chair in sociology./file/...appointment of chair in sociology november 2015 contents....

Department OfSociological Studies.

Appointment of Chair in Sociology.November 2015Ref: UOS012026

Appointment of Chair in SociologyNovember 2015

Contents.........................................................................

3 Introduction from the Head of Department.4 TheUniversityofSheffield.7 A Remarkable Place to Work.9 TheCityofSheffield.10 The Faculty of Social Sciences.11 The Department of Sociological Studies.12 The Opportunity.13 The Role.15 The Person.16 Terms of Appointment.17 How to Apply.

TheUniversityofSheffield


Introduction from the Head of Department.............................................................................................................

These are challenging and exciting times for sociology. Never has the need for incisive commentaryandcriticalreflectiononthe current state of the UK, Europe and the wider world been more needed. Yet at the same time, ourdisciplinefacesmanydifficultiesinretainingits relevance and authority to speak to the great issues of our day.

Our vision for the Department of Sociological Studies is to create a multidisciplinary environment thatenablesstafftocarryoutscholarshipofthe highest quality that illuminates and informs society. This aims to have a real impact on policy, professional practice and, ultimately, the public. We also seek to provide inspiring education and training for our students that gives them the confidenceandskillstobecriticallyengagedwithsocial problems locally, nationally and globally.

The Department’s work is already internationally recognised for its contribution to theory, empirical investigation and innovative methods. Thisisreflectedinitsresearchspecialisms,which include a wide range of topics central to the discipline of sociology. Further information on the Department and its research can be found in this brochure and on our website at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies/research/researchinterests

Following a major review in summer 2014, the Department is currently charting a new direction. This places much greater emphasis on securing its position as one of the leading UK centres in sociology, whilst maintaining robust ties to its established strengths in social policy and social work through the creation of a truly interdisciplinary culture. We are therefore looking for a Professor of Sociology who will providestrongandeffectivedisciplinary leadership in both research and teaching.

We are deliberately not restricting applications to any particular branch or topic within sociology, but are keen to encourage applicants with a range of skills and experience. This might includescholarsatSeniorLecturer/AssociateProfessor/Readerlevelwhoareestablishingthemselves as research leaders in their disciplinary area. We are also keen to encourage applicants with a more established track record, especially if they have senior management experience.

Please do get in touch with me if you are interested in applying.

Professor Paul Martin

TheUniversityofSheffield............................................................................................................3

The University

Of Sheffield.

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Sheffield is a leading global university with a well-deserved reputation for excellence in research and teaching, and for an entrepreneurial approach

to working with industry and government which is challenging the way that the UK’s research-intensive universities develop over the coming decades.

Our spirit of innovation and values of demonstrable public benefit arerounded on hard work and achievement. Our research in the arts and

humanities, engineering, medicine, science and social sciences, changes lives for the better and advances our understanding of what it means to be

human. We work with other leading universities, governments and multinational companies to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world

today, from sustainable energy and food production to the global economy.

The University’s partnerships with Boeing and Rolls-Royce are being extended internationally, and are setting a new standard for industrial

research within a regional, national and global supply chain. We are also breaking ground on how our national research centres interact with the

need for advanced scientific, technical and engineering skills – this combines with our record for welcoming talent from all backgrounds, and we are proud to have the UK’s first major cohort of advanced apprentices

in a research-intensive university, as well as to champion the HEATED programme of professional accreditation for scientific technicians.

The Sheffield city-region is an ideal setting for such ground-breaking collaborations. Known around the world for advanced manufacturing and

precision engineering, the city also has the UK’s largest excellent rated Teaching Hospitals Trust working closely with the University, and its

creative and digital industries account for almost two fifths of the region’s jobs.

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Sheffield is also a vibrant student city. Repeatedly winning awards for the overall quality of its student experience, safety and affordability, our University is home to 25,000 of the brightest students in the world.

Twenty-four per cent of these students come from outside the UK, and the city University and award-winning Students’ Union have

combined to make sure that they feel welcome. Our award- winning #weareinternational campaign is now supported by over 100 universities and has been backed by the CBI, NUS, Universities UK and the British Council. And we have reason to be proud of what happens after our students graduate. Our alumni include five Nobel Prize winners, an Olympic gold medallist and Britain’s

first female astronaut.

Yet we are not resting on our laurels. We know that Higher Education faces many challenges to deliver the outward-facing, live-enhancing public benefit

which we were founded to deliver. Our vision is clear. The University of Sheffield is determined to be an international centre of educational excellence

for centuries to come, making a difference in the life of the city, nation and around the world.

To achieve this aim, we recruit ambitious, creative people from all over the world and we nurture their talent.

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A Remarkable Place to Work.

....................

Our staff and their collective talent is the first and foremost priority for a university that wishes to change the world for the better through the power and application of ideas and knowledge. Our vision is simple -

to create a remarkable place to work. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, growing and engaging a diverse range of staff from

many different backgrounds with the ambition to transform people’s lives, a desire to take a leading role in research and teaching and a commitment

to continually enhance the reputation of the University. In our 2014 staff survey 94% of staff told us they are proud to work here.

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TheUniversityofSheffield............................................................................................................

Weofferanexcellentrewardandbenefitspackage through our total reward and recognitionoffer,TheDeal,whichincludes:

• Competitive pay, pension and reward opportunities linked to performance;

• Anextraordinaryhealthandwellbeingoffer‘Juice’, that promotes happiness and wellbe-ingamongstourstaffthroughabroadrangeof inclusive activities: www.sheffield.ac.uk/juice;

• Generous holiday entitlements and the op-portunity to purchase additional leave;

• Acomprehensiveselectionofbenefitsandofferstosuitdifferentlifestyleneedssuchas childcare vouchers, a Cycle to Work initi-ativeandavarietyofstaff discounts;

• Access to professional and personal management and leadership development through “Develop. Manage. Lead”;

• Award-winning equality and diversity action which enhances working life for all. 91% of stafftellustheyaretreatedwithfairnessandrespect(staffsurvey2014) www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/equality.

For more information on any of the above visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/staffbenefits.

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The City of Sheffield.

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This extraordinary city is the perfect setting for ground-breaking collaborations. It’s world-famous for precision engineering. Creative and digital industries account for almost two fifths of the region’s jobs. Healthcare technology is another growth sector. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is the UK’s largest NHS foundation trust. Our

close links with the city make innovation possible.

This is a vibrant, friendly, safe city surrounded by some of the most breath-taking countryside in the UK. It offers an excellent quality of life and proudly has the highest

retention of students than any other city – many students and staff come here and never leave.

Sheffield has been called the UK’s greenest city; there are50 public parks and 170 woodlands within the city boundary. England’s fourth-largest city, it has the wealth of facilities you’d expect to find in a major city, yet more than a third of the city lies inside the beautiful Peak District National Park. It is the UK’s only city with a National Park within its boundary, but it offers much more than beautiful

countryside.

Sheffield is geographically diverse, nestled in a natural amphitheatre created by seven hills, and fed by five rivers. This diversity has given rise to an exceptional range of activities available, from walking or climbing in the beautiful Peak District to taking

a boat ride along one of Sheffield’s canals. The city is home to a range of museums and galleries and also contains the largest theatre complex outside London.

Located in the centre of the UK, at the heart of an excellent transport network, the M1 and M62 are within easy reach, there are 6 international airports within 65 miles and a bustling railway station offers access to every corner of the UK, and beyond.

The main University campus lies on the western edge of the city centre and is easy to get to by car, bus and tram.

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The Faculty of Social Sciences.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

The Faculty of Social Sciences is the home of thirteen varied, interdisciplinary and ambitious departments. We pride ourselvesonwhatitisthatdefinesus:innovation, diversity and uniqueness, whether it be in the research we conduct, the disciplines we study or the graduates we produce. The Faculty has a number of research priorities, including well-being and the life course, inclusive society, digital society and sustainable growth and is actively supporting the development of capacity in these areas.

World-leading in research and teaching, we are distinct amongst our peers in what we encompass. This involves everything from classic social science disciplines, including Sociological Studies and Politics, to a distinctly social science approach to less traditional subject matter such as Landscape and Architecture.

As home to some of the UK’s leading researchers, we are renowned for our high-quality and high-impact research. In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, 80% of the Faculty’s research assessed was graded as world leading or internationally excellent, with the majority of the Faculty’s submissions

rankedinthetopten,ofwhichfivewerein the top 5.

We are really proud of this achievement. Some of the Faculty’s greatest successes include our Department of Politics remaining in the top three for re-search, our School of Education achiev-ing a staggering 100% world leading (4star)scoreforitsresearchimpact,along with the departments of Architecture, Landscape, and Town and Regional Planning all maintaining their topfivepositions.Therehavealsobeensome great gains for our departments too; The Law School has risen to become a top ten department, third overall for its research output. This excellence underpins all that we do as a Faculty; we strive to make an impact, to further and discover knowledge, and to develop research and graduates to be proud of.

Further details about the Faculty can be found at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/social-sciences.

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TheUniversityofSheffield............................................................................................................

The Department of Sociological Studies.............................................................................................................

The Department of Sociological Studies has a major international reputation for excellence in research and teaching across Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work and achieving high levels of cross- fertilisation between the three disciplines. It is committed to understanding society and social change, and to research and teaching that improves people’s lives, especially those of the most vulnerable. We are proud to be one of the top social science research departments in the UK, withalonghistoryofhighprofile contributions to theory, policy and practice.

The Department’s excellence in research has been recognised most recently in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF)whichassessedthat79%ofour research was world-leading or internationally excellent. This ranks the Department in the top 10 amongst the Russell Group for research output, and top15inthedisciplineforworld-leading/internationally excellent research.The Department’s impact and research environment has also been recognised as internationally excellent through this exercise. Several of the Department’s academics have also won major prizes for their research during the latest REF assessment period, including Professor

Alan Walker’s ESRC Impact Champion of the Year Award in 2013 and Dr Lorna Warren was named as runner-up for the Outstanding Impact in Society prize at the ESRC Celebrating Impact Awards 2014.

InthefieldofSociologytheDepartmentisinternationally recognised for its contributions to theory, empirical investigation and innovative methods. Its overarching research focus is on social divisions, social inclusion and social change.Thisisreflectedinitsresearchspecialisms which include social stratificationandinequality,precarity,childhood, ageing and the life course, identity, gender, ethnicity and race, men and masculinities, professional work, health and medicine, surveillance, the digital world, science and technology studies and the quality of society. These areas of strength in sociology complement and mutually strongly inform work in social policy (in particular international and comparative policy, migration studies and ageing)andsocialwork(inparticular studiesofchildrenandfamilies).Ithasaproven track record of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, delivering a very high quality student experience.

Further details about the Department can be found at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies.

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The Opportunity.............................................................................................................

Following a major review in summer 2014, the Department is currently charting a new direction with much greater emphasis on securing its position as one of the leading UK Departments of Sociology, whilst maintaining robust ties to its established strengths in social policy and social work through the creation of a truly interdisciplinary environment. The University is therefore looking for a Professor of Sociology who will provide strong and effectivedisciplinaryleadershipinbothresearch and teaching. The successful candidate will have an outstanding track record as a scholar, including publications in leading international journals, as well as ability to teach and develop innovative programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. They will also have a proven track record of leadership and management.

Applications are very welcome from all branches of sociology, and are particularly encouraged from areas that ensure that the Department continues to be at the cutting edge of scholarship relating to contemporary sociological concerns.

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The Role.............................................................................................................

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Research:

• Play a leadership role in promoting sociological research within the Department and University;

• Submit and win external grant applications from a variety of funders, including collaborative and large-scale interdisciplinary and international awards;

•Manageresearchstaff,teamsand resources needed to deliver high quality research outputs;

• Take the lead in building research capacity by providing expert advice, mentoringandsupporttoacademicstaff,researchers and students in the Department;

• Participate actively in the development of the Department’s research and impact strategies, and overall research culture;

• Maintain an internationally outstanding reputation for research and publications, including editing journals, organizing conferences and providing policy advice to government and professional bodies;

•Ensuresignificantimpactthroughthepromotion and dissemination of research findingstoarangeofpolicy,practitioner

and academic audiences;

• Maintain and develop links with the policy makers and practitioners;

• Supervise and support the training of Masters and PhD students;

• Contribute to the Department’s submission for the next Research ExcellenceFramework(REF)throughworld class publications and impact.

Teaching:

• Play a leading role in the development of sociology teaching in the Department;

• Contribute to both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including developing and delivering modules, assessment and marking, supervision of student project, and course administration;

• Course evaluation including facilitating studentfeedback;reflectingonownteaching design and delivery and implementing ideas for improving performance;

• The pastoral care of students including acting as a Personal Tutor. If necessary referring them to the appropriate authority for guidance and counselling;

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The Role (cont.)............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

•Actinseniorrolesatdepartmental/faculty committees in order to contribute to the development of teaching/learningpolicyandpracticelocally;

• Undertake other teaching duties within the Department as may become necessary.

Management and Administration:

• Provide academic leadership within the Department, including the development ofstrategyandplanning,staffing, financialmanagementandexternal relations;

• Develop and implement strategy to help position the Department as one of the leading centres in sociology research and teaching;

•Carryoutasignificantdepartmentaladministrative role to a high standard, showing evidence of creativity and innovation, to meet the required objectives; • Take positions of senior responsibility within the Department and the Faculty, including chairing committees, developing policies and preparing reports;

• Demonstrate and model excellence in team working, management and mentoring/supporttocolleagues;

• Contribute to establishing positive collaborative relationships both inside and outside the Department;

• Participate in the wider activities of the Department, the Faculty and the University;

• Make a full and active contribution to theprinciplesofthe‘SheffieldAcademic’.These include the achievement of excellence in applied teaching and research, and scholarly pursuits to make agenuinedifferenceinthesubjectareaand to the University’s achievements as a whole. Further information on the underpinningvaluesoftheSheffield Academic can be found at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/sheffieldacademic.

• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

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The Person.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

Applicants should provide evidence in their applications that they meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure candidates’ abilities in these areas including reviewing your on-line application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.

• Agoodfirstdegreeinarelevant subject area;

• APhD(orequivalentexperience)insociology or a relevant subject area.

• A distinguished record of international research, demonstrating clear excellence.

A proven record of attracting and managing external research grants.

• Proven ability to deliver innovative andeffectivelecturesandseminarsatboth undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

• Proven ability in the management and administration of teaching and supervision of PhD students.

• Proven leadership skills.

• Considerable experience of working

effectivelybothindependentlyandcollaboratively.

• Ability to mentor and motivate colleagues in developing both their research agendas as well as teaching portfolios and to contribute to their pastoral care.

• Experienceofsupportingstaff performance including the development of early career researchersandofreviewingstaff performance and progress against objectives.

• Experience of developing a network of contacts within the discipline.

• Evidence of a high level of professional esteem and standing.

• Conduct internationally recognised, innovative research and scholarship, and generate research income.

• An ability and desire to make a significantstrategiccontributiontothe research and teaching agendas of the Department and Faculty.

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Terms of Appointment..................................................................................................................

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This post is open ended with an anticipated start date of September 2016.

This post is full-time:

Thisrolehasbeenidentifiedasa full-time post, but we are committed to exploringflexibleworkingopportunitieswithourstaffwhichbenefitboththeindi-vidual and the University (See www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/guidance/flexible/arrangements).Therefore,wewould considerflexibledeliveryoftherole subject to meeting the business needs ofthepost.Ifyouwishtoexploreflexibleworking opportunities in relation to this post, please contact the recruiting department via the contact details provided below.

Terms and conditions of employment:

Will be those for a Non-Clinical Professor.

Salary for this grade:

Professorial Pay Scheme Band Structure.

Please see pay scheme structure: www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/thedeal/professorial/structure.

More details on salaries, terms and conditions and our wide range of benefitsforstaffareavailableat:

www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/thedeal/pay.

*Please note that any current and previous salary details included in your application may be viewed by members of the selection panel.*

Closing date:

4 January 2016.

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How to Apply.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

To apply for this role please visit our website at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs.

Informal enquiries:

For all on-line application system queries and support, contact: [email protected].

For informal enquiries about this job, Department and selection process, contact: Professor Paul Martin, Head of Department on [email protected] or on 0114 222 6422.

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Contact us.Department of Sociological Studies UniversityofSheffieldElmfield,NorthumberlandRoadSheffieldS102TU

General EnquiriesTel:+44(0)1142226400E-mail:[email protected]:www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies

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