Research Officer

BSL version available here:

With English subtitles:

https://bangor.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1fa9cfff-24d6-45e1-aabd-b32400856c54

With Welsh subtitles:

https://bangor.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=6d2ca4b7-c639-4c2d-b4fc-b32400856c27

Applications are invited for two 0.5 FTE Research Officers, one of whom will be linked with Bangor University and Swansea University, and one with Bangor University and UWE Bristol to fill two 2-year posts.

The Deaf Health Wales project is a three-year, £1.04 million pound project which brings together an interdisciplinary team consisting of hearing and deaf colleagues from Bangor, Swansea, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), the University of Graz in Austria, the British Deaf Association, Public Health Wales Cardiff, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Centre of Sign Sight Sound in Colwyn Bay and the Wales Council for Deaf People.

As a guide, the Mental Health Hub is associated with Swansea University, and the Law and Human Rights Hub with UWE Bristol. We are open to suggestions as to which universities or academic members of the team you can be associated with and are keen to match your research interests accordingly. You will work with them on a regular basis.

We are particularly keen to recruit deaf British Sign Language (BSL) signers, especially those who live in Wales, to these two posts and consider these posts to be career- and experience-enhancing roles for those who wish to develop their project management, research, academic, and team working skills.

Candidates should be educated to PhD level or near completion (or have equivalent work /life experience to a similar level e.g. reports, engagement, and administration via evidence on a CV) in a relevant discipline to one or more of the project’s research hubs and have experience in working with and/or communicating with deaf people who use a signed language. The ability to communicate in British Sign Language (minimum BSL Level 3 or a native signer) is a requirement.

The successful candidates will be expected to commence as soon as possible.

The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for these posts.

These posts are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

You will be home-based, but there will be a need to travel on occasion.

Applications will only be accepted via our online recruitment website, jobs.bangor.ac.uk. Enquiries and support in BSL is available upon request by emailing [email protected]. In cases of access issues due to disability, paper application forms are available by emailing [email protected].

Closing date for applications: 28/02/2025

Committed to Equal Opportunities.

The Project

The team is comprised of experts and specialists in language and communication, deaf mental health, deaf health and well-being, interpreting services, the law, and environmental access and well-being. Working together with members of the deaf community, they will co-design, co-construct, implement, and evaluate community-led solutions for their communities in Wales.

The aim is to focus on interventions to address the health disparities that Welsh deaf individuals experience in Wales. The project has been split into six Hubs, each of which focuses on a particular area related to health in Wales. While there are six distinct Hubs, they do overlap in some shape and form. The Hubs are Public Health, Mental Health, Interpreting Services, Language and Communication, Natural Resources, and Law and Human Rights. Examples of interventions include working with Public Health Wales to ensure that health information is accessible, improving the provision of deaf mental health services in Wales, increasing the number of interpreters in Wales, developing a BSL corpus of Welsh regional signs, improving access to the national resources of Wales, and addressing issues in raising complaints when things go wrong.

In addition, we will also be developing an online dictionary and resources to help interpreters, service providers and those interested in signed languages and signed language research. We are also developing video guide apps to improve access to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons).

Purpose of the Job

These two-year posts are part of an established team working in the area of Welsh deaf health and wellbeing. The project involves working with an interdisciplinary research team on a three-year AHRC grant on issues affecting the health and wellbeing of the Welsh deaf community and developing interventions and proposals to address identified inequalities and issues. The postholder will contribute to and conduct research, gather, prepare and analyse data and generate original ideas and results. They will also be responsible, among other things, for helping to implement and coordinate a series of meetings, focus groups, and online studies, consulting with external and internal partners, along with some elements of project management. The postholder will also help with the project’s communication and social media engagement.

While there will be some overlap between the two posts as and when required by the project team, it is expected that each post will focus on: 1. Supporting and gathering data and content for the Hubs. 2. Facilitating interviews and focus groups across Wales, which will be an opportunity to engage with local deaf people to ask them to contribute their views. 3. Raising awareness of the project’s newly created platforms and resources. 4. Supporting the evaluations of the work in each Hub during the design/build phase. 5. Attending project team meetings to discuss and shape the project. 6. Developing vlogs, blogs, team reports, and papers about the project. 7. Discussing and developing ideas towards future grant proposals as the project develops.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Get to know and work collaboratively with all members of the project team.

2. Pro-actively contribute to and conduct research, including gather, prepare and analyse data, generate original ideas and present results.

3. Prepare reports, draft patents and papers describing the results of the research, both confidential and for publication.

4. Be self-motivated, apply and use their initiative, aiming to determine suitable ways to tackle challenges and seeking guidance when needed.

5. Demonstrate and evidence own professional development, identifying development needs with reference to the Vitae Researcher Development Framework, particularly with regard to probation, PDR and participation in training events.

6. Maintain and enhance links with the professional institutions and other related bodies.

7. Observe best-practice protocols in maintenance and retention of research records as indicated by HEI and Research Councils records management guidance. This includes ensuring project log-book records are deposited with the University/Principal Investigator on completion of the work.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• The post holder will be expected to participate in performance review and developmental activities.

• The post holder will be expected to comply with the University’s equality policies and statements and Dignity at Work and Study Policy.

• The post holder has a general and legal duty of care in relation to health, safety and wellbeing and must take all reasonable steps to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for them selves self and for other members of staff, students and visitors affected by their actions or inactions. The post holder is also required to comply with all applicable health and safety policies, procedures and risk assessments.

• The post holder must comply with relevant legal and financial policies and procedures and be aware of their responsibilities in terms of the legal requirements of their post.

Person Specification

Qualifications/Training

Essential

• Educated to PhD level or near completion (in a subject related to one or more of the project’s research hubs) OR work /life experience to a similar level e.g. reports, engagement, and administration (evidence on CV).

• Fluent in English and British Sign Language (minimum BSL Level 3) OR a native signer.

Desirable

• BSL Level 6.

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of working with deaf communities.

• Actively networks with deaf communities in Wales.

Desirable

• Proven track record in organising and managing events within the deaf community.

• A demonstrable ability to conduct research in line with the objectives of the project.

• Lived experience of culturally deaf people.

• Previous experience in the use and management of online secure software for data collection and experience of filming and video editing of BSL material.

• Previous experience of data handling, management, curation and analysis.

Skills/Abilities

Essential

• Knowledge of challenges of rural/urban communities across Wales with an understanding of multicultural and multilingual working environments.

• Ability to travel independently around Wales.

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to work to deadlines, to work independently and collaboratively in a team.

• IT literacy including MS Office, PowerPoint, Excel.

Desirable

• The ability to speak Welsh.

• Evidence of conducting research surveys, interviews, and being involved in data analysis with the ability to actively engage in and contribute to writing research publications and reports.

• Evidence of planning skills to contribute to the research project.

• Demonstrate proven project management skills.

• Demonstrate good analytical skills, ability to analyse numerical data and present results appropriately.

• Experience with social media platforms (posting, content management).

Other

Desirable

• UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.

General

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We strive to develop a workforce from all sections of the community regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language through our progressive Welsh Language Policy. We comply with the Welsh Language Standards and are committed to equality of opportunity. You are welcome to apply for any job in English or Welsh and all applications submitted will be treated equally. We are a member of Advance HE's Athena SWAN Gender Equality charter and hold a Silver award in recognition of our commitment to and progress towards gender equality within the University's policies, practices, and culture. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. All members of staff have a duty to ensure their actions are in line with the overall environmental aims of the University and minimise their environmental impact.

All offers are made subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK and receipt of satisfactory references. We have a legal responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK before you can start working for us. When you apply for this post, you will be required to explain the basis upon which you believe you will be able to live and work in the UK legally on the commencement date of the role should your application be successful. If you do not have the right to work freely in any position in the UK already, any offer of employment we will make to you will be subject to you obtaining a right to work visa. The following link provides information on the various visa routes into employment and the eligibility requirements (including switching visa status where permissible) https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas. If you are successful in your application, we will discuss visa options with you at the time of making the offer of employment. Candidates should also note that they may be required to apply for an ATAS certificate (Academic Approval Technology Scheme) from the Counter-Proliferation and Arms Control Centre of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office before being able to apply for a visa - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme

Please note that, in the event of applications being received from candidates on the University's Redeployment Register with a reasonable skills match to the post specification, these applicants will be given prior consideration.

Disclosure & Barring Service

This post is subject to a satisfactory SPECIFY: standard/enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check. As Bangor University meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions. DBS checks will be updated every 3 years. Candidates should note that the University uses an external Umbrella body to process DBS checks. As such you should be aware that, if successful in your application, your name and e-mail contact details will be shared with the Umbrella body in order that they may contact you to start the application process.