Student Casual – Research Assistant – Social Policy – Grade 5 – 907073

Job Description

Post title

Research Assistant

College/Division

College of Social Sciences

School/Department

Social Policy

Full time/Part time

Part time

Duration of the Post

23/02/2026- 24/05/2026

Grade

5

Hourly rate

£16.29 per hour plus holiday entitlement

Number of positions available

1

Closing Date

11/02/2026 at 23:55pm

Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Job context

The School of Social Policy and Society is seeking to appoint a part-time, casually contracted Research Assistant to support the development of an external grant application to the NIHR Research Programme for Social Care (RPSC).

Job Summary

The post holder will undertake time-limited, discrete research tasks that are essential to strengthening the conceptual, legal and methodological foundations of a proposed study examining how English Local Authority learning disability policy address intimate lives, sex and relationships.

This role is designed as a developmental opportunity for a student interested in social policy, social care, disability studies and applied research. The Research Assistant will work under the close supervision of the Principal Investigator, who has co-led a previous policy analysis in this area for an NIHR-funded project.

Main duties

• Conducting a focused literature and document review on the legislative, statutory and historical foundations of local learning disability strategies in England.
• Identifying and summarising relevant legislation, statutory guidance and policy documents that govern the development of local learning disability strategies.

Strong organisational skills and ability to manage time effectively within a short-term project.

Ability to work independently while following guidance and meeting agreed deadlines.

Desirable criteria

• Studying social policy, sociology, disability studies, public health, social care, or a related discipline.
• Familiarity with UK social care, health or disability policy.
• Experience of qualitative data analysis and/or use of NVivo or similar software.
• Interest in co-production, participatory research or stakeholder engagement.
  
  

For any informal queries, please contact Beth Jay ( b.jay@bham.ac.uk )

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g. PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student

you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence.

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal

using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven’t heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.

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The major challenges facing our city, nation, and the world cannot be solved if we act alone. We enhance our research and education by pursuing creative partnerships within and beyond the University.

Responsible

We operate with transparency, trust, and respect. We value our role as an anchor institution for Birmingham. We strive to be an excellent employer, to reduce inequalities in access to education, and to place sustainability at the heart of our work.