UK Data Archive
The UK Data Archive at the University of Essex is seeking to appoint a Data Collections Development Officer to join our Collections Development team. As a national partnership organisation, we curate and provide access to the largest collection of social science and population data in the UK. Funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Economic and Social Research Council, we have been a critical part of the UK’s research infrastructure since 1967.
Duties of the Role
The primary responsibility of the role will be to coordinate the acquisition, quality assurance and appraisal of data offers and deposits to the UK Data Service, ranging from large scale surveys to qualitative collections and admin data, and assist senior staff in disclosure risk and metadata quality reviews of received data collections to ensure delivery of high quality data and metadata for use by academia. The post holder liaises directly with data owners including ESRC award holders, government departments and survey agencies in answering queries on data preparation, data deposit and Research Data Policy issues. The post holder will manage the compilation and dissemination of regular reporting and statistics on deposits and use of data collections for stakeholders and depositors, and analyse/report on key patterns and trends in the data for internal business operations. The post holder will contribute training for data producers and creators, creating practical training examples, helping run hands-on workshops and feeding back workshop experience into operational practice.
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found within the job pack.
Qualifications and Skills required
The successful candidate will hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent qualification) in social sciences or a related field or substantial equivalent experience.
Among the key skills required by the successful candidate are competency in handling and querying social science data, especially survey data, good understanding of research ethics and fieldwork procedures and understanding and appreciation of data integrity and metadata. The candidate is expected to have basic understanding of data privacy and confidentiality and should be highly computer literate, proficient in Microsoft Office, competent in search engines, and willing to learn to use other systems and software.
This post is fixed-term, full-time until 30 September 2022 in the first instance. This post is fixed-term because there is uncertainty about its continued funding.
This post involves access to Government systems, information or data and will be subject to the staff vetting process. Further information can be found in the job pack.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: https://www.essex.ac.uk/life/student-facilities/religion-and-faith
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification, which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email the Resourcing Team (resourcing@essex.ac.uk).
*More information: Working at the University