Research Associate in Criminology

Are you interested in working for a world top 100 University? The School of Law is seeking to appoint a Research Associate, principally to work on an exciting interdisciplinary oral history project funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The successful applicant will play a key role in the project team, investigating the development of the ‘paraprofessional’ role in the Probation Service in England & Wales. The project title is: Probation's evolving frontline: An oral history of probation paraprofessionals. The paraprofessional role in the probation context can be traced back to the ancillary workers of the late 1960s through to the probation service officers of today. These are paid roles which have developed alongside the long-established role of the probation officer. Whilst probation officers are required to hold a professional qualification, the paraprofessional practitioner is employed at a lower grade and is not required to hold any particular qualification. As such, there are parallels in the fields of social work, nursing, teaching, policing and a range of other public services in which there are lower grade practitioner roles (e.g. social work assistants; auxiliary nurses; teaching assistants; Police Community Support Officers). However, probation paraprofessionals have not received the research attention that has been devoted to those in other public services. Using a combination of oral history interviews and archival research, this study will reveal the hidden history of this growing but largely invisible part of the probation workforce and bring a new perspective to the history of the probation service. It will make a contribution to the growing field of historical criminology, as well as wider sociological debates about paraprofessionals, professionalism and the division of labour in public services.

You should possess a good honours degree and a Masters degree in a relevant discipline, e.g. social sciences or history (or equivalent qualifications and/or experience). A PhD in a relevant discipline is desirable.

We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a competitive salary, a generous Pension Scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

To find out what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work, watch this short film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LblLk18zmo, and follow @sheffielduni and @ShefUniJobs on Twitter for more information.

Apply now by clicking on the Apply button located near the top left of your screen