RESEARCH AND EVENTS INTERN

We are recruiting for a Research and Events intern to develop and maintain the John Smith Centre’s online Research Hub and Research Blog by identifying and producing content related to research into trust in politics and public service being undertaken by academics and think tanks, as well as current thinking in this area in the form of articles, op-eds, social media posts, videos, podcasts etc.

The intern will identify and secure contributors to the John Smith Centre Research Blog. They will also plan and produce engaging social media content to broaden the JSC’s impact and increase UK-wide public engagement with the Centre. They will finally support the delivery of the John Smith Centre’s events programme (online and physical).

PhD candidates from the College of Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow are eligible to apply. You must be a continuing PhD in 2023/24. 

Apply by 10 September

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Research academic and non-academic sources to identify suitable resources to add to the John Smith Centre’s Research Hub, including academic articles, think tank reports, op-eds, infographics, videos and podcasts.
• Identify and secure contributors to the John Smith Centre’s Research Blog.
• Maintain the Research Hub and Research Blog by adding all content identified and produced to the JSC’s website.
• Create engaging social media content for John Smith Centre channels to drive traffic to the Research Hub, Research Blog and wider John Smith Centre website
• Regularly share summaries of research findings to the John Smith Centre team to disseminate knowledge.
• Work with the John Smith Centre team to publicise events internally and externally across the John Smith Centre’s website, university channels and social media.
• Create event information packs for event speakers (high level public service practitioners such as MPs, MSPs, journalists, government SpAds and pollsters), and liaise with them and their teams on event logistics.
• Prepare recordings of online events (including closed captioning and basic video editing) and upload these to the John Smith Centre website and social media channels.
• Report on event performance including attendance, audience makeup and reach.
• Attend online and physical events and work alongside the team to provide technical and event support.

This internship is for 7 hours per week for 10 weeks and starting in September. Can be split over 2 half days but attendance on a Wednesday morning is necessary.

The intern will have a blended work environment, with the role being conducted remotely with some on–campus working.

What makes this internship stand out?

The internship offers the opportunity to develop –

• Personal effectiveness in relation to self-management, task prioritisation and responsiveness to evolving discourse.
• Technical skills in website and social media curation and management.
• Professional reputation and networking skills through experience of liaising with other researchers, think tanks, academic institutions, journalists and those contributing to the discourse surrounding trust in politics and public service.
• Interpersonal skills including collegiality and team working through engaging with colleagues, speakers and organisations.
• Engagement, influence and impact through the proposal of engaging content and collation of resources.
• Project management skills through the curation of a bank of resources from academic and non-academic sources.

Length of internship: 10 weeks

Hours per week (if part time):  7 hours per week

Starting month: September

Salary (P/h): £13.77 per hour

Location: On-campus

Required Level of study: PhD

Targeted college: CoSS only

Required degree discipline: Any PhD from CoSS only

Person Requirements:

Essential:

E1 A good understanding of researching, analysing, summarising and presenting resources and data.

E2 Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

E3 Excellent research and data gathering skills with a proactive attitude to identifying salient information.

E4 Excellent interpersonal skills and an open and friendly manner.

E5 Excellent IT skills consistent with the needs of the role.

E6 A positive and enthusiastic approach towards delivering high standards.

E7 Accuracy and a strong attention to detail.

E8 Proven ability to apply initiative and judgement to answer queries and resolve problems independently.

E9 Able to work to tight timescales independently and proactively plan, organise and prioritise workload.#

E10 Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills through related coursework or university activities

E11 Experience of information gathering from a wide variety of academic and non-academic sources.

E12 Experience of summarising and presenting information for a variety of audiences (academic and non-academic).

E13 Experience of organising events or meetings.

E14 Customer service experience including working with people in different roles and from various backgrounds.

E15 Experience of writing marketing copy for websites and/or social media.

E16 Experience of editing graphics for use in marketing and social media.

Desirable

D1 A broad understanding and interest in UK politics and public affairs

D2 A good understanding of the effective operation of social media for the purposes of promotion and engagement

D3 Working knowledge of the Zoom Webinar function.

D4 Experience of web editing

D5 Experience of using video editing software such as Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, InShot or similar.

Apply by 10 September.