Job Description and Person Specification (HR5)
Vacancy Number: 158712F4 /
Job Description
School/Department: / Faculty of Humanities (English Discipline)
Post Title: / Post-doctoral Research Assistant (‘City Witness: Place and Perspective in Medieval Swansea’
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Posts Responsible to (and Level): / Professor Catherine Clarke (English; Director of AHRC-funded ‘City Witness’ project)
Posts Responsible for (and Level): / N/A
Job Purpose:
To complete research for the AHRC-funded project ‘City Witness: Place and Perspective in Medieval Swansea’ (AH/J008915/1; internal Southampton code 511876101), as outlined in the grant application / Case for Support.
In summary, the Research Assistant is required to produce a full critical edition (with translation) of the witness statements describing the hanging of the Welshman William ‘Cragh’ in Swansea in the late thirteenth century. The Research Assistant will also contribute more widely to the production of the online digital resource and project research, and will liaise with partners in Swansea including the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust and Swansea Council.
Key Accountabilities/Primary Responsibilities (6-10 bullet points maximum)
  • Completion of full (digital) critical edition (with translation) of the witness statements describing the hanging of William ‘Cragh’ in Swansea, together with associated materials such as indexing, interpretative material and a ‘Who’s Who’ of witnesses.
  • To complete any training in digital methods (e.g. TEI XML) required to produce the critical edition.
  • To pursue background / other research relating to the ‘hanged man’ text, working towards a scholarly article.
  • To collaborate with the Principal Investigator and other members of the project team to contribute more broadly to the development of the City Witnesswebsite and project research.
  • To liaise with project partners in Swansea, including the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust and Swansea Council.
  • To play a role in the communication of project research to a wider public audience.
  • To contribute to the research project in any other ways as directed by the PI.
/ % Time
55%
5%
15%
5%
10%
5%
5%
Internal & External Relationships: (nature & purpose of relationships)
  • The Research Assistant will be based in the Faculty of Humanities (English Discipline) and will work closely with the ‘City Witness’ project PI, Professor Catherine Clarke.
  • This is a multi-institutional, inter-disciplinary project, and the Research Assistant will also be expected to work closely with teams in the Department of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast (led by Dr Keith Lilley) and the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London (led by Paul Vetch).
  • The Research Assistant will also liaise with non-HEI project partners in Swansea, including the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust and Swansea Council. These relationships are partly for research purposes (including, for example, a short supervised placement in the archives at GGAT), and also to facilitate public engagement and outreach.

Special Requirements:
  • Willingness to travel for research trips and project meetings, including a small number of more extended (i.e. 4-day) field trips to Swansea
  • Should ideally hold a passport and be willing to travel overseas for presentation at the Kalamazoo International Medieval Congress (USA)

Person Specification
Criteria / Essential / Desirable / How to be
Assessed
Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience:
A first degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Classics, History, English)
A PhD in a subject related to Medieval Studies or Latin Literature/Language
Excellent skills in Medieval Latin translation/criticism
Training in palaeography
Experience of working in Digital Humanities
Experience of inter-disciplinary research
Experience of textual editing and/or translation (Latin)
Experience of public engagement / knowledge exchange activity / X
X
X
X
X / X
X
X / Application form
Application form
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Planning and Organising:
Ability to manage and prioritise busy and varied workload
Ability to meet targets and deadlines
Ability to work independently
Well-developed administrative and organisation skills with excellent attention to detail / X
X
X
X / Application form/interview
Application form/interview
Application form/interview
Application form/interview
Problem Solving and Initiative:
Creative, imaginative approach to research
Ability to respond to perspectives from other disciplines
Ability to use digital methods (e.g. TEI XML), learning new skills and developing bespoke project solutions (with specialist technical support). (NB training will be given where necessary)
Reflective approach and capacity for ongoing evaluation throughout project / X
X
X
X / Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Application form / interview
Management and Teamwork:
Excellent ability to relate to / communicate with a wide range of stakeholders and audiences
Self-motivation, ranging from being a self-starter to seeing projects through to a successful completion
Ability to work as part of a large multi-institutional team / X
X
X / Interview
Interview
Interview
Communicating and Influencing:
Excellent ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences in appropriate language, from scholarly / academic to the general public
Good presentation skills
Good interpersonal skills for working with non-HEI stakeholders and wider project team / X
X
X / Interview
Interview
Interview
Other Skills and Behaviours:
Willingness to learn new skills (e.g. hypertext mark-up)
Experience of basic financial record keeping (e.g. personal expenses) / X / X / Interview
Application form / interview
Special Requirements:
Travel for meetings and research trips, including a small number of longer (e.g. 4-day) research trips in Swansea
International travel to US for Kalamazoo International Medieval Congress / X / X / Interview
Interview

Job Hazard Analysis Form - Appendix to Job and Person Specification

Please tick one of the following statements:

This post is an office-based job with routine office hazards e.g. use of VDU (if ticked, no further information needs to be supplied)
This post has some hazards other than routine office e.g. more than use of VDU / X

Please tick all those that apply, and put N/A if not applicable

Environmental Exposures / O* / F / C
Outside work / X
Extremes of temperature (eg fridge/ furnace)
Potential for exposure to body fluids ##
Noise (greater than 80 dba - 8 hrs twa) ##
Exposure to hazardous substances (eg solvents, liquids, dust, fumes, biohazards). Specify …………………………………………………………. ##
Frequent hand washing
Ionising radiation.
Equipment/Tools/Machines used
Food Handling ##
Driving university vehicles(e.g. car/van/LGV/PCV) ##
Use of latex gloves (note: prohibited unless specific clinical necessity) ##
Vibrating tools ( e.g. strimmers, hammer drill, lawnmowers) ##
Physical Abilities
Load manual handling.
Repetitive Crouching/Kneeling/Stooping
Repetitive Pulling/Pushing
Repetitive Lifting
Standing for prolonged periods
Repetitive Climbing i.e. steps, stools, ladders
Fine motor grips (e.g. pipetting)
Gross motor grips
Repetitive reaching below shoulder height
Repetitive reaching at shoulder height
Repetitive reaching above shoulder height
Psychosocial Issues
Face to face contact with public / X
Lone working
Shift work/night work/on call duties ##

O – Occasionally (up to 1/3 of time); F – Frequently (up to 2/3 of time); C – Constantly (more than 2/3 of time) ## denotes to HR the need for a full PEHQ to be sent to all applicants for this position.

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