English Language Research Senior Researcher, Education Technology

Job title:

English Language Research Senior Researcher, Education Technology

Company

British Council

Job description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.Role PurposeThis post is based within British Council English Language Research (ELR) which sits within the wider English and Exams Strategic Business Unit (E&E SBU). ELR works with teams across the British Council, including E&E and English Programmes, coordinating and overseeing an active thought-leadership agenda, including publishing and presenting as experts in the field, providing editorial direction on specialised publications and research reports, and convening conferences and events that bring together international experts on language assessment, learning and policy. There are five research hubs within ELR: the Data Science & Insights (DS&I) hub, the Assessment Research (AR) hub, the Future of English hub, the Teaching and Learning hub, and the Research Engagement & Dissemination (RED) hub.This role will work with and support the Director of English Research, the Director of Online Learning and the Director Teaching Excellence. The role will entail four key areas of work. These are operational, research, advice and dissemination. The most important aspect of this role will be to lead on designing and overseeing the delivery of innovative research which will inform the development of British Council digital portfolio products and pedagogical approaches on the use of technology to underpin our Teaching & Learning, with additional interaction with our Assessment and Data Science Insight hubs.The role will play a pivotal role in contributing to the creation of validation arguments for our portfolio of Teaching, and Learning (and occasionally assessment) products through the development of innovative statistical analyses and reporting, advice and support for ongoing international British Council projects, and advice to key British Council clients and partners globally. This role is intended to add significantly to the British Council’s ‘World Authority’ status.The role will also lead in the delivery and dissemination of innovative data analysis-based reports. These will be a regular feature and support for our dissemination activities. Another aspect of the role will be to advise internal and external partners on research matters related to statistical sampling and data analysis. Since the British Council engages in a substantial amount of research work globally, this is a key element of the role in profile building.The final aspect of the role is that of dissemination. This is seen as comprising a number of elements, including publishing, conference presentations and co-presentations with internal and external stakeholders.Main opportunitiesTo support product development and operation through a systematic programme of research and data analysis

• To generate regular technical reports in the area of research data analysis to support the validation claims of British Council products and services
• To contribute theoretically and operationally to the development of new British Council teaching and learning initiatives by providing research-driven theoretical support to the product and Teaching Excellence teams based on measurement needs
• To initiate empirical applied research in consultation with the Head of Teaching and Learning, colleagues within the Teaching & Learning hub and the Director of Teaching Excellence, thus contributing to the operational effectiveness and reputation of British Council products.
• To advise on and manage research undertaken as part of validation support
• To build relationships with colleagues in the areas of both English and Exams in the UK and overseas
• The role may also entail working with colleagues appointed by other teams across the British Council to support the development of research initiatives within those teams
• To support British Council teaching and learning research initiatives through presentations to UK and overseas-based British Council staff
• To represent the British Council at appropriate academic and other conferences and seminars.
• To publish the outcomes of research and development work in order to strengthen the status of the British Council as a recognised world authority in language teaching, learning and assessment

Role specific knowledge and experience:

• Expertise in application and reporting of statistical approaches in educational measurement.
• Expertise in large-scale project design and data analysis.
• Expertise in large-scale data management and analysis.

Area Specific Knowledge:

• The role requires an up-to-date and practical knowledge of the area of education technology.
• Minimum PhD in the area of language teaching and learning (e.g., Applied Linguistics, TESOL, SLA) or Education Technology. (equivalent significant recent experience in undertaking and disseminating research in the area of EdTech will be considered

What you will receive in return

• 32 days annual leave plus statutory public holidays and half day privilege Christmas leave
• Non-contractual discretionary annual performance bonus
• Extensive and generous family friendly benefits
• Extensive range of voluntary benefit options
• Outstanding defined benefit career average Civil Service Pension Scheme which includes life cover and pensions for eligible dependants, e.g., Spouse, civil partner, partner, dependent children

Further InformationPay Band – 9 £55,699- £68,649 plus London Weighting £3,300Contract Type – Indefinite ContractLocation – UK Flexible London Manchester Cardiff Edinburgh BelfastEurope -Bulgaria Spain Greece ItalyPoland PortugalRomania Czech RepublicRequirements -Candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) right to work in location. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided. If you are currently sponsored by the British Council, in a country or regional role, please check with your local/regional HR colleagues if you are able to remain in your current location.A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) StatementThe British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.If you have any problems with your application please emailPlease note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.

Expected salary

£55699 – 68649 per year

Location

Manchester – London

Job date

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 06:11:36 GMT

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