Researcher Careers & Employability Consultant

The University of Surrey is a global community of ideas and people, dedicated to life-changing education and research. 

We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve - shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee.  

Our culture empowers people to achieve this aim and to collectively, and individually, make a real difference.  

The role

The University of Surrey places the support and development of researchers at the heart of our research strategy. The Doctoral College team at the University provides a broad range of personal and professional development opportunities for PGRs, working with internal and external stakeholders to create sector-leading learning opportunities and the optimal research culture in which to build and launch a stellar career.

To support this ambition, we are seeking a part-time (0.5 FTE) Researcher Careers and Employability Consultant to enhance our Researcher Development and Employability team.

We are seeking someone who is creative and has exceptional planning, organisational and interpersonal skills to help shape and deliver a programme of careers and employability support for our PGR community.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Identifying and designing careers and employability content for the Researcher Development and Employability Programme, including workshops, e-learning and other modes of delivery such as webinars and podcasts to enable participants to meet these learning outcomes.
• Empowering PGRs through one-to-one careers advice, workshops and presentations to stimulate early consideration of career options and employability skills and to enable them to take responsibility for their own professional development.  Successfully supporting them in making effective and appropriate career choices and making successful transitions. 
• Facilitating specific professional skills events and activities, including coordinating events with alumni and employers.
• Liaising with employers to understand their requirements and selection procedures and to promote Surrey PGRs to them.
• Contributing to the development of appropriate careers and employability information resources to enhance the Doctoral College’s website and SharePoint.
• Keeping abreast of appropriate career pathways for PGRs, including self-employment and business start-up, as well as keeping up to date with developments within the skills and employability agendas.

About you

The successful applicant will have a suitable qualification in careers guidance, a number of years' experience supporting students, and ideally a good understanding of the employment market for PGRs, and will be encouraged to bring a highly professional, proactive, and collaborative approach to the role, with strong communication and stakeholder engagement. You will join a collegiate team, with support to enhance your own professional development.

If you have a passion for providing careers guidance, understand the context and challenges of postgraduate research studies, and enjoy working with postgraduate researchers to support their development and understanding, then we would welcome your application for this key role in our team.

We appreciate that sometimes people can be put off applying if they do not match every requirement. However, if you are excited about the role and believe you can make a positive contribution, we would welcome your application. If you are unsure whether this role is right for you, please contact us for an informal conversation.

For informal enquiries relating to the role, please contact Dr Ruan Elliott, Dean Doctoral College - (r.m.elliott@surrey.ac.uk)

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