Associate Lecturer in Social and Public Policy (Maternity Leave Cover)

Department
The Social Policy subject group in the School for Business and Society at the University of York wishes to recruit an outstanding candidate to the post of Associate Lecturer in Social and Public Policy (maternity leave cover). We welcome applicants whose teaching and scholarship engage with the analysis of social problems, policy responses and their impacts across a range of applied social policy domains, and social research methods. You will have subject knowledge in one or more of the following areas: social inequalities and social divisions; social research methods for social and public policy; policy analysis and evaluation; welfare states and welfare institutions, the interactions between welfare state institutions and criminal justice systems.

Our work has a global reputation, consistently ranking in the World Top 50 or above for Social Policy and Administration (position 38 globally in the QS World Rankings, 2026), thanks to our expertise across a wide range of social and public policy fields. We are one of the largest groupings of social and public policy academics in the UK, with over 30 core members of teaching staff and around 20 more staff holding research-only roles. Our work is applied in nature and we have a strongly interdisciplinary orientation.

Role
You will be responsible for the design, development and management of innovative teaching materials and modules, with a primary focus on social and public policy. You will undertake academic supervision of students and undertake various administrative responsibilities. You will set and mark student assessment tasks and provide constructive feedback to students. You will plan and deliver teaching and actively contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of taught on-campus programmes.

The post is available from 16th December 2026.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications Needed

• PhD in Social Policy or equivalent experience.
• Detailed knowledge in Social and Public Policy sufficient to develop teaching and provide relevant learning support to students across different levels of academic ability – Essential.
• Detailed knowledge in Social Policy and Criminal Justice sufficient to develop teaching and provide relevant learning support to students across different levels of academic ability – Desirable.
• Ability to design and deliver teaching material either across a range of modules or within a subject area – Essential.

Interview date: To be confirmed.

For informal enquiries: please contact Aniela Wenham aniela.wenham@york.ac.uk and/or Enrico Reuter enrico.reuter@york.ac.uk (Co-Heads of Social Policy) by email.

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview. Read more about the University of York’s commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.

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