Research Officer in Crawley

The University of Brighton is appointing a Research Officer to contribute to a short-term funded project on local climate risks and adaptive solutions in collaboration with West Sussex County Council (WSCC). Adapting Together: Building Local Resilience through Lived Experience and Partnership uses participatory methods to explore community vulnerability and adaptation to extreme heat in Crawley, West Sussex. You will work closely with the University and WSCC to undertake community-based work to achieve the project aims. This role involves the development of appropriate strategies for inclusive community engagement and data gathering, including targeted outreach to identify and recruit under-represented Crawley residents for participation in the project, thus ensuring diverse voices are represented.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of participatory mapping tools to capture lived experience of climate change-related heat stress, and the facilitation of community-based co-design of locally appropriate strategies to mitigate exposure to heat.
• Facilitate the transition from gathering insights to developing a concrete community-focused adaptation project (e.g., green shading, cooling centres, or communication networks) for Crawley.
• Lead the creation of a reproducible community engagement framework for heat adaptation that could be utilised by other UK local authorities.
• Participate in interim reporting to the project funder, lead on analysis of project data and contribute substantially to report‑writing and output development.

This is a part‑time position (0.4 FTE) for a duration of six months, based at the University of Brighton and with significant on‑the‑ground presence in Crawley. You will be expected to work flexibly to accommodate project participant schedules (e.g., weekends or late afternoons in Crawley libraries). The nature of this role will mean that a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. As this is a short‑term fractional appointment, job‑sharing is not possible for this role.

Qualifications

• A degree preferably in a social science subject relevant to researching community experiences of climate change impacts.
• Sufficient, up‑to-date breadth or depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline, which should include a basic understanding of climate change impacts, urban heat stress and social vulnerability.
• Some research experience, and developing further skills in and knowledge of research methods and techniques, including the design and implementation of participatory mapping, Photovoice, or similar community‑led data collection methods.
• Familiarity with the Crawley area and/or experience working within West Sussex community structures.
• Proven ability to engage 'seldom‑heard' groups or residents facing socio‑economic barriers.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in order to liaise with stakeholders, attend and contribute to meetings associated with the project.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment for all staff regardless of age, disability, family or caring responsibilities, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief (including non‑belief), sex and sexual orientation. We embrace equality and diversity in our working, learning, research and teaching environment and are committed to maintaining a supportive and inclusive community. We particularly encourage applicants from Minority Ethnic backgrounds because the University is under‑represented by Minority Ethnic staff.

For the vast majority of our roles we operate an agile working system, with time split between working on campus and at the employee's home. It is the University's expectation that home working will take place within the UK.