Assistant Professor in Social Work Ref: 41077
Location
Brighton, UK
Hours
Full-time considered up to a maximum of 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours) Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).
Grade 8 starting at £47,389 to £56,535 per annum, pro rata if part time.
Contract Type
Permanent
About the role
As the Assistant Professor in Social Work, your work will be divided between teaching, research, as well as service and leadership responsibilities. We are looking for a colleague who can offer demonstrably high-quality teaching. Teaching responsibilities will involve contribution to the undergraduate and post-graduate taught qualifying social work programmes, childhood and youth programmes, and continuing professional development courses. Staff are also allocated a small group of academic advisers whom they support during their studies. For social work programmes, this includes supporting students during their practice learning.
You will be able to demonstrate excellent research potential or leadership, commensurate with the career stage and the role that is applied for. You are expected to be research active and for your research to contribute to the REF2029. Your research should align with the work of one of the University research centres, such as the Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (CIRCY), which is a Centre of Excellence in Research at the University of Sussex.
The service role will involve Course Leadership for either Social Work or Childhood and Youth Courses we offer on undergraduate or post-graduate taught level. Delivery and leadership on social work qualifying programmes will involve collaboration with the experts by experience and the local practice partners in the statutory and voluntary sector. All aspects of the role will be supported through mentorship for research, teaching, and leadership roles.
Principal Accountabilities:
To support student recruitment, design and deliver high-quality teaching programmes that are attractive to students.
To engage in individual and collaborative research activity resulting in high-quality publications to be submitted to the REF at acceptable levels of volume and academic excellence, and to obtain research funding and/or knowledge exchange income as appropriate to the discipline.
To contribute fully to the School and University by playing a significant role in working groups, committees, and other School and University activities.
About you
You are a qualified social worker who holds a PhD and is registered with Social Work England (or eligible to register), specialising in working with children, young people, and their families – committed to and passionate about social work and working with children and youth. Youth work background is desirable. During the application and selection process, you should demonstrate excellent interpersonal, organisational and administrative skills and ability to work within a diverse team, as well as with a variety of stakeholders (from experts by experience, students, to practice partners).
We are looking for a colleague who demonstrates principles of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice with colleagues, students, experts by experience and other stakeholders. Furthermore, our future colleague will have excellent skills and abilities across teaching, research, and service roles, commensurate with their career stage, evidenced through evaluations of their work (student feedback), grant capture, publication record, and the references provided. Please see the essential and desirable criteria for further details.
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We are primarily looking for a staff member who will be able to be appointed full time. However, applications for a part-time role may be considered if two excellent colleagues interested in a part-time role are deemed appointable.
About our School
The School of Education and Social Work is divided into two departments:
The School provides opportunities for learning and professional development in an environment which encourages intellectual engagement, reflection and debate. We offer a range of courses - from first degrees, certificates and diplomas, to Masters level qualifications, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and PhDs. Our teaching is informed by cutting-edge research on issues of significance in education, childhood and youth and social work and social care. Staff across the School are recognised for the quality of their teaching and research locally, nationally and internationally. In the 2025 National Student Survey, our undergraduate social work course was ranked 2 nd in the UK out of 73 providers for overall positivity.
The Department of Social Work and Social Care strengths are built on its established interdisciplinary research profile, commitment to research-informed and reflective teaching approaches, and close relationships with service providers and experts by experience.
T he REF 2021 n ational research assessment exercise assessed 91% of our research outputs to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ and our research environment to be 25% ‘world-leading’ / 75% ‘internationally excellent’. Our research culture fosters collaboration across the university, structured by our flagship research centres:
* Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (CIRCY), and
* Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research (CSWIR)
Our teaching and research make an important contribution to the personal and professional development of the social work and social care workforce. We work as part of the Social Work Learning Partnership, alongside East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton.
In the School of Education and Social Work we are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices and policies. We want all staff and students to experience our School as a space that enables them to meet their potential and to thrive. We are particularly interested in active work to address inequalities produced around the specific intersections of gender, race, and disability.
The School of Education and Social Work is proud to hold a Bronze Athena Swann Award.
Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.
Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time and appointed at Grade 8.6. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.
If you are experiencing any issues using our application portal or if you require adjustments to be made to the selection process, please contact us on (01273) 873743 or recruitmentadministration@sussex.ac.uk to discuss your requirements.
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