**This vacancy is only available to existing University of Essex staff**
Department
The Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) is an international centre of excellence for survey and longitudinal studies, hosting Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS)—one of the largest and most comprehensive household panel studies in the world. Understanding Society collects annual data on the social and economic circumstances, attitudes, and behaviours of people living in the UK, following individuals and households over time. The Study’s unique household-based design allows researchers to examine linked lives across generations and explore a wide range of topics, including family, employment, health, education, and social change.
ISER’s multidisciplinary team includes social scientists, economists, statisticians, and data specialists, all working together to improve the design, implementation, and analysis of longitudinal surveys.
We are now seeking to appoint a Survey Officer to provide maternity cover up to 30 April 2027, joining this dynamic research environment and contributing to the continued development and delivery of Understanding Society.
Duties of the role
The post-holder will play an important role in the design, testing, and implementation of Understanding Society surveys. Working closely with colleagues at ISER and with external fieldwork agencies, the Survey Officer will contribute to the development of new questionnaire content and the coordination of survey operations.
Key responsibilities include supporting questionnaire design and testing, liaising with sub-contracted fieldwork agencies, and assisting with interviewer briefings and fieldwork monitoring. You will also work with the data team to ensure questionnaire specifications align with data outputs, and will contribute to the production of survey data, documentation, and user materials. You will provide support to researchers and data users and help identify opportunities for methodological improvement.
This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain experience in large-scale survey design and operations within one of the UK’s leading social research institutes.
Qualifications and skills required
This position is open to candidates from any disciplinary background, though experience or training in survey research, social science, or quantitative methods will be an advantage. Candidates should hold a relevant Master’s degree or have equivalent professional experience in survey operations or related areas. You should demonstrate a strong interest in survey methodology, questionnaire design, and the improvement of data quality.
The successful candidate will be expected to show an ability to learn and use survey design and data management software; experience with tools such as Colectica or Qualtrics would be desirable. The capacity to understand and apply quantitative and programming concepts relevant to survey operations is also important.
You will be committed to maintaining the high standards of quality and innovation that underpin Understanding Society and to contributing to the continued success of ISER’s research.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: