Data Developer (CREATe)

Job Purpose

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining platforms, applications and tools in support of research, knowledge exchange and public engagement objectives of the CREATe Centre in the School of Law. Under the supervision of Prof Kristofer Erickson, Prof Martin Kretschmer and the Centre’s management team, you will deliver software tools and services to support the research and impact activities of the Centre, the use of its online data tools by a diverse group of researchers and stakeholders, and its knowledge exchange and engagement activities.

You will develop the collection, maintenance, analysis and dissemination of new datasets pertaining to creative industries and platform regulation, the main research foci of the centre. You will also develop web services and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and engage in data curation and cleaning. You will work closely with CREATe researchers and in partnership with a range of public and private organisations with whom CREATe is developing relationships, including internal and external users of the Centre’s data tools. Given the range and complexity of the data and stakeholders involved, you will be required to be open to learning new methods and technologies, work in both large and small teams, and develop innovative solutions on an as-needed basis.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Assist Centre researchers, administrators and external users with the provision of software to support data collection, management, curation, and sharing, and to maximise the wider impact of data-related research activities.

2. Liaise with CREATe internal and external users for the purposes of assessing requirements, managing demand and supporting the development of systems to support CREATe research.

3. Develop an understanding of individual data sources and the potential for wider exploitation via innovative systems and interfaces.

4. Implement standards of open data sharing and interoperability across CREATe datasets, including in cooperation with user communities and impact stakeholders.

5. Develop an in-depth understanding of the Centre’s datasets and tools, and proactively develop skills, systems and technologies to achieve system innovation with a particular focus on open-source technologies and software.

6. Provide assistance for research activities including setting up systems for collection, interrogation, manipulation and statistical analysis of data used in social science research.

7. Support the CREATe principal investigators with data collection, specifically including web extraction, API integration and collection of user trace data from interactive platforms.

8. Liaise with external and internal users and provide support in the use of developed systems; help organise or otherwise contribute to the Centre’s research development activities and workshops; create system documentation and contribute as necessary to Centre resource estimates for project costing.

9. Support data curation and cleansing through activities such as the conceptualisation, creation and maintenance of information formats and metadata and contribute to the development of data products.

10. Develop skills, learn new methods, and connect with complementary research networks, seek out novel sources of data and otherwise provide innovative solutions in response to emerging knowledge, evolving related research as applied to Internet governance research agendas, data opportunities and technological change.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

A1 Qualified in IT or related subject to degree level or equivalent.

A2 Specialist knowledge of software development methodologies, database systems and web application programming.

A3 Specialist knowledge of programming languages for developing data-driven applications.

Desirable:

B1 First degree in Computer Science or a closely related field.

B2 Postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline.

B3 Knowledge of Internet platform functionality and data extraction opportunities for research.

B4 Knowledge of legal aspects around data sharing including privacy, intellectual property and contracts/licensing and associated technical solutions.

Skills

Essential:

C1 Excellent skills in supporting data collection, management and sharing, including the use of database systems, Application Programming Interfaces and operating systems (e.g., Linux).

C2 Excellent skills in web scraping approaches and automated data collection techniques.

C3 Excellent skills in database administration, including configuration, design and maintenance.

C4 Excellent skills in software development using a range of programming, scripting and database technologies. (e.g., Python, Node, PL/pgSQL or similar) for data-driven applications.

C5 Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work in team settings with staff from multiple disciplines, as well as individually.

C6 Proven ability to complete tasks within strict timelines and be flexible about undertaking new IT-centred and data management duties as they unfold and as reasonably required by management.

Desirable:

D1 Ability to develop skills in response to technological change, particularly in data extraction and manipulation.

D2 Ability to document software processes for purposes of transparency and replicability.

D3 Experience and skills with data analysis and management, including identifying and optimising database queries and developing user-facing web tools.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Relevant experience with appropriate qualification or significant evidence of progression and development gained through relevant work experience on technical projects.

E2 Experience in developing, deploying, and maintaining tools and systems for extraction of data from online services and platforms.

E3 Experience with complex data environments for data management and services.

E4 Significant programming experience in support of research projects, including web programming.

Desirable:

F1 Experience working with datasets used in academic research settings.

F2 Experience working in teams to produce data-intensive social science research.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £38,474 – £43,155 per annum (pro rata).

This post is part time (21 hours per week) and fixed term for up to 2 years.  

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

3 A flexible approach to working.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community  

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/

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