Lecturer in Development Economics

Job id: 086547. Salary: £43,205 – £50,585 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 19 March 2024. Closing date: 16 April 2024.

Business unit: Social Science & Public Policy. Department: Department of International Development.

Contact details:Sarah Bracking. [email protected]

Location: Strand Campus. Category: Academic & Teaching.

Job description

The Department of International Development, King’s College London, is a young, innovative and contemporary Development Studies department. Our focus is on middle-income developing countries. The mission of the department is to explore the sources of success as well as understand the major development challenges these countries continue to face, with a focus on reducing poverty and inequality and helping to foster greater wellbeing.  

The Department is seeking to appoint a Lecturer in Development Economics for a one-year fixed period of 15 months beginning in September 2024. The successful candidate will have a PhD in development economics or a closely related field. The post holder will be expected to teach courses in Macroeconomics for Development and Economic Inequality and the Distribution of Income to undergraduate students with some additional undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation supervision duties. We welcome candidates with a strong understanding of quantitative methods, and a proven ability to teach development economics at an accomplished level. 

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary departmental community currently working on a wide range of topics including political economy, inequality and poverty, gender rights, natural resources, international trade, migration, health policy, and other pressing issues facing emerging economies today. The post-holder should demonstrate evidence of relevant research and teaching and fulfil the requirements as set out below. 

This post will be responsible to the Head of the Department of International Development. 

At King’s, we are deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all of our activities so that the university is an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. King’s offers inclusive benefits to staff including flexible working, Enhanced Parental Leave, funds for Parents and Carers and the potential to join community staff networks. 

This is a full-time fixed term post (100% full time equivalent) for 15 months.

Key responsibilities

• To contribute to the teaching programme in Development Economics.
• To contribute research, impact, knowledge exchange and postdoctoral research training in accordance with the priorities of the Department of International Development.
• To undertake the supervision of postgraduate research, at Master’s and PhD levels.
• To take a role in the planning, organisation and delivery of teaching activities (both on-campus and online) within the Department in accordance with established practice.
• To participate fully in assessment and examination processes as appropriate using a variety of methods and techniques and provide effective, timely and appropriate feedback to students to support their learning.
• To assist with difficulties encountered by students, e.g. learning support/problems.
• To engage in professional development as appropriate to update skills, and to support teaching excellence.
• To accept academic responsibility within the Department, involving departmental administrative responsibilities where appropriate.
• To undertake any other reasonable duties that may be requested by the Head of Department.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria

1.      PhD in development economics or a closely related discipline [e.g economics] 

2.      Demonstrable expertise as applied to middle-income countries  

3.      Ability to teach quantitative research methods 

4.      Evidence through publications of an ability to produce work in their specialist field at an international standard  

5.      Demonstrable ability to design and deliver teaching effectively at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level, both on-campus (essential) and online (desirable) 

6.      Demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion  

7.      Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and maintain good working relationships  

Desirable criteria

1.      Evidence of acquiring competitive research grants, or evidence of potential to attract research funding  

2.      Evidence of engagement with appropriate research and policy communities 

3.      Proven experience of academic leadership appropriate to career level, of collaborating with and influencing research users, and of writing research proposals to external funding organisations 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a presentation to the department and an interview. The post is scheduled to start in September 2024.