Research & Academic Development Assistant

Research & Academic Development Assistant

THE EMPLOYER IS: NEURODIVERSITY SPARKA structured research-support role assisting Spark’s Research Hub through academic summarising, ethical documentation, evidence extraction, meeting preparation and evaluation support across educational, STEM and community projects. This role sits within Spark’s expanding Research Hub and is supervised by the Operations & Research Lead and academic partners. Includes structured training, Strengthscope assessment and regular mentoring.

• Summarise academic literature into structured notes.
• Extract key findings from research materials.
• Assist with ethical documentation, consent logs and data protection procedures.
• Prepare internal research briefs.
• Support structured note‑taking at research and partner meetings.
• Maintain research folders and document version control.
• Assist with evaluation data across STEM schools, cross‑border work, and training programmes.
• Prepare draft summaries for Research Hub activity.

• Interest in academic reading and structured research.
• Good writing and summarising ability.
• Ability to follow data‑handling procedures.
• Good organisational skills.
• Experience with academic reading.
• Interest in psychology, education or social sciences.
• Basic familiarity with spreadsheets.

Standard

Hours:

up to 25 hours per week.
Flexible/Reduced

Hours:

May be available upon approval by a Work Coach.
Additional

Hours:

The employer may offer extra hours depending on availability. This should be discussed directly with the employer before starting employment.
Closing date: 05 Dec 2025

JOBSTART is open to working age benefit claimants who are deemed eligible by a Work Coach. If you are on Universal Credit, please contact your Work Coach via your Journal. If you are in receipt of any other working age benefit, please contact your local Jobs & Benefits Office on .

Vacancy
Job Sector:
Education and Training
Area:
Derry or Londonderry
Salary 16-17 £ 7.55, 18-20 £ 10.00, 21 plus £12.21 per hour
No. vacancies 1
Contract Type:
Temporary
Weekly hours: 25
Published date: 02/12/2025
Worktime:
Monday-Friday, 25 hours per week on-site with one supervised hybrid day