Job Description

Please note: This role is only open to redeployee applicants at City St George's. Applications from individuals who are not redeployee applicants will not be considered at this time.

To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to [email protected] with the job title and reference number, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

City St George's, University of London is the University of business, practice and the professions and brings together the expertise and excellence of City, University of London and St George's, University of London into one institution. The combined university is now one of the largest higher education destinations for London students, combining a breadth of disciplines across health, business, policy, law, creativity, communications, science and technology. Our students are at the heart of everything that we do, and we are committed to supporting them to pursue their career and personal ambitions.

Our research is engaged, at the frontier of practice and has a positive impact on the world around us.

** Background -

The European Social Survey HQ is responsible for the design and implementation of its CROss-National Online Survey (CRONOS) panel, the world's first probability-based cross-national online panel following an input-harmonised approach. Over the last decade, there have been three iterations of the CRONOS panel, supported by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe funding. The respondents on the panel are recruited from the ESS mainstage and followed-up with self-completion questionnaires at various time intervals. Currently the panel collects data in 11 countries, with plans to expand. The panel has experimented with different self-completion methodologies, including using a tablet connected to the internet, as well as paper in its last iteration to ensure the offline population is represented in the panel. CRONOS-3 has to date completed fieldwork for seven out of the eight waves of data collection, supporting two Horizon Europe Projects (Infra4NextGen and SoGreen). A new project ESS-Innovate has been awarded to test the inclusion of three new countries in the panel. The ESS General Assembly has agreed to try to integrate the CRONOS panel in the main ESS Work Programme from 2029 onwards. This is a significant change in operations, allowing the two survey infrastructures to operate in a complementary manner to support the social research landscape in Europe. Two further Horizon Europe applications have been submitted to support the further development of the panel.

** Responsibilities

A range of activities associated with the operation of the CRONOS panel, including:
o Contributing to the CRONOS panel questionnaire design, and documentation process.
o Project managing the work of Centerdata, GESIS, ESSEX and Sikt to ensure that data collection, translation, weighting and data dissemination operate smoothly.
o Managing preparations for CRONOS panel fieldwork (assisting countries in uploading sample files, design discussions, preparations of documents, questionnaire and contact messages, translation monitoring, pre-testing CRONOS surveys).
o Monitoring CRONOS panel fieldwork progress in participating countries, contributing to early identification and proposing solutions for potential issues.
o Liaising with countries and project partners during fieldwork and encouraging the national teams to adhere to the timetable and engage in activities to boost the response rates and sample representativeness.
o Conducting analysis of CRONOS panel data for monitoring and methodological purposes and writing reports.
o Undertaking general administrative duties that form part of the research process, e.g. minute taking, event organising, meeting preparations, answering user or country queries etc.
o Liaising with members of the ESS Core Scientific Team, ESS advisory boards, National Coordinators and external advisors, as well as contributing to communication with external CRONOS data users when needed.
o Working with the ESS Head of Communications and the data archive team at Sikt to promote awareness of the CRONOS panel and its data

A range of activities associated with the further development of the CRONOS panel, including:
o Working with colleagues to produce the final design/methodology of the next iteration of the panel and contribute to drafting its specification.
o Presenting information and results from the CRONOS panel to members of the ESS Core Scientific Team, National Coordinators Forum, ESS Advisory Boards meetings, as well as sharing results and outcomes via conferences and journals.
o Contribute to grant proposal writing, particularly those proposals which involve the CRONOS panel.

o Working with other members of the ESS HQ team on other activities related to the main ESS where required, including fieldwork preparations and monitoring, questionnaire design and pre-testing and contributing to meeting planning and delivery.

The successful candidate will be required to travel from time to time within Europe.

The post holder will be line-managed by a Research Fellow within ESS HQ.

** Additional Information

Criteria
Essential (E) / Desirable (D
Method of Assessment

(Application (A) / Interview (I) Exercise (E)
Qualifications and Knowledge
A good first degree in a relevant social science discipline (e.g. sociology, political science, psychology, international relations)
E
A
At least two years' experience of survey research in an applied environment (university centre, research institute, market research company)
E
A, I
Experience
Experience of self-completion (web/paper) approaches to surveys, ideally in a cross-national environmentE
A, I
Familiarity with all stages of the survey lifecycle from sampling to data delivery in an applied survey environment (research institute, university unit or market research)E/D
A, I
Experience of panel surveys D
A, I
Experience of planning and oversight of quantitative data collection, ideally in comparative perspectiveE
A, I
Experience of questionnaire development, documentation and pre-testingE
A, I
Familiarity/experience with project management processes E
A, I
Experience of working with large/varied teams and coordinating tasks among team members E
A, I
Skills and Abilities
Ability to meet strict timetable deadlines, be highly organized and able to prioritize tasks
E
A, I
High level of interpersonal communication skills, both written and oral
E
A, I
A high level of accuracy and meticulous attention to detail
E
A, I
Ability to analyse problems and identify potential solutions
E
A, I
The ability to work effectively on own initiative as well as part of a team
E
A, I

Closing date for applications: 19th July 2026 at 11:59pm

The interviews will be taking place, week commencing 3rd of August 2026.

The selection process will involve an interview and a presentation. Further details will be confirmed at the interview stage.

City St George's offers a sector-leading salary, pension scheme and benefits including a comprehensive package of staff training and development.

City St George's, University of London is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its activities, processes, and culture for our whole community, including staff, students and visitors.

We welcome applications regardless of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, pregnancy, race and ethnic origin, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. City St George's operates a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants.