The Alan Turing Institute is the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. The Institute is named in honour of the scientist Alan Turing and its mission is to make great leaps in data science and artificial intelligence research in order to change the world for the better.

The Turing Data Safe Haven (DSH) is a flagship research engineering project at The Alan Turing Institute.

Trusted research environments (TREs) are an essential prerequisite for any project that involves the analysis of sensitive data, both to comply with legal and contractual requirements and to retain the confidence and consent of data subjects. The Turing Data Safe Haven is reproducible, open-source, cloud-hosted and designed to maximise the usability of the research environment while adhering to the necessary security requirements.

DSH researchers are currently focussing on publicly releasing the DSH codebase and associated information governance processes. It is hoped that making these materials accessible under an open source licence will be a catalyst for more widespread adoption by researchers and organisations in the UK and more broadly. We expect the Research Application Manager (RAM) to play a key role in maximising the positive impact of the DSH through taking the lead in engaging potential users.

The Tools, Practices and Systems (TPS) programme at the Turing represents a cross-cutting set of initiatives which seek to build open source infrastructure that is accessible to all, and to empower a global, decentralised network of people who connect data with domain experts.

The Turing Way is an open source community-driven guide to reproducible, ethical, inclusive and collaborative data science. The project goal is to provide all the information that data scientists in academia, industry, government and the third sector need at the start of their projects to ensure that they are easy to reproduce and reuse at the end.

We are recruiting a Research Application Manager who will work to embed the expertise in the TPS, Turing Way, and broader open source, network security and information services communities within the project, and ensure that the Data Safe Haven is adopted successfully across multiple research domains within academia, government, the charity sector and industry.

ROLE PURPOSE

A Research Application Manager (RAM) at the Turing builds and nurtures the connections with users of research outputs and brings back the user perspective to researchers and research engineers. We anticipate that the postholder will need to embody core values of legacy, adaptability, and collaboration in addition to their commitment to equity and inclusion principles as described in the Turing’s Values (see below).

RAMs work in a dedicated team focused on ensuring that research outputs such as open source tools, protocols, and modelling frameworks are used successfully and sustainably by external stakeholders. We expect the postholder to navigate the transition to open sourcing the DSH code which is the next major milestone for the project and to take ownership of the stakeholder engagement strategy. This work should include convening the experts and potential users of the code to further inform and enhance the information governance aspect of the project.

This is a new team at the Institute and the postholder will need to be someone who takes the initiative and thrives when given a large degree of autonomy and flexibility. The role has considerable similarity to that of a product manager in a tech firm, but with significant adjustments to update it for the research context. The skills required are likely a combination of technical acumen and service delivery experience. RAMs will work on multiple projects concurrently, and each project will be different in different ways. The postholder will need to understand how their adaptability is a strength that will inspire team members, without undermining a determined perseverance on delivering useful outputs.

There is significant scope for the postholder to develop new skills and grow in the role. We do not expect applicants to necessarily be highly experienced and already have all the skills that are vital for success. We do however expect the postholder to be prepared to learn at pace. We are also enthusiastic about people who have a background as open source community managers as they are experts in distributed, decentralised collaboration. As contributing members of The Turing Way project, all RAMs will have the opportunity to learn or develop technical software engineering and data management skills, and will be expected to share their expertise in project design and effective communication to diverse stakeholders.

The postholder will report into Dr Aida Mehonic, Tools, Practices & Systems Senior Researcher for Research Applications, and work closely with Dr Kirstie Whitaker, Programme Director for Tools, Practices and Systems, Dr Martin O'Reilly, Director of the Research Engineering Group and Dr James Robinson, co-I of the Data Safe Haven project.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Drive the Institute's efforts to maximise the impact of the Data Safe Haven project. Ensure that the outputs of the research process are translated into appropriate real-world implementations and that they are used by stakeholders external to Turing. You will achieve this by engaging with prospective stakeholders, in close collaboration with the researchers, DSH Project Team and the Partnerships team.
• Catalyse connections and collaboration between users and developers working on the DSH codebase. This could come in the form of synchronous regular meetings or it could occur asynchronously, for example, through active engagement on distributed communication channels such as Slack and the maintenance of public and private GitHub repositories to documented ongoing work within the projects and Themes
• Contribute to the research aims and challenges of the Tools, Practices and Systems programme, and those of the Turing Institute more broadly. Share the responsibility of embedding our ethical values in research processes and outputs, and promoting equitable and inclusive co-creation of data intensive projects.
• Work with Turing Communications team to promote achievements and capabilities in a way which is meaningful for stakeholders across relevant sectors.

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s Degree in a discipline which provides a good basis for understanding statistics, data science and programming.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement, for instance, experience working with consortium partners, research collaborators, delivery partners, or clients.
• Experience with basic coding skills in any programming language.
• Routinely explains complicated matters simply, tailors delivery methods/media to suit the audience’s needs and ensure understanding. Uses appropriate styles and arguments to influence and negotiate satisfactory outcomes. Presents complex information in formats appropriate to audiences without compromising meaning.
• Leads, oversees and monitors progress of key deliverables and timescales through probation/appraisal and takes appropriate action to deal with any issues or problems.
• Collaborates with others to meet deadlines and joint objectives by ensuring dissemination of information in the right format to the right people at the right time. Builds relationships and contacts to facilitate future exchange of information.

Desirable:

• PhD or equivalent level of industry experience.
• Product management through a developmental lifecycle,
• Research and/or development in data science.

Please see the job description for a full breakdown of the Duties and Responsibilities and the Person Specification.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the apply button below. You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV and covering letter. If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact them on 020 3970 2148, or email [email protected].

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Sunday 9 January 2022, 23:59

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This full-time post is offered on a 2-year, fixed term contract basis. The annual salary is £46,700, plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Alan Turing Institute is committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued and everyone is treated fairly. In accordance with the Equality Act, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to building a diverse community and would like our leadership teal to reflect this. We therefore welcome applications from the broadest spectrum of backgrounds.

Reasonable adjustments to the interview process will be made for any candidates with a disability.

Please note all offers of employment are subject to obtaining and retaining the right to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening which includes a DBS Check.

Full details on the pre-employment screening process can be requested from [email protected].

This role is located at The Alan Turing Institute, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB.

From 04 January 2022, The Alan Turing Institute will trial a Hybrid Working Model for an initial six-month trial period. The Initial expectation is that staff will be based at the above location for at least 2-4 days per month.

Remote working days will be subject to the operational and role requirements and are to be agreed with the Line Manager