ARMA is seeking members to fill two SIG Champion vacancies on the Research Evaluation Special Interest Group (SIG). For one of the vacancies, we are actively seeking volunteers from outside Higher Education Institutions. This approach aims to promote diversity in SIG activities and ensure that non-HEI members are represented and benefit from our SIGs.
The Research Evaluation SIG is for those interested in how we can meaningfully and responsibly assess research activities and outcomes. This might include how we engage with new forms of research assessment that take in a broader range of contributions, how we monitor compliance with the open access and research data requirements of funders, how we provide evidence of ‘impact’ and positive research cultures, and the role of publication and citation data in supporting qualitative assessments.
Why you should become a SIG Champion
This is a fantastic development opportunity! Becoming a Champion will allow you to:
- Contribute your professional skills to the future direction and success of your area of interest
- Apply your skills, experience and creativity to new challenges
- Gain governance and leadership experience to support your executive and non-executive career ambitions
- Further expand your network and engage with key stakeholders across the sector
- Increase your visibility and raise your personal and professional profile.
SIG champions work together to plan and deliver 2-3 information-sharing events each year for their SIG, as well as curating SIG resources on the ARMA website and facilitating discussions on the SIG JiscMail list. They will be invited to provide input into responses to sector consultations. For further information about the role, check out the SIG Champion Role Description.
How to express interest
If you are interested in becoming a SIG Champion for the Research Evaluation SIG, please email a supporting statement (up to 400 words) to nicole@arma.adwise-staging.com by Thursday 28 November with the subject line, ‘SIG Champion Vacancy – Research Evaluation’. The statement should outline your background, why you are interested in becoming a SIG Champion and what you will bring to the role. While we do not require you to be an ARMA member to express interest in the SIG Champion role, in the event that you are successful, you will be asked to join the Association.
We are interested in hearing from members based across all UK nations in organisations such as universities/higher education institutions, research institutes, independent research organisations, public sector research establishments, research funders, NHS Trusts, Catapult centres and charitable organisations, including Trusts and Foundations. The volunteering opportunity is open to all career stages, with appropriate guidance and support to be provided for successful applicants.
How SIG Champions are selected
All supporting statements will be reviewed and scored by a panel of current SIG Champions. All statements will be anonymised with the name and current organisation redacted, so if you can avoid using these details in your statement that will be helpful.
The panel will score the statements based on the below areas:
- Relevance of the background to the SIG remit
- Ability to engage the community and willingness to respond to sector discussion and consultations
- Potential contribution to ARMA offering for members.
Our commitment to EDI
ARMA is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. It is a strategic priority for us to improve representation within our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from groups who are underrepresented within our community. We are committed to taking active steps within our recruitment process to reduce bias and minimise barriers to application and participation. We are also committed to offering a flexible and inclusive working environment for our employees. We offer a range of adjustments throughout the process to enable full participation. If there is anything further we can do, we encourage you to get in touch.
