JOB DESCRIPTION

This form summarises the purpose of the job and lists its key tasks.

It may be varied from time to time at the discretion of the College in consultation with the postholder.

Job Title: Innovative Food Systems Education Coordinator / Job ref no: PPH-0084-15
Grade: 6 / Department: Production and Population Health
Accountable to: Barbara Haesler / Responsible for: N/A
Job summary:
IFSTAL seeks to recruit a team of five full-time Coordinators for the ‘Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning’ (IFSTAL) Programme, one to be based in each of the consortium institutions including RVC, which represents the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH), which brings together RVC, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the School of Oriental and African Studies. The positions are fixed-term contracts from mid-2015 until 30 September 2018.
IFSTAL is a HEFCE-funded collaboration across a consortium of five higher education institutions: the University of Oxford, City University London, the University of Reading, the University of Warwick and LCIRAH. It will offer education that provides a broad overview of the food system on a voluntary basis to any Masters or PhD student in any of the five HEIs studying a subject related to food security. It aims to develop a substantial cohort of graduates trained in the theory, practice and methodologies of food systems ‘thinking’ and research to complement their specialist skills. Initially, IFSTAL will be offered for each of the three academic years 2015/16 – 2017/18.
Working under the supervision of the RVC PI, and as an integral member of the IFSTAL Coordinators team, the LCIRAH Coordinator will help deliver IFSTAL both in LCIRAH and across the consortium. Each Coordinator will have experience of teaching at HE level in a food security/food systems-related discipline; an interest in, commitment to, and enthusiasm for developing skills in teaching at graduate level, and the potential to be an aspiring mentor; and experience in using Virtual Learning Environments in higher education. Ideally they will also have experience in one or more of the following areas: course and curriculum development, social media, organising and implementing summer schools, engagement with business, the science/policy interface, and the international development agenda.
Competency: Teamwork and Motivation
Key tasks:
·  Work closely with other IFSTAL Coordinators across the Consortium to help organise and deliver all IFSTAL activities
·  Work closely with the academics across the host Institution to engage the local student population in this new initiative
Competency: Teaching and Learning Support
Key tasks:
·  Assist in preparing teaching materials for IFSTAL-related activities
·  Assist in the design, development and implementation of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform to support a range of learning technologies
·  Assist in the development of short courses aimed at professionals seeking continuing professional development (CPD)
Competency: Liaison and Networking
Key tasks:
·  Act as a point of contact for students to discuss dissertation topics, research ideas etc.; organise reading groups and possible field trips; help manage online debates and web-based role play
·  Liaise with the IFSTAL Work Liaison Officer (WLO; when appointed) on dissertation placements and the internship programme with potential employers
Competency: Initiative and Problem Solving
Key tasks:
·  Work with other Coordinators and the WLO to develop a range of research opportunities constituting a broad range of Masters and PhD dissertation topics which students will then develop into operational research questions and methods
·  Help to identify and develop collaborative research opportunities across the Consortium
Competency: Communication
Key tasks:
·  Engage in dissemination and knowledge exchange activities both internally across the Consortium and externally with the aims of sharing the benefits of IFSTAL, sharing learning from multi-university collaboration, and promoting a food systems approach
Flexibility: To deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above.