Purpose of Position:
The National College of Ireland is seeking an innovative, passionate and impact-driven Research Associate to join the Cloud Competency Centre (CCC) and to mainly contribute to the EU-funded project Code4Europe that aims to scale EU Code Week to reach 25 million young people across Europe (https://codeweek.eu/).
The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in this high-impact project contributing to creating and delivering inclusive, engaging, and future-facing educational materials and events. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of research, education, and public engagement within a dynamic international context. As a Research Associate, you will collaborate with academic and industry partners across Europe to ensure the production of high-quality project deliverables, and to contribute to the overall success and sustainability of the Centre’s research activities.
The CCC is a research centre at the forefront of innovation in high-performance computing, parallel and distributed systems, open data, and distributed ledger technologies. The Centre is committed to advancing cutting-edge research while providing an inclusive, flexible working environment.
At the CCC, we recognise the evolving landscape of work and understand the importance of providing a work environment that accommodates diverse needs ensuring optimal productivity and work-life balance for its team. The CCC support flexible working hours, enabling our team members to adapt their schedules to suit their individual needs, as long as the required outcomes and deadlines are met. This flexibility ensures that you have the autonomy to structure your workday effectively, allowing for optimal productivity and personal well-being.
Reporting to:
Project Principal Investigator
Key Relationships:
* NCI EU-funded Project Principal Investigator
* Head of the Cloud Competency Centre
* NCI EU-funded Project Staff and European partners
* CCC EU Project Manager
* School of Computing staff
* External academic and industry partners involved in CCC projects
Key Responsibilities:
The Research Associate will have the following responsibilities:
Outreach and Engagement Activities
* Support the delivery and expansion of the Discover Digital Programme, ensuring engaging, hands-on experiences for learners.o Organise extracurricular digital skills activities for secondary school pupils.
* Coordinate and run campus visits, STEM-focused study guidance events, school career days.
* Collaborate with the relevant NCI’s stakeholders to raise awareness about STEM pathways and digital careers among high school and undergraduate students
* Design and implement awareness campaigns promoting STEM education and digital inclusion aligned with the Code4Europe project/ EU Code Week
* Maintain alignment with the core values of EU Code Week while co-creating scalable education initiatives that engage stakeholders from education, civil society, industry, and government
Content Development and Innovation
* Design and develop innovative high-quality, inclusive, and accessible learning content focused on Digital Technologies and Soft Skills
* Create promotional materials including communication assets and event guides to support localisation and broad dissemination across the EU.
* Collaborate with project partners across Europe to ensure the relevance and impact of educational, research, and dissemination materials.
General
* Conduct research and contribute to the project’s objectives on advancing sustainable and scalable digital education.
* Contribute to the project's reporting and communication activities, ensuring that milestones and deliverables are met as per EU guidelines.
* Engage in the dissemination of research findings through high-quality academic publications, conference presentations, and other relevant forums.
* Collaborate and participate in suitable project-related activities in Ireland and, when circumstances require, abroad in subject-related areas.
* Participate in the CCC’s activities including showcases, annual reporting, academic accreditations, and EU reviews.
* Contribute to enhancing the international profile of the CCC.
* Undertake any other reasonable duties that may be requested by the Principal Investigator and/or the Head of the CCC.
Qualifications & Experience Required:
The successful candidate must possess the following qualifications and experience:
* A Master’s degree in STEM, Education, Digital Technologies, Communication, or a related field.
* Proven experience in organising educational events, public engagement activities, or youth-focused outreach initiatives.
* Demonstrable ability to create educational content or learning resources on digital technologies.
* Commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and gender balance in STEM
* Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience engaging with diverse audiences including educators, students, and other stakeholders.
* Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and competing deadlines.
* Self-motivation, attention to detail, and ability to thrive in an international research team.
* Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop productive working relationships across culturally diverse teams in an international environment.
* Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
Desirable:
* Familiarity with EU research funding mechanisms, particularly European Commission instruments such as DIGITAL Europe and Horizon Europe.
* Experience developing digital learning content for secondary education.
* Familiarity with emerging digital technologies such as AI, sensors, robotics, and drones.
* Proficiency in more than one European language is a plus.
We welcome applications from individuals who meet the requirements of this position and who are committed to contributing to the success of the CCC EU-funded projects.
Contract:
12 Month Fixed Term Contract
Salary:
€53,812 per annum (Academic I Salary Band). N.B. Fixed amount as per research Grant.
Annual Leave:
34 days per annum
Hours:
Full time
Probation:
6-month performance-based probation period
Application Process:
To apply, please e-mail a single PDF file containing your cover letter outlining your motivation and suitability for this position and a detailed CV using the email subject “Research Associate, NCI Reference No:NCI1013” to: recruitment-cdolan@ncirl.ie
Application Deadline: 8th of August 2025 at 12:00pm
Interviews are expected to be conducted on the week starting on 25th of August 2025.
The successful candidate is expected to take up the post on 1st of September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Note: The functions and responsibilities assigned to this position are based on the current stated role and objectives of the College. These functions and responsibilities may alter in line with any change in the role and objectives of the College.
The successful applicant will be subject to Garda Vetting and must not have any convictions under the Sex Offenders Act 2001.
Eligibility to Work
All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the Republic of Ireland.
The Importance of Confidentiality
We would like to assure you that protecting confidentiality is our number one priority. You can expect that all enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.
Candidates' Obligations
In submitting a completed Curriculum Vitae and supporting documentation, candidates are declaring:
* That all the particulars furnished in their application are true and correct without omission and that they are aware of the qualifications and particulars for this position.
* That to the best of their knowledge that there is nothing in relation to their conduct, character or personal background of any nature that would adversely affect the position of trust in which they would be placed by virtue of this appointment.
* Their irrevocable consent to NCI making such enquiries as deemed necessary in respect of their suitability for the post in respect of which their application is made.
* Their acceptance and confirmation of the entitlement of NCI, as appropriate to, reject their application, or to terminate their employment (in the event of a contract of employment having been entered into on foot of this competition) if they have omitted to furnish NCI with any information relevant to their application or their continued employment or where they have made any false statement or misrepresentation relevant to this application or their continuing employment with the College. #
Candidates should note that they may be required to submit documentary evidence in support of any particulars given by them in their application for the post.
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Data collected for the purposes of recruitment activities
NCI conducts recruitment processes to fill vacancies within the college. When applying for these competitions applicants are asked to submit a range of documents, e.g., a completed application form, CV and/or a personal statement or cover letter. For the purposes of recruitment activities, we will not collect any personal data that we do not need to assess your candidature for a role with us.
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NCI ’s legal basis for the processing of this data is a combination of individual consent, contractual necessity and legal obligations.
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Applicants can withdraw their consent for the processing of their personal data at any time by notifying the College. It is important to note that withdrawal of consent prior to the completion of the process will be considered as a withdrawal of the application.
What we do with your data
People who are directly employed by NCI and are based in Ireland process all the personal data collected for both recruitment and HR purposes.
Shortlisting
HR draft up the shortlisting documents and provide the initial screening to determine if a person meets the essential criteria of the competition. A shortlisting panel is generally made up of two senior grade staff members from the relevant department for which the role is being recruited.
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Where you have been successfully shortlisted for a post, each interview panel member will be furnished with a copy of the relevant information of those who will be attending interview in order that they can review applications in advance of the interview process. All such information will be returned to NCI and shredded following the competition process. Some of the interview panel will be external interviewers, who are not employees of NCI but are engaged for the purpose and are strictly subject to the rules and policies of the College.
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Applicants can have any incorrect information corrected.
Objection / Withdraw
Applications can object to this information being processed and/or can request to withdraw from the application process
Complain
Applicants can make a complaint to our internal Information Governance and Data Protection Officer
NCI Information Governance and Data Protection Officer
National College of Ireland, Mayor Street, IFSC, Dublin 1
Tel (Direct): + 353 1 4498 523 ; Tel (Reception): + 353 1 4498 500
And/or make a complaint to the relevant authority
Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28
Tel: +353 (0) 761 104 800
National College of Ireland is an equal opportunities employer and is a Member of the Athena SWAN Charter. NCI is committed to serving our diverse community and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups. #J-18808-Ljbffr