Writing Peace Research Assistant for the Quill Project (average 10 hours/week until end July 2026)

Background 

The Quill Project at Pembroke College, University of Oxford is designed to help readers understand how the foundational negotiated texts of the modern world have been created, with four main research areas: US constitutional history, the constitution of India, the drafting of the Australian constitution, and the peace process in Northern Ireland (Writing Peace). The work of the project includes the digitization and transcription of archival material, editing, analysing, and modelling the process of negotiation, and communicating the results of that research to a wide variety of audiences. More details about the project can be found at www. quillproject.net. 

We are currently looking for a research assistant to work with the Writing Peace strand of the Quill project. This is a diverse role which will involve assisting with all aspects of the project, including offering support with research and helping with event planning and impact activities.

This is a casual position, but we envisage offering on average 10 hours per week from November 2025 until July 2026, with some weeks being busier than others. As such, the role is unlikely to be suitable for an undergraduate student but might be ideal for a graduate student working in a related field.

Role and Responsibilities 

The Research Assistant will be based in Pembroke College and will be line managed by the Deputy Director of the Quill Project, although much of the work can be completed remotely. The responsibilities of the role will include but not be limited to: 

• Cataloguing and entering metadata for archival material relating to the project.

• Researching historic records, governments papers and other materials to supplement resource collections. 

• Compiling timelines of negotiations, committee meetings, and related historical events.

• Drafting short biographical summaries for key historical figures.

• Checking style, grammar, and accuracy of content prior to publication.

• Acting as primary point of contact for teachers participating in focus groups to design educational materials relating to Writing Peace.

• Assisting members of the project team with travel bookings, keeping to a pre-arranged budget. 

• Producing high quality conference programmes for events. 

• Acting as a primary point of contact for delegates and speakers at workshops, providing them with information in a timely fashion, arranging travel, helping with expense claims and other enquiries, and forwarding emails to other members of the project team if required. 

• Providing other reasonable support and assistance to the Quill team, as required. 

Selection Criteria 

Candidates will be judged on the basis of the following requirements and should ensure that their letter of application gives examples of relevant experience which could be drawn from study or voluntary activities:

• A proven interest in historical research and text-based analysis
• Experience of using archives or searching for archival material online
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Flexible and able to respond to unforeseen problems and last-minute changes
• Able to work independently and use own initiative, but also to recognize when it is important to involve other members of a team
• Attention to detail and ability to process information from multiple sources and tasks
• Competence with standard office software and hardware, e.g. Microsoft Office
• Competence in managing a simple budget for an event or project

The following would be desirable but are not essential:

• A research interest in Irish history or politics
• Experience of planning an academic event or conference
• Experience in a customer-facing or similar support role
• Current Oxford student or staff member with an SSO

Interviews will be in-person and short-listed candidates who are invited for interview will be asked to take a number of simple competency tests. Performance in these tests will be part of the selection procedure. Given the short-term, casual nature of the role, expenses for attending interview will not be provided. 

Further details

This is a casual position with a basic salary of £12.80 per hour. Most work can be completed remotely and some weeks will be busier than others. The successful candidate should be available for up to 10-12 hours per week. You must have a right to work in the UK and be available to attend regular meetings in Oxford.

Application Procedure 

Please send a CV and covering letter, outlining your suitability for the role and links to previous content you have designed to ruth.murray@pmb.ox.ac.uk. The deadlines for applications is noon on Thursday 13 November.