KEY INFORMATION
o Position: United Against Online Abuse Academic Researcher (Consultant)
o Location: UK Remote with Periodic Reporting to London / Travel as Required
o Type of Contract: Fixed Term (12 months) with the view to extend based on performance
o Department: FIA University
o Hierarchical Manager: Chief Communications Officer
o Daily Reporting To: UAOA Project Lead
o Start Date: ASAP
OVERVIEW
The United Against Online Abuse Campaign is looking for a Researcher to lead the campaign’s research and educational arms. Reporting to the UAOA Project Leader and under the auspices of the FIA University, the individual will be pioneering novel research into Online Abuse / Hate Speech in Sport across the coalition, helping to elevate our global understanding and responsibilities. They will lead and run the annual International Sport Federation’s Barometer reports alongside dedicated research programmes in partnership with the campaign’s academic universities. The role will involve travel between the FIA’s three headquarters as well as occasional travel to institutional and sporting events.
Publications Archive - United Against Online Abuse
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The UAOA campaign, supported by the FIA Foundation and European Commission, is a collaborative mission between national governments, regulatory institutions, tech platforms and fellow sporting bodies, with the objective of building a global coalition to tackle online abuse within the sport ecosystem by installing regulatory and behavioural change.
https://unitedagainstonlineabuse.com/
ABOUT THE FIA
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading motoring organisations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in London, Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit making international association.
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will be strategic, highly organised researcher with a passion for fostering safe online spaces in sport for all. With proven experience in research design, data management and large-scale project coordination, they will have a strong background in areas such as online abuse, harm prevention, social media design and user psychology. The candidate will be required to manage relationships across both academic profiles and the private sector (including governments, sports federations, athletes and officials). A PhD in a relevant field is required and experience in sport or technology sectors is a plus.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
- Research Leadership: Lead and manage core research projects related to online abuse in sport, ensuring that research outputs are both timely and impactful. Oversee the research agenda and collaborate with academic partners across various initiatives, from conceptualisation to implementation with the support of the Project Lead and Project Advisor.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Lead on the campaign’s academic partnerships, working closely with schools, universities and research institutions. Contribute to stakeholder engagement across the coalition such as governments, tech platforms and athlete organisations in support to the programme’s industry liaison.
- Programme Support:
o Education: Ensure recency and development of UAOA’s current educational product suite to raise awareness of online abuse in sport. Current products include the Future Learn Educational Course and UAOA’s Digital Literacy Workshops.
o Scholarships: Act as the key point of contact for the DCU Scholarship Programme fostering the development of research talent and outputs for UAOA grant funding.
o Erasmus+: Support the development and outputs of the Erasmus+ Research and Education work streams until January 2027 across Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
- Survey and Data Analysis: Design and manage surveys to elevate the understanding of online abuse in sport across coalition members, national federations and key stakeholders including grassroots athletes, elite athletes, officials, fans and volunteers. Analyse quantitative and qualitative data to inform decisions and improve campaign strategies.
- Publication and Dissemination: Author academic publications, op-eds and articles, alongside presenting findings at conferences to advance UAOA’s mission.
- Reporting and Documentation: Ensure timely and accurate reporting of research outputs across internal and external partners, ensure publications meet the required standards. Contribute to detailed reports for stakeholders and funding bodies as appropriate alongside the Project Lead.
- Strategic Influence: Overall contribution to shaping the direction of UAOA’s strategy and initiatives utilising research outputs. Alongside the project advisor, use research findings to influence policy, organisations and public discourse on combatting online abuse in sport.
Selection Criteria
Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed based on how well candidates satisfy these criteria.
Mandatory:
- PhD in a relevant field such as Political Science, Sport Safeguarding, Online Security and Harms, Technology, ICT, Business Studies or other, as applicable.
- Demonstrated ability to design, lead and coordinate a research study in the field of online harm / abuse or a closely related area.
- Demonstrated ability to manage large amounts of data.
- Proficiency in statistical data analysis, and qualitative approaches.
- Ability to transform academic language into engaging, digestible formats for different global audiences and priority audiences whereby English is a second language.
- A demonstrated commitment to research and publications.
- An understanding of the operational requirements for a successful research project.
- Evidence of research activity (publications, conference presentations, awards) and future scholarly output (working papers, research proposals, and ability to outline a research project).
- Excellent Communication Skills (Oral, Written, Presentation etc).
- Excellent Organisational and Administrative skills including a proven ability to work to deadlines.
- Experience in setting own research agenda.
- Stakeholder management across academic and private sector relationships.
Other
- Occasional international travel.
- Presenting skills.
- Flexible working hours.
TO APPLY
If you wish to be considered for this consultancy opportunity, please send your application to [email protected] or applied via LinkedIn.
The FIA is committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religion or ethnicity, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organisation.
