Postdoc positions focusing on Educational Leadership - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Centre for Principal Development is offering postdoc positions focusing on Educational Leadership. The positions will be placed at the Centre for Principal Development by the Department of Political science at Umeå University. Starting date September 1, 2022 or by agreement. 

The employment 

Centre for Principal Development is a unit within the Department of Political Science at Umeå University and is an interdisciplinary, individual unit with about 25 employees which conduct research about educational leadership, organization and school development. We carry out commissioned education aimed at principals, school leaders and politicians within the educational area. For more information, see here https://www.umu.se/en/centre-for-principal-development/

The position is a full-time employment on a fixed term of two years and includes own research up to 80 % of full-time. Teaching and supervision at the undergraduate/advanced level can amount to a maximum of 20% of full-time.

The employment as a postdoctoral fellow follows the Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow which applies from February 1, 2022.

You will be placed at the Centre for Principal Development and are expected to contribute to the research environment at the department and within the research profile group.

Research focus

Research on educational leadership is about describing, analyzing, explaining and understanding how managers and leaders design, lead and control structures, cultures, functions and processes within educational organizations whose mission consists of individuals' learning and socialization as citizens. There is an interest in understanding how societal, political and ideological conditions and aspirations influence and control the activities and goal fulfillment of educational organizations.

As a postdoctoral fellow, you are expected to conduct your own research within the framework of educational leadership in collaboration with other researchers in the field. Within the Centre for Principal Development, there is active participation in local and  international networks that work with comparative research on school leaders' function and leadership in relation to the conditions of local schools and the organization's goal fulfillment. If you wish, there is a possibility to coordinate the postdoc project with other ongoing research at the departement.
 
The planned research must be described in a research plan (see further information under Application).
 
Read more about the profile area educational leadership here https://www.umu.se/en/research/groups/educational-leadership/.
 

Eligibility

Eligible to be employed as a postdoctoral researcher is a person who has completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree considered comparable to a doctoral degree. The degree must be completed no later than by the time of the appointment decision.

Since appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is a career-development position for junior researchers, we are primarily interested in applicants who completed their doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. A candidate who has completed their degree prior to this may be considered for the position if special circumstances exist. Special reasons refer to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical service, positions of trust within trade unions or other similar circumstances, as well as service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

For this position, applicants must have a doctoral degree in pedagogy, pedagogical work, political science, sociology or equivalent scientific competence that is considered relevant in relation to the research conducted within the project.

A requirement is proficiency in spoken and written English, good knowledge in written and spoken Swedish is a merit.

Assessment criteria 

The most important assessment basis is the researchers’ scientific skills and the research described in the research plan. Ability to conduct independent research and to participate in national and/or international research collaborations are also important qualifications. 

Teaching can be included as part of the employment and documented experience of teaching, on undergraduate and advanced levels, as well as university pedagogical education are therefore a merit. However, because conducting independent research is the main responsibility of a postdoctoral researcher, research qualifications outweigh pedagogical and educational competence in the assessment of the applicants' qualifications. 

Other assessment criteria include good collaborative skills, as well as competence and suitability in general that is needed to fulfill the tasks well. 

Application 

The application must contain:

• A cover letter, summarizing your qualifications, your scientific interests and your motives for applying for the job (maximum two pages)
• CV / curriculum vitae
• A critical reflection on your own previously conducted research (max 1000 words)
• Maximum 3 scientific publications
• Certified copies of grades and diplomas (or information about the expected degree if you will complete a doctoral degree after last application day)
• Research plan (maximum 2500 words including references) that describes the research you plan to conduct within the framework of the employment
• Any other merits of relevance for the position (optional)

If you plan to complete your doctoral degree after deadline for applying, please upload information about the planned examination and expected examination date.

Apply via our recruitment system Varbi.

Further information is provided by director for research Helene Ärlestig, helene.arlestig@umu.se +46 90-786 6223 or director for Centre for Principal Development Björn Ahlström, bjorn.ahlstrom@umu.se +46 90-786 5541. 

We look forward to receiving your application!