Research Position at Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development

About the position

The Faculty of Education at University of Inland Norway (INN) invites applications for a full-time position as Researcher/Project Manager for the research and development work of the EMERGE Strategic Planning Unit.

The position is funded as part of INN’s involvement in EMERGE European University Alliance. As part of EMERGE, the Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development at the Faculty of Education will lead a Strategic Planning Unit for the alliance. The duration of the EMERGE funding is from January 2025 to December 2028, and we aim to recruit someone who can serve in this position until the end of the project.

This position is tied to a European research and development project involving the cooperation of 9 universities in 8 countries. This position will hold the main research and development responsibilities for a planning unit that will work with strategic planning teams at each partner university to support their work to integrate sustainability principles and practices into their institutional strategies and policies.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide strategic and systematic support for the integration and mainstreaming of principles of sustainable development and institutional contribution to the SDGs into the institutional strategies and policies of the 9 member institutions within this network and generate impact beyond the network.

This position also offers a unique potential for applied research on how the higher education sector can strengthen its social impact and contribution to sustainable development.

Responsibilities and tasks 

This role entails the coordination of a research and development group with researchers from each of the 9 participating universities and the facilitation of academic debate and dialogue among this group. It also requires the development of facilitative tools and techniques for institutional policy strengthening and support for a whole-systems approach to create synergies across operational areas of higher education institutions.

The responsible person will:

• Conduct systematic mappings of member institutions and coordinate monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Mapping of evidence-based approaches for strategic strengthening and systematisation of solutions appropriate for application in this alliance.
• Develop supportive tools and techniques and provide effective capacity building to support strategic planning at each institution.
• Support documentation of good practices and innovations from network partners.
• Support project wide efforts to identify key performance indicators and to effectively monitor and evaluate the impacts of network activities.
• Conduct a procedural analysis of institutional leverage points and publish research findings.
• Coordinate the operations of this strategic planning unit in collaboration with a team of specialists and under the authority of the director.
• Ensure strong stakeholder collaboration by maintaining regular contact and information sharing with relevant partners in the network.
• Promote and disseminate the findings and outcomes of this work at relevant academic conferences and in policy dialogues.

Other tasks can be assigned to the position if needed. 

Qualifications

We seek a candidate with an advanced background in institutional development, organisational learning, sustainability strategies, and/or education for sustainable development. We also seek a candidate with experience managing or coordinating medium- to large-scale research and development projects.

Experience working with participatory approaches, capacity building programmes, and/or multi-stakeholder facilitation are highly desirable. 

Experience in higher education institutions is also desirable.

The preferable candidate would have a PhD and relevant work experience, but a candidate with a master’s degree and significant work experience will also be considered.

Formal qualifications:

• A degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in a relevant field for position as researcher SKO 1109 or a Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field for position as researcher SKO 1108
• A high-level of spoken and written English is essential

Essential skills:

• Knowledge of institutional policy and strategy formation.
• Knowledge of sustainable development and institutional sustainability.
• Project management/leadership experience.
• Development and provision of capacity building programmes.
• Proficiency with research methodologies – especially relevant for applied research in institutional development, governance, policy development or educational development.
• Respect for the values of inclusion and diversity.
• Stong communication skills and strong writing skills.

 Desirable skills:

• Theorical background in organisational learning, team building and/or communities of practice.
• Knowledge of institutional practices in higher education sector (and other sectors) to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Experience working with educational development, pedagogical approaches, and sustainability competencies – especially in relation to education for sustainable development.
• Proficiency with group facilitation and participatory techniques.
• Proficiency with collaborative learning approaches.
• Proficiency with digital learning tools and their use in continuing professional development.
• Ability to report on activities.

Personal skills: 

• Ability to plan actions and manage projects methodically.
• Ability to work in teams, take initiative, and be proactive.
• Ability to work in diverse contexts with different stakeholders.
• Ability to share your experiences clearly and inspiringly, whether in public or via digital platforms.

For more information on the formal qualification requirements, see regulations to the Universities and Colleges Act. The assessment of which candidate is best qualified for the position is made after a comprehensive evaluation of education, experience and personal compatibility and other qualification requirements as formulated in the vacancy text, as well as motivation for the position.

The position and associated tasks must be carried out in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations for government employees, including also the Act on Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology, etc. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, come into conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to take up the position at University of Inland Norway. Necessary approvals must be maintained throughout the employment relationship.

We offer

• An exciting and challenging position at a developing institution
• Position is paid and placed in position code 1109 Researcher / 1108 Researcher  in the Government Salary Scale
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension, with among other things, good pension and insurance schemes.

For more information about INN University as an employer, please see here.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0FVnszhpJY

How to apply

Register your application and CV electronically via "Apply for this job" on the job portal Jobbnorge. 

Your application must include:

• Application letter, including a description of how your background is relevant for EMERGE
• Comprehensive overview of education, diplomas, work experience, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, acquisition work, coordination experience and other qualifying activities
• Certified copies of diplomas and certificates
• Overview of externally funded projects
• List of publications

Qualified applicants will be invited to an interview.

If you have any questions regarding uploading of attachments or other technical matters regarding the application, Jobbnorge customer service can be contacted. 

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

For more information about the position, please contact Robert Didham, e-mail: robert.didham@inn.no. 

General information

INN believes that there is strength in inclusion and diversity. We desire employees with different competencies, professional combinations, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to an even better way of solving problems. We will facilitate for employees who need assitance to realise their goals. Relevant adaptations can be, for example, technical aids, adapting furniture or adjusting routines, work tasks and working hours.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in the CV or immigrant background, we shall call at least one applicant in each of these categories for an interview. In order to be considered as an applicant in these groups, the applicants must meet certain requirements. You can read more on this here: https://arbeidsgiver.difi.no/positivsaerbehandling.

We encourage applicants to tick in Jobbnorge if they have a disability, a gap in their CV or immigrant background. The ticks in the jobseeker portal form the basis for anonymised statistics that all state-owned enterprises report in their annual reports