Associate Professor in Design for Sustainability - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to work with Design for Sustainability in one of Norway’s leading design schools? 

We are looking for an established design professional with  a proven record of teaching experience and a committed practice of research and innovation within sustainability to join the Department of Product Design, at Oslo Metropolitan University. The position is a full time appointment, but could also be divided into two smaller roles subject to the wishes and suitability of applicants.

The Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD) offers higher education and research and development activities within technical subjects, art and design. The Faculty has approximately 3.000 students and 280 staff. 

In addition to its research and development activities, the department offers a BA programme in Product Design, and an MA programme in Product, Service and Systems Design. The department has approximately 30 staff and 160 students. We are currently in the process of starting a new PhD program in Innovation for Sustainability and an additional MA programme in Systems Oriented Design and Service Design.  Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to teaching on these programmes.  

Applicants should have earned a PhD relevant to the fields of design and sustainability, ideally with an established design practice and post-doctoral experience. Candidates are expected to have broad research experience with a range of scientific publications.  

The candidate will perform self-initiated research that addresses the environmental challenges connected to consumer behavior, and its impact on societal systems and culture; nature, oceans, people and animals, production, communication, and other emerging fields related to the areas of product and service design. We are looking for a candidate with experience and a committed approach to teaching, design practice, research and innovation. Successful applicants are expected to have experience in working with external financing through the Research Council of Norway and EU Horizon projects and will be expected to secure external financing of the department’s research.  

Applicants will gain access to our national and international research communities within sustainability and systems design such as: 

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network-Northern Europe (SDSN) 
• European University Association (EUA), 
• International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS)
• Relating Systems Design (RSD) Forskningsnettverk
• Systems Design Norway

Tasks and responsibilities:  

• Taking an active role in the development of major research projects as well as in applications for external funding in relation to sustainability and related fields, including the recruitment of PhD candidates.
• Initiating and participating in research collaborations with national and international partners
• Planning, developing, delivering and contributing to courses at various levels; including teaching, supervision and assessment
• Actively contributing to the development of high-quality education in design for sustainability
• Networking and maintaining contacts within the professional field
• Actively contributing to the development of the department and at OsloMet as a whole
• Communicating and disseminating research results to academic communities, and to society in general
• Performing administrative tasks related to educational, research, and innovation activities
• Contributing to the continued development of the academic community and the department’s study programmes

Qualification requirements:  

• A doctoral degree within - or related to design and sustainability.
• Several publications within design and sustainability e.g.:
  • Cultural Sustainability  
  • Systems Oriented Design  
  • Circular Economy 
  • Nudging, Habits and Consumption Behaviour related to Sustainable Design 
  • Sustainable Production and Manufacturing 
• Design professional qualifications as Associate Professor in one or more of the aforementioned fields within Design and Sustainability
• Experience with supervision, preferably at Master’s/PhD level
• Experience in teaching and supervision at university and/or university college level, as well as documented quality development in own teaching and supervision over time
• Experience in initiating and managing research projects and securing external funding for research
• The applicant must be able to document relevant educational theory and practice in higher education. Applicants, who are unable to document basic teaching qualifications upon appointment, must acquire these within two years. OsloMet offers an English language course in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (UHPED), in collaboration with the University of Oslo, that meets this requirement.
• Proficiency in oral and written English is required. Applicants, who do not have adequate proficiency in a Scandinavian language must acquire Norwegian skills corresponding to at least level B2 within three years of commencement.

General criteria for appointments to academic positions are covered by the Regulations for appointment and promotion to academic posts.  

The following will be an advantage: 

We are looking for a dynamic, collaborative, and inventive faculty member to join us in order to strengthen sustainability in our design education and research activities. 

Emphasis is also placed on the following skills, competence and experience: 

• Research and development work relevant to the position. Emphasis will be placed on scientific production from the last six years.
• Experience with research networks and externally funded projects
• Potential for project acquisition
• Teaching and supervision experience from different degree levels
• Digital proficiency
• Capability in communicating and cooperating with students and colleagues
• Personal qualities that contribute positively to the working environment
• Teaching skills; a keenness to develop academic and teaching skills, and an interest in innovative and/or digital educational techniques and practices
• Knowledge and skills within service design
• Knowledge and skills within post-phenomenology
• Flexibility and ability to adapt teaching and research to OsloMet’s and the Institute’s needs - including interdisciplinary Collaboration

Personal qualities necessary for the position:  

• The ability to motivate and inspire students and colleagues
• Excellent cooperation and communication skills both within and outside of academia
• Great ability to communicate and cooperate with students and colleagues

OsloMet evaluates teaching qualifications in conjunction with interviews.  

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the diversity of the population of our region, all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further and develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace, adapting the workplace as required. If there are periods where you have not been in work, education or training, you are also welcome to apply. 

Expert assessment 

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. Within the application deadline, please upload the following documents together with your application:  

• CV, references and all pages of your certificates/diplomas 
• A list of scientific publications
• Up to 10 scientific publications and / or development work, including your PhD thesis 
• Two references with contact information

You must upload all the documents in order for your application to be processed.  The documents must be in either English or a Scandinavian language. Translations must be authorised. Originals must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet checks documents in order to ensure proper evaluation and fair competition. If you have documents that cannot be uploaded electronically, please contact HR advisor Mette Bjørtomt, email:  metteb@oslomet.no. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Your application will be evaluated by an expert committee. Before sending the documents to the expert committee, the applications will be checked at the faculty, and applicants that are not qualified will not be sent to the committee for evaluation.

We offer

• An exciting job opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
• Participation in a dynamic professional environment and unique academic community
• Access to our national and international research communities within Sustainability and Systems Design
• Participation in research groups
• Opportunities for academic development in a professional research environment
• Interaction with a diverse student group
• Loans and pension arrangements through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• Beneficial welfare schemes and a wide range of sports and cultural offers
• Free Norwegian language classes for employees
• Working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers??Kjeller?

Practical information about relocation to Oslo and living in Norway.

The position is remunerated in accordance with the Basic Collective Agreement for the Civil Service and OsloMets salary policy job title and position code. The salary is NOK 532 300-691 400 per year. A higher salary may be considered for particularly well qualified applicants.   

Other information 

For more information about the position, feel free to contact: 

• Head of department, Einar Stoltenberg, +47 91552441, estolten@oslomet.no 

If you wish to apply for the position, please do so via our application portal. 

Please state if you wish to apply for a fulltime position, a part time position, or both. 

Deadline for applications: September 15th 2020 

Ref.:  20/05395

OsloMet has implemented the Charter & Code and is certified to use the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) logo by the European Commission. 

OsloMet is a member of the EU Researchers in Motion network Euraxess.