Senior lecturer in Social Work

Sapere Aude—dare to be wise—is our motto. Our students and employees develop knowledge and expertise that enrich both people and the world around them. Our academic environment is characterised by curiosity, courage and perseverance. Gender equality, diversity and a democratic approach form the foundation of our organisation. We are located in an active and scenic region and we promote sustainable development in close collaboration with the wider society.
Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1,400 employees and 19,000 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika.
More information at: kau.se/en/work-with-us

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Social Work is part of the Department of Social and Psychological Studies along with Sociology, Psychology and Gender Studies. The department has approximately 100 employees. Within the discipline of Social Work, a staff of 30 work with education, research and external relations. The discipline houses the Bachelor of Science in Social Work study programme and its 350 students. In addition to undergraduate education, we offer courses and programmes at Master’s level and doctoral level.

Our research in social work at Karlstad University is primarily conducted within two research domains; Critical Welfare Studies and Applied Welfare Studies. Examples of research projects within the framework of Critical Welfare Studies include the role of civil society in social welfare, the working conditions for people in elderly care, critical perspectives on social issues concerning girls’ living conditions, as well as studies on international migration. The framework of Applied Welfare Studies includes projects focusing on children’s and young people’s mental health, honour related violence and oppression, assessments and support within social services, as well as studies on service user participation. As our new senior lecturer, you will have great opportunities to contribute to our current research domains or introduce new fields of research. (More information is available on our website: https://www.kau.se/en/social-work/research/research-and-doctoral-studies .)

FoU Välfärd Värmland is a research centre focused on the development of knowledge-based welfare services through a collaboration between the 16 municipalities of Värmland, Karlstad University and Region Värmland.

By being located at the university, the research centre contributes to a unique and vibrant research environment, including practice-based studies, evaluations as well as seminars and conferences.

Your main duties will be teaching within the Bachelor of Science in Social Work study programme, which includes course coordination, supervision and assessment. You are also expected to have an active role in research, conduct your own research projects as well as applying for external funding alongside competitors. Each employee fills an important function in our activities and you are therefore expected to take an active role in development and quality assurance, and to keep abreast of the trends within the discipline and of societal trends that affect social work. Additionally, supervision and teaching at Master’s level and doctoral level may be required.

You are also expected to collaborate with the wider community for a mutual exchange, as well as work towards ensuring that the knowledge and expertise available at the university is of benefit to society.

In order to contribute to a positive working environment and help further the subject’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

To be eligible for the position of senior lecturer in social work, applicants are required have demonstrated teaching expertise. Applicants are also required to hold a PhD or equivalent academic expertise in social work, or professional qualifications deemed relevant to the nature of the position and the duties included therein.

Proficiency in spoken and written Swedish and English is also required since the majority of teaching is held in Swedish and sometimes in English.

Pursuant to Karlstad University’s Appointments Procedure, teachers must have the personal qualities required to perform the duties included, as well as completed training in higher education pedagogy. Candidates who have not completed courses in higher education pedagogy may still be hired, provided that they use the time allotted to continual professional development to complete the required courses within two years of employment, or that they apply for validation of prior learning. For other qualification requirements, refer to Karlstad University’s Appointments Procedure.

Special and equal weight will be given to the demonstration of research and teaching expertise in social work. Documentation of research and teaching expertise is required for the assessment of its range and quality. Experience in teaching social work is considered a valuable qualification.

Considerable weight will be given to administrative skills and the ability for academic collaboration as well as collaboration with the larger community. For the purposes of this appointment, we value personal qualities that contributing to a positive working environment, such as the ability to cooperate, build good relations with colleagues and show a positive attitude towards colleagues and students. Considerable weight will also be given to the applicant’s sense of responsibility for their own duties, their ability to work independently and take initiative.

Weight will be given to professional experience as a social worker. Expertise in areas such as addiction, the elderly and disabilities, or leadership and organisation, is also seen as a valuable qualification.

This is a permanent full-time position starting at the earliest convenience, as agreed upon by both parties. A probationary period may be required.

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. For advice on how to draft your application, refer to “What should be included with my application?”.

Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• CV
• cover letter
• an in-depth account of teaching experience
• certificate to verify completed courses in higher education pedagogy or an account of equivalent skills
• an in-depth account of research experience
• an account of other experiences of importance
• an account of managerial and administrative experience
• plans for future work
• an account of collaborations, international network experience, etc.
• a list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• language proficiency certificates
• copy of PhD degree or documented equivalent academic expertise, or professional qualifications deemed relevant to the nature of the position and the duties included therein.
• no more than 10 scientific publications and no more than 5 materials intended to convey knowledge, such as textbooks, computer programmes for teaching, or popular science articles
• two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent in triplicate to the following address:

Karlstad University
HR Office
Hanna Ljungdahl
651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: 7 January 2024
State the reference no: REK 2023/221
We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.

This translation carries no legal weight.

https://kau.varbi.com/se/what:job/jobID:666818/