Research Coordinator, Making Agricultural Trade Sustainable Project

This Research Coordinator’s vacancy at the Department of Economics and Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, is open to outstanding individuals who enjoy intellectual leadership, strive for managerial excellence, and inspire people around a global network of researchers and administrators. The ideal candidate fulfills the following three-folded profile: (i.) strong research background and knowledge of the topic to scientifically contribute to deliverables (RUR-21-2020 - Agricultural markets and international trade in the context of sustainability objectives ) , (ii.) knowledge of and experience in EU-funded programs, such as H2020, and (iii.) proven track record in working with diverse partnerships, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to build and maintain relationships and support project partners to fulfill tasks as promised to the EU Commission.

We are seeking to appoint a Research Coordinator under the ongoing funded H2020 project, “Making Agricultural Trade Sustainable” - MATS project (https://sustainable-agri-trade.eu/ ), funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (07/21-12/24: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101000751 ). The ambition of MATS to identify key leverage points for changes in agricultural trade policy that foster the positive and reduce the negative impacts of trade on sustainable development and human rights. The H2020 project consortium is comprised of 14 partners with a wide geographical spread in Europe and Africa (https://sustainable-agri-trade.eu/our-partners/ ). This exciting full-time appointment is scheduled until December 2024, and will support the MATS H2020 Coordinator Professor Bodo Steiner .

Your role and expectations

The appointee will be responsible for supporting MATS project’s lead partner institution, the University of Helsinki. The candidate will support the implementation of a portfolio of research, communication and administrative management tasks, until the project termination in December 2024. In particular, the candidate will support MATS through contributions in Work Packages 3 to 6 (https://sustainable-agri-trade.eu/deliverables/ ). Enthusiasm for the subject, experience in large-scale EU projects, and/ or working experience in an interdisciplinary, multi-language environment is an asset. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee must have excellent English language, coordination, interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

A doctoral degree, and evidence of scholarly work are necessary for the position. Research coordinators can themselves be engaged in research activities. This requires the ability to coordinate research projects. In addition, scholarly work outside Finland and evidence of international cooperation are given particular consideration.

Your colleagues and the local environment

The areas of competence at the Department of Economics and Management include Agricultural Economics (Agricultural Policy, Production Economics & Farm Management), Consumer Economics, Environmental & Resource Economics, Management & Organizations for Sustainable Food Systems, Marketing, and Rural entrepreneurship. There are about 45 teaching and research staff at the department, and some 400-500 students, who study in a range of majors (food economics, consumer economics, agricultural economics, marketing and environmental economics). Your local environment is interdisciplinary and based on Viikki Campus, while providing you access to networks not only of MATS project partners , but also across multiple disciplines at the University of Helsinki and beyond (incl. HELSUS - Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, INEQ – Helsinki Inequality Initiative, and the M&O research group for sustainable food systems ).

What we offer

Your salary will be based on levels 6-7 of the requirements level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. Depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience, the salary is minimum 3762e per month. There is a six-month trial period for the position. We offer and expect working flexibility in an attractive environment in Helsinki, in terms of services, quality of life and work-life balance (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/why-finland ). The University of Helsinki is an equal opportunity workplace committed to advance wellbeing and diversity in science and education. We welcome applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities.

How to apply?

Applicants are to enclose with their application the following as a single pdf file in English:

• motivation letter,
• academic portfolio, including your CV, outlining project management, research, teaching and/or outreach experience, as well as involvement in other administrative duties.

External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the provided link (Apply Now button).

Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher's contract or a visiting researcher's contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the employee login.

The deadline for applications is October 15, 2022. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in person or by zoom and receive decisions before November 1st, 2022. Start date is negotiable.

Further information about the position is available from Professor Bodo Steiner (https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/prof-bodo-steiner-phd ), [email protected] , tel. +358 503 116 118.

Further information on the recruitment process may be obtained from HR Specialist Mirkka Juntunen ([email protected] ).

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large. www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

The Department of Economics and Management conducts high-quality research and teaching, involving the application of economics, management, marketing and consumption theory, methods and perspectives to address issues associated with the goods and services from our terrestrial and aquatic environments: agricultural areas, food systems, forests and aquatic environments. The department has several international research groups.  The department hosts the M.Sc. programme “Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics” and the M.Sc. programme “Food economy and consumption (website in Finnish)” and the B.Sc. programme “Environmental and Food Economics”. Our researchers also participate in the teaching and development of doctoral programmes. The Department is also a part of Helsinki Graduate School of Economics (HGSE).

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/research/economics-and-management