The Institute of Federalism is a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence for federalism, state organisation, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Our Institute is part of the University of Fribourg with its roughly 10’000 students and over 2’500 staff members. The International Research and Consulting Centre of the Institute is active in research, capacity building and consultancy, cooperating with state authorities, universities, and organisations in Switzerland and abroad. Its activities aim at contributing to the peaceful coexistence of people in multicultural societies, to development and good governance.
We are looking to hire a new team member to join and support our new LEGITIMULT Horizon Europe project. The successful applicant will conduct research within the research project Legitimate Crisis Management and Multilevel Governance (LEGITIMULT) which is financed by the European Commission (Horizon Europe) and the Swiss Federal Government’s State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
The research Consortium consists of eleven partner institutions from across Europe who, in different Work Packages, collaborate to assess the impact of the measures taken by various international, national and subnational governments on multilevel institutions and intergovernmental relations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. LEGITIMULT analyses the effect of these measures on democratic governance, highlighting to what extent multilevel governance influences their impact on democracy, favouring a model of legitimate crisis management. The International Research and Consulting Centre (IRCC) at the Institute of Federalism will take on the scientific coordination of the project and is responsible for the dissemination of the results. In addition, we will lead the thematic Work Package on democratic participation and the rule of law.
We, the International Research and Consulting Centre (IRCC), are recruiting a
Senior Researcher (60-70%)
with intended start date 1 October 2022 (or by agreement) for 3 years. The main duties include:
- Lead the Fribourg part of the LEGITIMULT project, including supervising the Work Package on democratic participation and the rule of law and contribute substantially to a successful implementation of the dissemination strategy;
- Coordinate with the other Consortium participants externally, and with participating researchers at the Institute of Federalism and the IRCC internally;
- Undertake independent research on numerous work packages but particularly on the rule of law and democratic participation during the Covid-19 pandemic in selected European countries;
- Prepare high quality publications for different audiences including academic publications and policy briefs;
- Collect and analyse data independently;
- Cooperate with partners of the Institute;
- Report and communicate in line with Horizon Europe guidelines.
The required profile includes:
- PhD in Political Science, Law or a related discipline;
- Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods experience;
- Experience in data collection and evaluation and independent research design;
- Experience in comparative social and/or legal research
- Willingness to travel within Europe;
- Ability to coordinate with a variety of stakeholders and partners;
- Excellent knowledge of English and very good knowledge of German or French;
- Motivation and ability to work independently but also as part of a team;
- Strong interest in the Institute’s wider fields of activity;
- Experience in managing large research projects is a distinct advantage.
We are offering an interesting position with a high degree of responsibility and the possibility to further develop an individual research and publication profile, as well as integrate into an interdisciplinary research team at a leading Institute researching different aspects of Federalism and Decentralisation. For more information on the Institute of Federalism, please visit: www.federalism.ch
Switzerland’s high living standard and quality of life are renowned. We can offer a competitive salary, determined by the cantonal legislation, and excellent employment conditions. The renumeration corresponds to the salary scale of the University of Freiburg for academic staff (minimum starting salary CHF 91,788.00 pro rata).
Please send your complete application documents (CV with full list of publications, Cover Letter, List of at least two references and two samples of academic writing) to the following address by the end of June 2022 at the latest:
Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg
Dr Sören Keil
Av. Beauregard 1
1700 Freiburg
Switzerland
or by E-mail to: [email protected]
For any questions about the application process or aboutworking at the University or the Institute of Federalism, please contact Yvonne Heiter, Administrative Officer, at [email protected]
For any specific questions about the role, the LEGITIMULT project, or the IRCC, please contact Dr Soeren Keil, the Academic Head of the IRCC, at [email protected]