Director, Centre for Military Studies Military Studies

The Centre for Military Studies is an externally funded university-based research and policy centre within the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The Centre has some 12-14 staff and a centre administrator.

The Centre conducts policy-relevant research and provides research-based information and innovation that identify policy options for Denmark’s defence and security policy. The Centre works closely with the Danish Ministry of Defence, the Danish Armed Forces and the political world. As a university centre, CMS also engages in academic research.

As an integrated part of the Department of Political Science, the scientific staff at the Centre for Military Studies take part in teaching and research activities at the Department. The Department has some 2,100 students in its BA and MA programmes. For more information about the Centre, please see https://cms.polsci.ku.dk/english/about.

For more information on the Department, please consult https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/

Profile

We seek a director, who is committed to setting the Centre’s strategic priorities for the next five years, while also considering everyday operational concerns. A key priority is to further develop and profile the Centre for Military Studies as a world-class university think tank and research centre, in cooperation with staff and key stakeholders. The director will ensure that the Centre’s research and policy products are relevant for Danish decision-makers’ responses to an uncertain, complex and interconnected security environment. Likewise, the director will contribute to an informed research based public debate about Danish defence and security policy and be visible vis-à-vis key stakeholders as well as the interested public.

The successful applicant must possess managerial, strategic and academic competences, of which the following are required:

• Experience with leading research milieus and/ or think tanks, preferably in a university context;
• Ability to motivate staff to ensure the best possible output from the Centre;
• Good communication skills and networking skills;
• Experience with knowledge exchange and impact work;
• In-depth knowledge of Danish defense and Transatlantic/ European defense and security policy;
• Ability to engage with new agendas and milieus of relevance to the Centre;
• Record of high academic and policy impact.

Applicants must submit a brief (2-3 pages) vision statement on how they will develop the Centre for Military Studies in their five year period with a top three strategic priorities and how these should be realized. The vision statement should specifically describe how the candidate envisions the Centre engaging with the current and future security environment and especially issues related to Russia, European security, increasing defense budgets and hybrid threats (including cyber).

Job description

As director, you are responsible for:

• Setting the strategic direction of the Centre and providing results, in close dialogue with the Centre’s staff and stakeholders
• Securing external funding for the Centre, primarily from the Ministry of Defense
• Liaising with the Ministry of Defense, Parliament and other stakeholders and interested parties in Denmark and abroad
• Communication of the Centre’s research and policy-relevant analyses to Danish and international media
• Representing the Centre in external settings and building and maintaining policy and academic networks
• Managing the Centre and its employees on a daily basis
• Reporting to the Head of the Political Science Department, and ensuring that the Centre’s strategy and activities are aligned with the Department’s strategy and policies.

We seek applications from eminent candidates at the level of Senior Researcher/ Associate Professor or Senior Advisor.

Information on qualification requirements as Senior Researcher/ Associate Professor and Senior Advisor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here.

In order to be qualified at the level of Senior Researcher/ Associate Professor or Senior Advisor at the University of Copenhagen, the candidate must meet the University’s criteria of academic merit.

Six overall criteria at the University of Copenhagen (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Furthermore, each candidate must be assessed according to the specific requirements stated in the job advertisement.

Find more information on the UCPH criteria here.

Qualifications in Danish or another Scandinavian language are an advantage.

The position is for five years and is available from 1 July 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-0399/22-2E

Additional information about the position can be obtained from the Head of Department, professor Nina Græger – email ng@ifs.ku.dk or mobile 93516018, or the Deputy Head of Department for Research, associate professor Asmus Leth Olsen – email  ajlo@ifs.ku.dk.