Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä is seeking to recruit

Coordinator for an academic research project in the programme Cultures, Communities and Change, for a fixed-term period of 3.2.2025 – 30.6.2026.

Duties and requirements

The position is allocated to the Department of History and Ethnology and to a project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland titled: “LGBTQI+ and Street-level bureaucrats: Assessing Motives, Violence and Possibilities for Collective Advocacy in East Africa”.

The abstract of the project can be found below:

ACACIA - LGBTQI+ and Street-level bureaucrats: Assessing Motives, Violence and Possibilities for Collective Advocacy in East Africa | Jyväskylän yliopisto

The main tasks of the Coordinator, as a member of an international research team, are outlined below.

• Create social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others) for the project to advertise itself and its work.
• Help us create stories for Instagram and put everything on the selected social media channels, monitor/moderate them, actively create new info blurbs for social media sites from project events, project news, project results. The Coordinator will be in charge of the project’s social media profile and all the tasks needed for this.
• Take care of travel administration: ordering tickets and booking accommodation through CWT paid for by the project, and taking care of the administrative needs of international project visitors when they arrive to the University of Jyväskylä.
• Take care of the administrative communication with research partners in Europe, North America, and Africa.
• Take part in the internal research seminars of the project and participate in weekly academic meetings and brainstorming sessions.
• Be the lead organizer (with help from project members) of a small international academic conference at JYU that will take place in June, 2026.

A good command of English, good social and communication skills, and familiarity with using social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) are required for this position. The applicants are expected to have a Bachelor’s degree in the one of the following academic fields: anthropology, ethnology, cultural policy, journalism, communications studies, gender studies, queer studies, sociology, political science, development studies, African studies, violence studies, or other relevant academic backgrounds. Prior expertise on working administratively (in organizations, for instance) with international researchers, students and visitors, as well as prior familiarity with culturally sensitive issues will be considered assets.

We expect from a Coordinator preparedness to work as a full member of an international research team, to create and update our platforms for publicizing the project through social media, to manage email communications with project partners around the world, to manage the travel-related administration of the project, to take part in the internal research seminars of the project, to participate in weekly academic meetings, and to be the main (responsible) organizer of the project conference in June 2026. 

What does the University of Jyväskylä offer as an employer?

At the University of Jyväskylä, you are a recognized member of our community with a unique opportunity to influence international research. You get to participate in our international and multi-science community where the welfare of each individual is important. At the University of Jyväskylä, we offer a great and lively university campus area with opportunities to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. To find useful information about the University of Jyväskylä, the City of Jyväskylä and living in Finland, see the University's International Staff Guide.

The place of work will be Jyväskylä, Finland. The Coordinator will work full time at the University of Jyväskylä for the entire duration of the position, although a 50/50 remote/in-office work arrangement can be negotiated.

Salary

The Coordinator position for the project is rated on level MV06 in the YPJ salary system for Finnish universities. The monthly salary (gross income) in this coordinator position will be approximately 2420–2590€, depending on the qualifications and prior experience of the candidate.

Six months trial period is applied to the filling of the position.

How to apply?

Following documents must be included in English to the electronic recruiting system:

1. CV composed according to good scientific practice and considering, when possible, the template for researcher´s curriculum vitae of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK)
2. Short motivation letter
3. The email address of a current or previous supervisor, teacher, or colleague, so that the project leader can request from them a recommendation letter stating why they think you are the right person for this job.

Applicants are kindly asked to submit their applications using the online application form by December 15, 2024 (11.59 PM EEST). Selected applicants will be interviewed online during January.

For more information, please contact the head of the project, Professor Laura Stark: laura.stark@jyu.fi.