Overview
Åbo Akademi University opens a fixed-term position as Research Assistant. Åbo Akademi together with Helsinki Deaconess Foundation offers a joint fixed-term appointment focusing on societal impact research, from 1 January 2025 – 30 June 2026. The joint fixed-term appointment is full time and the appointee will work first at Åbo Akademi University as Research Assistant 1 January – 30 September 2025, or starting as agreed, and then at Helsinki Deaconess Foundation as Project Researcher 1 October 2025-30 June 2026. The appointment will comprise of two different employment relationships. You apply for both at the same time. The employment as Research Assistant at ÅAU is placed at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics, in Turku.
The joint appointment concerns the project Diversity, Trust and Two-Way Integration (Mobile Futures), funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland.
What is Mobile Futures?
Mobile Futures is an interdisciplinary, action-oriented research project that seeks to make a scientific and societal contribution to co- creating a fair and inclusive Finnish society. The project tackles the challenges of demographic changes – population ageing and the decrease in the number of working-age population – by providing concrete solutions for adapting Finland’s welfare society to these changes. Mobile Futures argues that a trust-based society is more resilient in the face of future challenges. International migration can partially combat the challenges brought by demographic changes, but only if Finland builds societal preparedness for increased migration. This can be done by refashioning Finland’s approach to integration by turning its focus on the whole society through improving institutional and social trust. To achieve this goal, the project employs co-creative research methodologies, through which solutions are jointly developed by the project researchers and partners. The project is implemented by a consortium including Åbo Akademi University, University of Oulu, the Migration Institute of Finland, and the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation.
The successful candidate will have expertise in evaluating impact and/or in the integration field and cross-sectoral collaboration including higher education institutions, the third sector and other actors within the field of integration. We welcome candidates with both academic experience and research experience from outside academia.
The conducted independent research work should focus on Finland and may encompass the following (not excluding other) themes:
Impact of cross-sectoral collaboration within the field of integration
Changing roles of actors involved in integration
Role of the third sector in integration
Impact of financial cuts in the third sector and municipalities
QUALIFICATIONS
We are looking for a person with strong knowledge in impact evaluation and/or integration and cross-sectoral collaboration. The candidate should have:
Master’s degree in the relevant field
Good knowledge of English
In addition, the candidate should be able to draft the final research report in one of three languages: English, Finnish or Swedish. For practical reasons, knowledge of the Finnish language is desirable at Deaconess Foundation. Other multilingual skills are considered an advantage.
The applicants may be invited to an interview.
SALARY AND CONDITIONS
At ÅAU, the General collective agreement for universities is applied. The Research Assistant’s salary is based on level 4 of the job demand levels for research staff in the salary system for researchers and teachers at universities. In addition, an individual salary component based on personal work performance is added to the salary.
At ÅAU the system with total working hours of 1612 hours per year applies. The work tasks are defined in more detail in an annual work plan. A trial period is applied to new employments.
The appointee will have the opportunity to, upon agreement, work remotely within the country.
At the Deaconess Foundation, the collective agreement for the private social services sector is applied. The Deaconess Foundation is a smoke-free, alcohol- and drug-free workplace.
Read more and leave your application at Åbo Akademi’s website: https://abo.rekrytointi.com/paikat/?o=A_A&jid=844
Source: Job Market Finland’s customer information system