The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) is announcing a time limited professorship with special responsibilities (Professor MSO) within the research program psychosocial work environment.

Job description There are five overarching research programs within NFA. This position pertains the psychosocial work environment research program. The research program is organised under a joint research unit with the safety culture and occupational accidents research program.

The successful candidate is expected to contribute to high research quality and impact by advancing internationally recognised research while generating clear societal value by improving knowledge, policy and practice in the working environment. The position includes participation in the unit’s research coordination team together with the Head of Research and senior colleagues. A central responsibility will be coordinating and further developing research within the psychosocial work environment research programme, particularly research on work organization, and collaboration and interpersonal relations at work. The candidate is therefore expected to have extensive research experience in this field. The professor will also play a key role in strengthening the international academic profile of the field and in further developing a strong interdisciplinary research environment within NFA’s strategic framework. Experience with survey methods, including the development of survey instruments, as well as familiarity with mixed methods approaches will be an advantage, as it will strengthen the methodological expertise of the research coordination team.

The position also includes supervision of PhD students and early career researchers and active engagement in developing the unit’s research environment. The successful candidate is expected to contribute to NFA’s dissemination of research to working environment stakeholders and to strengthen collaboration with leading national and international research institutions. The professor should establish and maintain a strong Danish network with researchers and relevant stakeholders while cultivating an international network with documented collaborations. The position further involves advancing NFA’s research on organisational competencies for improving the working environment and implementing interventions addressing psychosocial work environment challenges, including strengthening the reach of this research across sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises. The successful candidate should also be able to attract competitive research funding for their own research as well as for the broader research area.

Your qualifications The NFA’s ambition is to produce applied research about Danish working environments based on a solid evidentiary foundation, which results in a relevant social impact. We are looking for an applicant with:

• Extensive research experience within the overarching psychosocial work environment, especially research on the competencies within enterprises to effectively improve their work environment and survey research. All research conducted at the NFA must be documented through publishing in scientific journals at a high international level.
• A recognised international position within their own specific focus areas.
• The ability to raise the profile of the NFA in several strategically important areas including research on organizational factors such as psychological safety and organizational competency for improving the work environment.
• Substantial prior scientific contributions to the subject area.
• Documented methodological expertise, including experience with survey methods and/or mixed methods relevant to research on the psychosocial working environment.
• Experience with initiating and participating in interdisciplinary research programs.
• Substantial experience with handling sector-specific assignments, including advising authorities, the social partners and other stakeholders as well as tailored dissemination of research results in Danish to a wide range of users of scientific knowledge on occupational safety and health.
• Documented collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the occupational safety and health field.
• Documented experience with research supervision and participation in Nordic and international research networks.

We contribute to a healthy and dynamic labour market At the NFA, we conduct research on topics that affect working environments and occupational health today and in the future. As a sector research institution under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Employment, our mission is also to monitor and evaluate developments related to working environments and identify new risks. We train new researchers and disseminate our research results in recognised journals. We disseminate our research-based knowledge to workplaces, authorities, the social partners and advisors in the field of working environment. In doing so, we contribute to improving the working environment in Denmark.

You can read more about us at www.nfa.dk.

We find solutions together As part of the Danish Ministry of Employment, the NFA helps set the framework for peoples’ working lives, and we are therefore obligated to find the best solutions. We find them together. The NFA believes in open doors and low barriers. We share our knowledge and give each other feedback and input to help hone each other’s ideas before turning them into common solutions.

At the NFA, you will be working with skilled and dedicated colleagues in a fast-paced environment where we tackle major challenges. Every day offers new problems to solve, and you should therefore be prepared to take on ad hoc assignments and make use of your entire professional skillset. In return, you get plenty of opportunities to make a positive difference to people’s working lives.

Salary and terms of employment The candidate will be employed at NFA in a full-time professorship with special responsibilities. The position is limited to a period of 5 years with an option to extend for further 3 years.

We would like you to start on September 1, 2026 or at earliest convenience. The appointment is made in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) as well as the position structure for scientific staff with research assignments in sector research institutions. Remuneration consists of a basic salary according to the AC scale and with a negotiated pensionable supplement. In addition, an annual one-off payment may be granted based on the fulfilment of targets specified in a performance contract.

Questions and application If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, please contact Head of Research Jens Olav Dahlgaard by e-mail (jod@nfa.dk) or phone (+45 3916 5391) or Professor Reiner Rugulies (rer@nfa.dk). If you have any questions about salary and terms of employment, please contact HR partner Rikke Dahl Ledertoug at the Danish Ministry of Employment’s HR department by by e-mail (rdl@bm.dk) phone on (+45 2250 3487).

All interested applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of age, gender, disability, religion or ethnicity.

Submit your application electronically via the link below. The deadline for submitting your motivated resume, exam papers, list of publications, and documentation for research-related, sector-specific and teaching-related experience as well your 10 most relevant publications is April 19, 2026.

NFA reserves the right to select candidates for evaluation by the committee based on the criteria listed in the posting. A committee of experts will assess the selected applicants. The National Research Centre for the Working Environment will subsequently decide which of the qualified applicants with a positive evaluation will be best suited for the position.