We are seeking an experienced Senior Team Leader to lead the Research Support team at the SDU eScience Center. The team plays a central role in helping researchers, research groups, and institutions across Denmark leverage advanced computing, cloud, AI, and data services to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation.

As Senior Team Leader, you will combine scientific insight, technical understanding, and leadership skills to guide a highly skilled team of research support specialists. Working closely with researchers across all disciplines, you will help shape how next-generation digital infrastructure is adopted and utilized within Danish research.

The position offers a unique opportunity to influence both the strategic development of national research services and the day-to-day support provided to tens of thousands of researchers using the center's infrastructure and platforms.

We are looking for a collaborative and forward-looking team leader who is passionate about enabling excellent research through advanced digital technologies. The ideal candidate combines scientific and technical credibility with strong leadership skills and enjoys working at the intersection of research, technology, and service development.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Research Support team, including strategic planning, prioritization, and staff development as part of the management group for the eScience center.

• Ensure high-quality support and consultancy services for researchers and customers from the public and private sector using the center's computing, cloud, AI, and data platforms.

• Build strong relationships with researchers, departments, external customers, and research infrastructures across SDU and nationally.

• Identify emerging research and customers’ needs and contribute to the development of new services, tools, and support initiatives.

• Collaborate with the center's technical teams to ensure that infrastructure and services align with user requirements and scientific developments.

Required qualifications

• Relevant university degree at Master's level or higher in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, data science, computational science, or a related discipline.

• Demonstrated leadership experience, including responsibility for teams, projects, or complex research initiatives.

• Strong understanding of computational research, scientific computing, data-intensive research, AI, or digital research infrastructure.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills in both Danish and English.

• The ability to engage effectively with researchers, technical specialists, customers from the private and public sector.

• Proven ability to translate scientific and customers’ needs into practical solutions and service developments.

Desired qualifications

• At least 3 years of experience from a university, research organization, national research infrastructure, or technology-oriented organization, including experience leading projects, teams, or research support activities. 

• Familiarity with high-performance computing, cloud computing, AI platforms, research data management, or research software engineering.

• Experience developing research support services, training activities, or scientific user communities.

• Knowledge of the Danish or European research infrastructure landscape.

While the positions offer flexibility and the possibility of remote work, the candidate is expected to be on-site in Odense.

About the SDU eScience Center

The SDU eScience Center is a national center for advanced digital research infrastructure at the University of Southern Denmark. The center develops, operates, and continuously advances large-scale computing, cloud, data, and AI services that support research across all scientific disciplines.

As Denmark's leading provider of research cyberinfrastructure, the center plays a central role in the national ecosystem for research computing and digital services. Through close collaborations with Danish universities, public institutions, and international partners, the center helps researchers access the computational resources and digital platforms needed to address some of society's most complex scientific and technological challenges.

The center is the primary developer and operator of UCloud, Denmark's national research cloud, which provides researchers with seamless access to advanced computing resources, AI and machine learning environments, data-intensive workflows, and scientific applications. Today, the platform serves tens of thousands of users across the Danish research community and forms a key component of the national e-infrastructure landscape.

At the SDU eScience Center, we combine the mindset of a research environment with the professionalism of a modern technology organization. Our teams work at the intersection of cloud computing, high-performance computing, AI infrastructure, data management, software engineering, and digital platform development. We actively contribute to open-source technologies and collaborate closely with researchers to transform emerging technologies into robust services with national impact.

At our center, you will be joining a highly collaborative community where brilliant minds—from IT professionals and data specialists to world-class researchers—converge to drive research innovation. We don’t just maintain servers; we build the foundational digital platforms that empower researchers, students and innovators to solve global challenges. 

Condition of Employment

The starting date for the job is as soon as possible, and it will be agreed with the successful candidate. The appointment is for a full-time permanent position.

All inquiries are welcome. Please contact:

Prof. Director Claudio Pica

SDU eScience center

Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science

University of Southern Denmark

email: pica@cp3.sdu.dk

Application deadline 15 August 2026.

Employment shall take place in accordance with the framework agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process.

SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

Application must include cover letter, CV and certificate. All documents in connection with the application should not contain CPR number (civil registration number) – in that case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

All attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. Cover letter and CV can contain max. 5 Mb.

We recommend that you read how to apply before you apply.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.