Postdoctoral (2 Years) – Scientific And Managerial Lead, European Quantum Skills Academy (Eqa)

The Department of Management at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University invites applications for a 2-year postdoctoral position as Scientific and Managerial Lead for the European Quantum Skills Academy (EQA).

This position offers a unique opportunity to take a central role in one of Europe’s major initiatives in quantum workforce development, education coordination, and skills ecosystem building. The EQA brings together a large network of European stakeholders across universities, industry, training providers, and policy organisations, with the goal of strengthening Europe’s quantum talent pipeline and accelerating the development of high-quality, scalable training across the continent.

The successful candidate will work at the intersection of research, strategy, stakeholder coordination, and EU grant implementation, with responsibility for driving scientific coherence and ensuring robust project execution across the consortium.

The starting date is May 1st 2026.

Job description

The successful candidate will play a central scientific and managerial role in the implementation of the European Quantum Skills Academy. Responsibilities include:

Scientific leadership in quantum workforce development

• Contributing to the scientific framing of EQA’s work on quantum workforce needs, skills gaps, training provision, and talent pipeline development across Europe.
• Supporting the design and coordination of analyses and mapping activities related to quantum education, training, and workforce demand (academic, vocational, industry-oriented).
• Translating workforce evidence into actionable recommendations, reports, and strategic outputs for European stakeholders.
• Contributing to academic publications related to quantum workforce development, skills policy, innovation ecosystems, or education strategy, where relevant and aligned with project priorities.

EU project coordination and grant management

• Leading day-to-day implementation and coordination of work packages, milestones, deliverables, and reporting across a large multi-partner EU consortium.
• Supporting the coordination team in ensuring compliance with EU grant obligations, timelines, and documentation standards.
• Overseeing internal processes for deliverable drafting, review, quality assurance, submission, and follow-up with the European Commission and project officer.

Stakeholder engagement and ecosystem building

• Managing engagement with key European quantum stakeholders including universities, research institutes, industry partners, national initiatives, and EU-level networks.
• Coordinating meetings, workshops, and strategic events, including agenda-setting, facilitation, and synthesis of outcomes.
• Supporting the development of structured collaborations between education providers and industry to strengthen training relevance and uptake.

Communication, dissemination, and strategic outputs

• Coordinating the production of high-quality written outputs, including deliverables, strategy briefs, policy-facing materials, and dissemination content.
• Contributing to presentations, external communications, and stakeholder-facing messaging aligned with EQA’s objectives.

Cross-team coordination and operational leadership

• Acting as a bridge between scientific content, project operations, and consortium dynamics.
• Supporting internal governance processes, including work package coordination, decision tracking, and follow-up actions across partners.

Applicants must have:

• A PhD degree in a relevant field (e.g., quantum technology, science/technology policy, innovation studies, management, education research, or a closely related discipline).
• Documented experience managing EU-funded projects for at least 3 years, including hands-on grant management in the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) (essential).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex work across multiple partners and stakeholder groups, including managing timelines, deliverables, and reporting processes.
• Strong writing skills, with experience producing high-quality deliverables, reports, and stakeholder-facing outputs.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in international and multidisciplinary settings.
• Professional fluency in English (written and spoken).

Who we are

The Department of Management is part of Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University – a top 100 university. Aarhus BSS has achieved the triple-crown AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditations.

The department has an international research and teaching environment, employs approximately 160 Danish and international researchers, academic staff, and PhD students. We excel in business management, including strategy, innovation, marketing, organisation, digitalisation, and accounting. Our aim is to deliver high-quality research, with a strong emphasis on publishing in leading academic journals and presenting at recognised conferences.

Further information

For further information about the position and the department, please contact the Director of the Center for Hybrid Intelligence, Professor Jacob Sherson Tel.: +45 28775765, Email: sherson@mgmt.au.dk

If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR supporter Line Greve Brunhøi, Email: lgb@au.dk

Place of work

Aarhus BSS
Department of Management
Universitetsbyen 61-63
8000, Aarhus C
Denmark

All applications must be made online and received by February 25, 2026.

International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information here:
https://internationalstaff.au.dk/relocationservice/

Please find more information about research opportunities at Aarhus University here: http://international.au.dk/research/

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU.
http://talent.au.dk/junior-researcher-development-programme/

Terms of employment

The appointment is made in accordance with the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities as well as the circular on the Collective Agreement for Academics Employed by the State (in Danish).
The job content and qualification requirements are described in further detail in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Application procedure

When you apply for this position it is mandatory to attach the following:

• Application
• Curriculum Vitae. You are encouraged to declare any periods of leave without research activity, including, for example, maternity leave, since your research activities are assessed in relation to your actual research time
• Education (diploma for master's, PhD and possibly higher doctoral degree)
• List of publications (the enclosed publications must be clearly marked on the list of publications)
• Publications. Up to three publications can be included in the application. In the event of several authors the publications must be accompanied by a co-author statement concerning the applicant's share of the collaborative work with the consent of the co-authors. This template may be used for the purpose
• Teaching portfolio. The specific requirements regarding the documentation can be found here

Materials which cannot be uploaded together with the application may be submitted in three copies to Aarhus BSS HR & PhD, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 16, DK-8000 Aarhus C.

The evaluation process

After the application deadline, an assessment committee is appointed. Please note that the assessment of applicants is based solely on the material received prior to the application deadline. For further information, see Guidelines for Assessment Committee, Aarhus BSS.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.