PhD Fellowship in Health Leadership and Service Development – 2 Positions

About the position

At Nord University, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, two temporary positions are available as PhD fellows within health leadership and service development, affiliated with the PhD programme in Professional Practice. The appointment period is either: 100% employment for three years, or four years with 75% doctoral research work and 25% career-promoting duties. The preferred starting date is by agreement.

Project theme
The shortage of health personnel is expected to pose significant challenges to the operation, quality and development of health, care and welfare services in the years ahead. Ensuring sustainable services requires innovation, systematic service development and knowledge-based leadership.

Changes in task distribution, increased use of technology and new forms of organisation mean that health professionals are being assigned broader responsibilities and increased leadership roles. This strengthens the need for research on:

health leadership and strategic governance
organisational development and utilisation of competence
collaboration and service innovation
implementation of new work practices and technological solutions
professional practice and the development of professional roles in transition

The doctoral project shall contribute new knowledge on how health, care and welfare services can be led, developed and/or organised to meet future demands for quality, efficiency and sustainability.

The application must be clearly rooted in the faculty’s strategic priority areas as described above and demonstrate how the project contributes to relevant and integrated knowledge development within these areas.

Project requirements:
The application must include a project proposal of 3–6 pages, including references. The proposal shall include: title, abstract, introduction, background and state of knowledge, research questions, theoretical framework and methodological approach, as well as ethical considerations.

The project proposal may be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Supervision and PhD admission:
A principal supervisor and 1–2 co-supervisors will be appointed after employment. Together with the candidate, the project will be further developed during the first three months of employment.

Employment is conditional upon admission to the PhD programme in Professional Practice at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences. More information about the programme is available at nord.no .

Place of work and internationalisation:
The position will be based at one of the university’s campuses, preferably Bodø or Levanger. The successful candidate is expected to reside in a location that enables presence at the workplace. Work duties at other campuses may also be relevant.

It is possible to apply for financial support for a research stay at a foreign institution of 3–12 months during the fellowship period.

The doctoral thesis should preferably be written in English.

This is Nord University

Would you like to help create knowledge that makes a difference? At Nord University, we develop future solutions through education, research, and collaboration with the society around us.

Together, we shape the future with roots in the North and our eyes on what lies ahead.

Nord in the world - knowledge for the future.

Qualification requirements

A master’s degree within a health or social care professional education, or other relevant education (e.g. economics and administration or social sciences) at master’s level (120 ECTS credits)
Normally, a minimum overall grade of B on the master’s degree (ECTS grading scale) is required
The successful candidate must be admitted to the faculty’s PhD programme in Professional Practice. A final project proposal, including a plan for the doctoral work, must be approved and agreed upon no later than three months after commencement of employment
Documentation that all requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Professional Practice at Nord University are fulfilled. See admission requirements: PhD in Professional Practice
Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must submit approval of the master’s degree from NOKUT
Good English language skills, both written and oral, are required

Applicants who already hold a PhD degree will not be considered for the position.

Qualified applicants will be ranked according to the following criteria:

Experience with relevant research and development (R&D) work (publications, methodological competence) within the field
Relevant clinical education and experience
Themes and perspectives from the applicant’s master’s studies
The applicant’s description of motivation for doctoral studies and feasibility of project completion
Ability to work independently, purposefully and systematically
Ability to collaborate with others
Motivation for an international research stay (3–12 months)
Personal suitability

We offer

The annual salary for doctoral researchers (code 1017) is NOK 550 800,-.

Advantages within the Government Pension Fund for loans, insurance and pension
Creative and collegial working environment
A workplace with progressive development
Flexible working hours
Active university sports team
Weekly exercise hour during working hours
Beautiful nature close to the workplace

General information

The person who is appointed must abide by the applicable laws, agreements, and directives. The responsibilities and duties associated with the position may change with future reorganization at Nord University.

Nord University is subject to the Security Act, which sets requirements for the handling of classified and sensitive information. To increase security in the hiring process, Nord may conduct background checks on relevant candidates.

The public sector workforce is expected to reflect the diversity of the population in general. Nord University therefore encourages qualified candidates with disabilities, gaps in their CV, immigrant backgrounds or different life experience to apply.

If applicants indicate they have disabilities or gaps in their CV, their details may be used anonymously for the purposes of governmental annual review.

Application process

Applicants will be evaluated by an internal expert committee. Relevant applicants will be invited for an interview, trial lecture or other presentations. For more information, see Nord`s website .

The Faculty reserve the right not to hire applicants who may be scientifically qualified but who do not meet other criteria such as language, educational background or personal characteristics

Application

Application deadline: 1 June 2026

The application should include:

Application letter describing your motivation for applying
Complete CV (education, work and teaching experience, and overview of publications)
Copies of diplomas for bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and relevant certificates
Applicants with education from outside Scandinavia, with diplomas issued in a language other than English, must attach certified diplomas in both the original language and authorised English translations
Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must submit NOKUT recognition of their master’s degree
Copy of the master’s thesis as a PDF file
Names and contact information of 2-3 referees (name, relationship, email and phone number)
Other relevant activities to be considered
All documentation must be uploaded as electronic attachments.

All documents must be uploaded as attachments as a PDF files to the electronic application form.

It is the applicant's responsibility to submit the complete documentation within the deadline.

After the application deadline, a public list of applicants will be prepared. Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has requested to be omitted from the public list. Applicants requesting confidentiality must justify this; they will be notified before their name is made public.

Ref. no. 30253874 og 30253875

Contact persons

For more information, please contact:

Head of academic group Hilde Munkeby, e-mail: hilde.munkeby@nord.no tel: +47 74 02 29 49
Head of academic group Wenche Wannebo, e-mail: Wenche.wannebo@nord.no tel: + 47 74 21 23 63
HRM-Advisor Ann Karin Størvold, e-mail: ann.k.storvold@nord.no tel: +47 74 11 20 48

The Faculty of Nursing and Health

The Faculty of Nursing and Health (FSH) is responsible for education, research, and dissemination within various health science disciplines. We offer, among other things, undergraduate programs in nursing, social education, paramedicine, and pharmacy. In addition, we provide several practice-oriented master's programs, continuing education courses, and shorter studies, as well as an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in professional studies. We develop knowledge for healthcare professionals to meet the future of health and welfare services, with a focus on lifelong learning.

The academic environment is organized into the research groups Health and Social Participation, Care and Nursing Sciences, Healthcare Innovation, Collaboration and Leadership, Emergency Preparedness and Acute Treatment, as well as the Center for Care Research, Mid-Norway. The faculty also has several research groups within various research fields. Priority areas in research include mental health among children and young people, health preparedness, as well as health management and service development.

Read more: Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences | Nord.no

Stipendiat innen helseledelse og tjenesteutvikling - 2 stillinger