Head of IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies 50-100 % (Professorship)

About the job

Take over the leadership of the IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies with around 60 employees and play a key role in shaping its strategic and professional development. In doing so, you sharpen the research-based and practice-oriented profile of the institute and actively contribute as a member of the department management to the further development of the Department of Applied Linguistics.

Head of IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies 50-100 % (Professorship)

Department:

Applied Linguistics

Start of work:

1 March 2027 or by arrangement

Tasks

• Strategic leadership and further development of the institute
• Management of the directly subordinate scientific and administrative staff
• Practice-relevant teaching and research preferably on media-mediated public communication
• Networking of the institute internally and externally, nationally and internationally
• Promotion of employees in their respective fields of work and in their professional development
• Participation in the management of the Department of Applied Linguistics at ZHAW
• Leadership and representation tasks for the entire department

Profile

You bring leadership experience preferably in higher education and/or in the professional fields of communication or journalism, as well as a doctorate related to language and communication. Solid experience in university teaching and research or in the professional fields of the institute is also part of your background, as is the ability to develop content innovatively and practically.

As an integrative personality, you lead based on a modern, transformative leadership style: you inspire employees, promote self-efficacy and actively shape change processes. You rely on participation, strengthen teams purposefully and create an environment that enables responsibility, creativity and further development.

Entrepreneurial and innovative thinking characterises your actions, especially when it comes to strategic decisions and collaboration with stakeholders of media-mediated public communication. With your strong international network and your familiarity with the Swiss educational landscape and the professional fields of multilingual Switzerland, you represent the institute convincingly both internally and externally.

You have a high level of proficiency in German and English, ideally complemented by at least one other national language.

Professorship perspective: If the regulatory requirements are met, the awarding of the professorship by the University of Applied Sciences Council is planned. This includes in particular at least five years of relevant practical experience or an equivalent recognised activity, proven excellence in teaching or further education as well as research, demonstrated by publications or an equivalent professional record, and a university didactic qualification with proven teaching success at university level.

Tandem applications for joint assumption of the institute management are also welcome. In the case of tandem appointments, the awarding of the professorship is possible for one of the two persons, provided the regulatory requirements are met.
We look forward to receiving your application by 13 December 2026.

The first interviews are expected to take place in the 1st calendar week of 2027 (4-8 January). Assessments are planned afterwards. The specialist lectures and second interviews are expected to take place in the 5th calendar week of 2027 (1-5 February).

We kindly ask you to take these time slots into account in your planning if possible.

What we stand for

The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest multi-disciplinary universities of applied sciences in Switzerland, with over 14,000 students and over 11,000 continuing education participants as well as around 3,700 employees.

The Department of Applied Linguistics is the only linguistic specialised department at a Swiss university of applied sciences and one of the largest in Europe. In research and teaching, we create and convey practice-oriented, forward-looking knowledge and skills for language, media and communication professions - with artificial intelligence and human added value.

The IAM Institute for Applied Media Studies with its around 60 employees professionalises communication in the professional fields of journalism, communication and marketing - and has been doing so for 25 years. With offerings and services in teaching, continuing education, research and consulting, the institute fulfils the fourfold mandate of universities of applied sciences.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams to promote equality, diversity and innovation. To increase the proportion of women in leadership positions, applications from women are particularly welcome.

What we offer

We offer university-appropriate working and employment conditions and actively promote the personnel development of our employees and managers. A detailed description of the benefits can be found on the page Working at ZHAW . Here are the main points:

Contact

Prof. Dr Alice Delorme Benites
Director Department of Applied Linguistics

+41 58 934 60 75

Franziska Trebus
HR Branding & Recruiting Manager

+41 58 934 73 80