Head: Institute for Mental Health (Professorship) (80 - 100 %)

Head: Institute for Mental Health (Professorship) (80 - 100 %)

Opportunities for shaping the entire breadth of the Mental Health field: For the newly founded Institute for Mental Health at the Department of Applied Psychology, we are looking for a strong leadership personality as institute head.

Department: Applied Psychology

Start of work: August 1, 2026

As head of the Institute for Mental Health (IMH), you will take on the strategic, professional, personnel, and organizational leadership of a newly constituted institute with national visibility and a wide thematic range in the field of Mental Health. You will shape the development and strategic further development of the institute and be responsible for its positioning in teaching, research & development, continuing education, and services. As a member of the department management, you will also actively contribute to the further development of the department.

Your tasks:

• Strategic and operational management of the institute with active service delivery in studies, applied research and development, continuing education, and services in the field of psychotherapy and psychological counseling
• Continuous further development of the institute's structural and procedural organization as well as active quality management
• Professional leadership and thematic profiling in the areas of clinical psychology, psychotherapy, health psychology across the lifespan
• Promotion of (inter-)disciplinary collaboration and cooperation
• Active work in at least one service area of the institute
• Expansion and maintenance of national and international networks in science and practice to ensure sustainable resource development
• Representation of the institute towards internal and external stakeholders
• As a member of the department management, co-responsible for the strategic further development and leadership of the Department of Applied Psychology
• Psychologist MSc with a doctorate in the fields of Mental Health, Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, or related disciplines
• Additional qualification as a psychotherapist
• Proven experience in personnel, strategic, and financial leadership of expert organizations
• Track record in at least one service area as well as in-depth knowledge of the other service areas
• Strong, integrative leadership personality with high role awareness and the deep ability to take perspectives
• Distinct social and communicative skills

If the corresponding requirements are met - PhD, proven research competence and publication activity, at least five years of practice outside the university, and CAS in university didactics or comparable didactic qualification or willingness to acquire it – the awarding of the professorship title by the University of Applied Sciences Council is possible.

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

The Department of Applied Psychology is newly divided into three institutes and two departments. The units merged in the newly founded Institute for Mental Health come from the existing institutes of the department and are successfully positioned in all four service areas. As head of the new institute, you will have the opportunity to shape the development and profiling of the focus topics.

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.

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

Prof. Dr. Daniela Eberhardt

Director Department of Applied Psychology

Selina Frei

Recruiting Manager