Professorship Leadership IMK Institute for Multilingual Communication 100 %

About the job

Professorship Leadership IMK Institute for Multilingual Communication 100 %

The ZHAW Department of Applied Linguistics is looking for you as a member of the department management. As a new faculty member, you will sharpen the research-based and practice-oriented profile of the IMK Institute for Multilingual Communication and share responsibility for leading the institute with 50 employees.

Department: Applied Linguistics

Start date: November 1, 2026

• Participation in the management of the Department of Applied Linguistics at ZHAW
• Leadership and representation tasks for the entire department
• Strategic management and further development of the institute in the four areas of teaching, continuing education, research, and services
• Leadership of the directly subordinate scientific and administrative staff
• Practice-relevant teaching and research preferably on multilingual communication in the context of artificial intelligence
• Networking the institute internally and externally, nationally and internationally
• Promotion of employees in their respective work areas and in their professional development

You bring a doctorate as well as a convincing research profile and combine scientific excellence with several years of practical experience in the professional fields of the IMK. Solid experience in university teaching and research is part of your background as well as 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 development. Entrepreneurial and innovative thinking characterizes your actions, especially when it comes to strategic decisions and collaboration in intercultural contexts.

With your strong international network and your familiarity with the educational landscape and professional fields of multilingual Switzerland, you represent the institute convincingly both internally and externally. You master German and English at a high level, complemented by at least one other language.

Applications from two people who wish to share the leadership position as a tandem are also welcome.

If the requirements are met, the awarding of the title of professor is planned. The title is awarded by the University of Applied Sciences Council.

Have we aroused your interest? Then we look forward to receiving your application by May 31, 2026.

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

Institute for Multilingual Communication: Researching, teaching, and shaping at the interface of language, culture, and technology – multilingual, application-oriented, future-oriented, and socially anchored. With our expertise in multilingual and multimodal communication, we drive the transformation of the extended language industry and enable language and communication professionals to actively shape digital and social change.

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. Daniel Perrin

Director Department of Applied Linguistics

Franziska Trebus

HR Branding & Recruiting Manager