Head of the Department of Strategy and Innovation, Copenhagen Business School

Do you want to lead an internationally acclaimed academic department shaping the forefront of research and teaching within the department’s key academic areas?  Are you excited about fostering an inclusive and collaborative academic environment that bridges cutting-edge research with societal impact? If so, Copen-hagen Business School invites you to apply for the position of Head of the Department of Strategy and In-novation (SI) commencing on 1 July 2025.

SI plays a crucial role in contributing to CBS' strategic mission of “Transforming Society with Business”. At its core, SI aims to provide value through research related to both business and society at large. Research at SI focuses on four key disciplines:

• Strategy
• Innovation 
• Entrepreneurship
• International business

The department is committed to producing high-impact research published in the very top-tier journals, while also engaging with practitioners, policymakers, and the public through various channels. SI is also highly successful in securing external funding, which enhances its ability to create societal impact and deep-en collaboration outside academia. This positive development is expected to continue. SI plays a central role in CBS’s research-based teaching, contributing to a variety of programmes under CBS’ matrix structure. SI provides courses and expertise across study programmes. Furthermore, the department also offers PhD education to nurture the next generation of scholars within the research areas and key disciplines.

As Head of SI, you will be instrumental in promoting CBS’s vision and strategy. You will

• Lead the department: Oversee the development and execution of research, teaching, and engage-ment strategies aligned with CBS’s broader ambitions. 
• Ensure inclusive environment: Recruit, retain, and encourage diverse talent and shape the aca-demic community in a more gender-balanced and inclusive direction. 
• Foster Academic Excellence: Support faculty in producing world-class research and delivering high-quality, research-based teaching across CBS programmes. 
• Promote academic collegiality: Support faculty in establishing collegiality characterized by open-mindedness, tolerance, and curiosity, while also developing the capacity to thrive in a competitive environment where ideas can be challenged.
• Ensure financial sustainability: Expand external funding activities and align them with SI’s research goals and societal mission. 

As the Head of Department, you will not only lead the department but also be an important part of CBS' leadership group. Heads of departments at CBS participate actively in shaping CBS’ strategic direction and central institutional procedures and policies in close collaboration with CBS Senior Management. This in-cludes implementing upcoming reforms in higher education and enhancing collaboration across CBS de-partments.

The Department comprises approximately 55 faculty members, along with 19 PhD students and postdocs, and 9 administrative staff. In addition, it benefits from the insights of around 30 external lecturers. The environment is international, with representation of about 19 different nationalities. English is the working language among faculty and in the secretariat and administrative support, but both English and Danish are equally accepted as working languages.

For a detailed description of the job and the desired competences, please refer to the Job and Competence Description. CBS encourages you to apply even if you do not meet all the listed qualifications or possess extensive experience in every area mentioned. However, to be considered for the position as Head of De-partment, you must be a recognized researcher at least at the associate professor level within one of the department’s fields.

The CBS strategy can be found here, and you can read more about the department here.

At Copenhagen Business School, we believe that diversity strengthens our community, and so, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates.

Recruitment process

An appointment committee chaired by the Deputy President will review and interview a selection of quali-fied candidates.

One of CBS’ strategic goals is the promotion of diversity, and efforts have been made to facilitate a process that reduces potential biases during the recruitment process. We therefore encourage applicants not to include photos or more personal information than absolutely necessary in the application.

To minimize bias in the selection process, applicants invited for interviews will not undergo an interview with the entire appointment committee in the first round but instead will be interviewed by each individual committee member through short online interviews.

Job interviews are expected to take place early May 2025 (round 1 – online) and late May 2025 (round 2 – physical). Between rounds 1 and 2, candidates are asked to answer two tests and participate in a feedback meeting (physical). Interviews will be conducted in English.

Terms of employment

The position of Head of Department is a time-limited position (åremålsansættelse) for typically 6 years de-pending on prior experience. After expiration, negotiation of extension of the employment will be possible. Salary, duration, and terms of appointment are open for negotiation.

The position is filled in accordance with the Danish collective agreement for academics as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations), and in ac-cordance with the Danish University Act and CBS' bylaws. The basic salary is fixed for DKK 49.629,67 pr month and CBS is open to negotiating supplementary salary as qualification allowance and fixed-term al-lowance (åremålstillæg).

Application and contact information

Application deadline: 30 April 2025. CBS wishes to fill the position by 1 July 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Please upload your application using the electronic recruitment system by following the link below. Please include a CV and any relevant documentation of research and education related qualifications, as well as experience and results pertaining to academic leadership. The application should include your ambition for the development of the department, as well as your reflections regarding the execution of the leadership task.

For more information, please contact Inger Askehave, Deputy President, at prorektor@cbs.dk or +45 41 85 22 88.

Closing date: 30 April 2025.

Apply online