Project Manager (Games as a Platform to Tackle Grand Challenges, PROFI6)

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational, and high-impact research and education. We are a community of 35,000 people and Finland’s second largest multidisciplinary higher-education institution. Our competitive edges are in technology, health, and society. Read more. 

The profiling area of Games as a Platform to Tackle Grand Challenges is one of four profiling areas funded by the Academy of Finland PROFI 6 funding.  

The “Games as a Platform to Tackle Grand Challenges” profiling area aims to strengthen Tampere University’s internationally revered position as a vanguard of game and gamification research, by enforcing the capacities to create further multidisciplinary breakthroughs at Tampere University but also through strengthened international networks and societal interaction. The profiling area builds upon the extant international excellence in games, gamification and XR as methods, technology, practices and culture, and thematically approaches global grand challenges through innovative game-based solutions. 

The profiling area of Games as a Platform to Tackle Grand Challenges is now looking for a Project Manager (Senior Researcher) to coordinate the Platform’s activities and development.  

Job description 

The project manager of the profiling area has a central role in the development of the area and its activities and facilitates these activities in collaboration with the profiling area professors and researchers. The role requires understanding of academia and research work.  

The tasks and responsibilities of the project manager include the following:  

• Defining and developing relevant multidisciplinary networks for the profiling area  
  • Internal networking within the Tampere Universities community 
  • National and international academic collaboration 
  • National and international commercial and societal actors  
• Supporting and developing games/gamification related research infrastructure 
  • Working in collaboration with relevant staff scientists 
  • Developing future uses and activities for research infrastructures 
  • Supporting researchers and professors with infrastructure need and uses 
• Supporting existing research projects and the development of new research projects 
  • Project funding acquisition 
  • Identification of relevant funding calls 
  • Development of shared resources 
  • Commercialization and research-to-business development  
• Development of relevant curriculum and doctorate programs in collaboration with area professors 
• Supporting and developing relevant events and conferences 
• Establishing joint actions towards increasing research quality, openness and impact 
  • Development of shared resources and databases 
  • Establishment of workshops and seminars 
  • Development of multidisciplinary training efforts and strategy  
• Strengthening the societal impact and outreach of the profiling area 
  • Development and implementation of social media and online presence strategy 
  • Development and implementation of the communications strategy for the area (in collaboration with relevant university professionals) 
  • Development of societal impact activities (events etc.) 
• Maintaining the relationship with other relevant TAU profiling areas  

Requirements 

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (the candidate either has completed prior studies or has other substantive experience in relation to human-technology interaction or game research) 
• Research experience 
• Funding acquisition experience 
• Experience in managing research projects and academic work 
• Experience in project management, event coordination and administrative tasks 
• Expertise and understanding of games and gamification and their potential  
• Good scientific writing, presentation and communication skills in English (also a good command of Finnish is required) 
  • Scientific communication & outreach 
  • Network coordination 

Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary and boldly forward-looking, evolving community. Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition bildung, and learner-centredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work. 

We offer 

The position is located in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences and is initially fixed term until May 2026. Appointment is expected to commence as soon as possible, as mutually agreed. Trial period of six months applies for all new employees. 

The salary will be based on both the job demands and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the University Salary System. According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a project manager is placed on the job demand level 5.  The minimum starting salary will range between 3500-4200 EUR/month. Higher salaries may be agreed dependent upon experience and/or performance. 

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University. 

We are inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, active and truly international research community. We value interdisciplinarity, as it allows you to expand your research network and exposes you to new perspectives and ideas to solve complex research problems and pursue novel research findings. We are strongly committed to the highest level of scientific research. 

How to apply 

Applications must be submitted by the online application form (link below). Closing date for applications is 19.4.2022 (23.59 EEST, UTC +3). Applications and all accompanying documentation must be written in English. Applications should include (preferably in combined PDF format): 

• A letter of motivation (max. 2 pages) explaining how your research interests, skills, and experience are relevant to the position as well as your tentative vision on how to develop a leading research area (e.g. along the dimensions indicated above) 
• Curriculum Vitae according to TENK guidelines 
• Optionally:  
  • List of publications according to Academy of Finland guidelines (please indicate or highlight the five publications deemed most relevant for the position, and for each of these provide a short paragraph explaining the contribution that makes the publication significant) 

For any further information, please contact Prof. Juho Hamari, juho.hamari@tuni.fi.  

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Application period starts: 2022-04-04 13:30 Application period ends: 2022-04-19 23:59