Department Head for Management Support

Mälardalen University (MDU) is Sweden's newest university. With our vision to be a progressive and collaborative university where we together shape a sustainable future, we want to make a real difference.

Do you want to contribute to our development?

Together, we contribute to a more sustainable future through knowledge and innovation. We believe that new knowledge and perspectives are best created and achieved in collaboration with others - colleagues, students, industry, and the public sector both nationally and internationally.

The Management Support Department provides university-wide support. We support university management, faculties, departments, and various central bodies within the university and are responsible for the MDU brand and internal and external communication. The department also handles certain operational development issues and offers legal support to the university. We work closely with those we support to understand actual needs and proactively assist all management levels in implementing and developing the university's operations.

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

Employment type: Permanent position starting with a possible probationary period
Start date: By agreement
Extent: Full-time
Number of positions: 1
Application deadline: February 10, 2026
Location: Västerås
Faculty/unit/department: Management Support

JOB DESCRIPTION

As department head, you are responsible for leading, developing, and following up on the department's operations, which includes both financial responsibility and employer responsibility. You drive the department forward by creating good conditions for employees, developing work processes, and ensuring high quality in everything you deliver.

Your role also includes developing and coordinating support and services at multiple levels within the university – from management to faculties and departments – with a focus on operational benefit and recipient perspective. You work to create efficient, legally secure, and purposeful processes that strengthen the university's ability to make well-founded decisions and contribute to professional governance.

You have overall responsibility for the university's preparation and decision support as well as for the work with governing documents and rule interpretations. The role involves close support to management functions and bodies, both at the university-wide level and within faculties and departments. The department also has legal expertise and parts of the university's communication activities, which means you lead a broad operation that is central to the university's strategic development.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• Fluent communication skills in Swedish and English, both orally and in writing
• Several years of experience as a manager with operational, financial, and employer responsibilities in similar positions within the public administration
• Solid experience and competence in change management and quality work
• Good understanding and knowledge of educational and research activities within the university and higher education sector, particularly management processes and decision preparation
• Experience of being part of a management team.
• Experience working in the area of operational support at a university or college within its sector authorities or at the relevant departmental level
• Previous experience of qualified administrative work and governance issues close to management at an overarching organizational level.
• Distinct strategic and operational structural ability

You have the ability to lead and motivate employees in a co-creative spirit and to build a positive and sustainable work environment together with them. You understand complex contexts and can translate strategies into practical implementation that leads to goal fulfillment. As a leader, you are clear, present, and skilled at setting frameworks, delegating, and creating psychological safety, while also following up and adapting your leadership based on the challenges of the operation and the needs of the employees. You also have an easy time seeing the whole and different perspectives and can create engagement and accountability for both the overarching operation and for how each part contributes to the whole.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Desirable for the position is to have:

• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Led organization-wide change/development projects
• Experience leading other managers as a manager
• Many years of experience at an organization-wide level in planning within public operations such as operational planning, analysis, and internal governance and control
• Worked in an administratively supportive managerial role within the university and higher education sector
• International experience
• Networks within the higher education sector/related activities
• Good knowledge of public administration, authority exercise, and its framework, as well as experience working with working orders and systematic governance documents.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

In a comprehensive assessment of suitability, personal qualities are also emphasized. All employees at MDU are expected to collaborate and meet colleagues and students with respect, take responsibility for the operation and their own tasks, and contribute to a good work environment.

You have excellent collaboration and communication skills and build relationships by being attentive and unpretentious in your way of leading and collaborating. You are engaged and action-oriented, while also working analytically, innovatively, and structured. In this recruitment, great importance will be placed on personal suitability. We value the qualities that a balanced age and gender distribution as well as ethnic and cultural diversity bring.

APPLICATION

Please submit your application by clicking the “Apply” button below.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and submitted to the university by the application deadline.

Welcome with your application!

Union representatives:

Saco-S [email protected]

Susanne Meijer ST-OFR/S, tel: 021-10 14 89

We kindly ask for no contact with advertisers. We have made our strategic choices for this recruitment.