University assistant (predoctoral) at the Department of Political Science

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At the University of Vienna almost 11,000 personalities work together towards answering the big questions of the future. Around 7,700 of them do research and teaching, around 3,000 work in administration and organisation. We are looking for a/an

49 Faculty of Social Sciences

Job vacancy starting: 04/01/2027 | Working hours: 30.00 | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)

Limited contract until: 03/31/2031

Job ID: 6326

The announcement is made for four years, whereby the employment relationship is initially limited to 1.5 years and is automatically extended to a total of four years, unless the employer submits a declaration of non-renewal after a maximum of 12 months.

Your personal sphere of influence:

Your future position is at the Department of Political Science in the research area of Comparative Policy Analysis.

The Department of Political Science, a subunit of the Faculty of Social Sciences, addresses all major fields of political science. It is dedicated to innovative and problem-oriented research and provides students with a wide range of specialisations. Members of the Department study the transformation of governance, statehood and democracy across different policy areas, geographical regions and political areas.

You will join the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity (CeSCoS), led by Professor Barbara Prainsack. This research group investigates how solidarity shapes social justice, institutional design, and policy interventions across a range of domains, using rigorous qualitative and theoretically grounded approaches. The Centre brings together pre- and post-doctoral researchers and fellows from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. You will be expected to bring an existing or emerging doctoral research project aligned with the Centre’s focus on solidarity, comparative policy analysis and qualitative methods.

Your future tasks:

Participation in research, teaching and administration in the field of comparative policy analysis and qualitative methods as well as in the research group CeSCoS („Centre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity“, led by Univ. Prof. Mag. Dr. Barbara Prainsack).

This involves, in particular, the participation in the organisation of events, seminars, and other formats of academic collaboration and exchange:

• Support with research projects and grant applications
• Participation in publications / academic articles / presentations
• We expect the successful candidate to sign a doctoral thesis agreement (approval of PhD research proposal) as soon as possible, at the latest within 9-12 months
• Participation in teaching courses independently according to the collective bargaining agreement
• Supervision of students
• Participation in the organisation of meetings, conferences, symposia
• Participation in the department administration as well as in teaching and research administration

This is what you will bring:

• Master’s (or equivalent) degree in the field of political science or a similar social science discipline relevant to comparative policy analysis
• Willingness to align an existing or emerging doctoral research project with a focus on comparative policy analysis and practices of solidarity
• Good knowledge of qualitative methods and basic knowledge of quantitative methods
• Didactic competence
• Excellent command of English as a working language, good command of German, other languages are an advantage
• IT user skills
• Ability to work in a team and pursue an independent research project
• Further desirable qualifications are:
  • Familiarity with scholarship on solidarity
  • Experience of working with e-learning
  • Knowledge of university processes and structures; previous experience working in academic environments
  • International experience
  • Experience with project management
  • Previous experience in academic research
  • Experience with research grant applications (including experience with budget drafting, monitoring and reporting)
  • Experience with international events organisation (conferences, workshops, panels…)

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely.

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3.776,10 (on a full-time basis) increases if we can credit professional experience.

Get off to a great start in your new job: the Welcome Compass helps you settle into your new role at the University of Vienna and life in Vienna.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

It is that easy to apply:

• Letter of motivation (in English)
• Scientific curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (in German or English)
• Short doctoral project proposal (3-4 pages, in German or English)
• Two selected text samples, one of which is your master’s thesis
• Evidence of teaching experience (if available)
• Contact details of two referees who can be contacted for a reference in writing or by phone
• Certificates
• Via our job portal/ Apply now – button

If you have any content questions, please contact:

Marlene Auer

marlene.auer@univie.ac.at

We look forward to welcoming new members to our team!
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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Application deadline: 10/28/2026

Prae Doc

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