PhD Position: Sustainable Careers in Smart Industry

1. Introduction

Are you passionate about shaping the future of work? Come and join us as a PhD candidate on the Smart Skills@Scale project and help build a resilient, future-proof workforce for the Smart Industry. Work at the intersection of science and society, co-creating solutions together with leading researchers and companies in the Netherlands.

2. Job description

Dutch industry needs a skilled workforce to keep up with and contribute to digital and green transitions. However, finding and retaining qualified employees is challenging, and skills quickly become outdated due to fast-developing technologies (AI, XR, robotics). Currently, most companies in the smart industry lack the human capital and knowledge to realise their maximum potential. The Smart Skills@Scale project, which started in January 2024, brings together five research universities, three universities of applied sciences, 11 smart industry communities, 450 SMEs, and several social partners and educational partners in an eight-year programme to achieve a major breakthrough aimed towards creating a sustainably employable workforce.

In a total of four work packages, we stimulate the development of human-centric production systems, smart workplaces, jobs and careers, and (regional) partnerships. With this integrated approach, we want to empower production employees and organisations to achieve a human-centric, resilient and sustainable smart industry sector. The Strategic Human Resource Management group is currently seeking an enthusiastic PhD candidate for the Smart Skills@Scale NWA project to contribute to a future-proof smart industry that has a robust and resilient workforce. You should have an interest in combining scientific rigour with making societal and organisational impact by working on a scientific level while also co-creating knowledge and solutions together with employees, operators and production workers.

Your research will contribute to the overall objective of securing long-term, sustainable employee-employer relationships and careers in the smart industry. Your research will consist of four research activities. First, you will conduct an in-depth multidisciplinary literature study (covering HRM, occupational psychology, careers, human-technology interaction) to uncover indicators and determinants of sustainable and/or unsustainable careers among production workers in the smart industry. The second study will use focus groups to unravel factors that impact careers in the smart industry. The third part of the research involves a longitudinal quantitative study using a dyadic survey design (one for the individual employee, one for their supervisor) to investigate which factors can protect and further enhance the career sustainability of current/future production workers in the sector. Finally, based on the outcomes of the previous three studies, the fourth study aims to develop and validate a career crafting intervention tool for production workers in the smart industry.

You will work independently on your research while maintaining close connections with other researchers in the project and stakeholders from small and medium-sized enterprises. You will report and present your findings to both scientific and non-scientific audiences, such as at scientific conferences and in journals, and during workshops for smart industry communities. 

In this project, we embrace team science. Although you will be based at Radboud University in Nijmegen, you will also be part of a larger research team of PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and senior researchers from various Dutch universities. Furthermore, our research team involves experts who help disseminate findings, coordinate with our partners from practice, and have expertise in building tools. Additionally, eight world-renowned researchers - members of our international scientific committee - will provide feedback on your work and might offer you opportunities for international experiences as well. We value diversity and strongly encourage minorities and candidates with a background in vocational education to apply.

This position does not include any teaching responsibilities.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You have a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Occupational Psychology, Management Science, or a related field in the Social Sciences.
• You have expertise or demonstrable interest in sustainable careers, HRM or organisational behaviour.
• You have strong methodological knowledge, specifically of qualitative research methods and action research.
• You have shown academic excellence, as demonstrated by grade transcripts and CV.
• You have an interest in the human capital challenges related to Industry 5.0 developments.
• You are able to connect with production workers and link your research to their values and interests.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken Dutch and English and excellent communication skills.
• You have the ability to work both independently and as a team player.
• You have a proactive, result-driven and flexible working attitude.
• You have the ability to complete your PhD thesis on time, which requires strong skills in project management, creativity, proactive behaviour, resilience, and excellent academic writing skills.

4. We are

The Department of Business Administration consists of five chairs: Strategic Management; Organisational Design and Development; Marketing; Methods; and Strategic Human Resource Management. The Department of Business Administration is responsible for the BSc programmes in Business Administration (including a full track in English, and a track in International Business Administration) as well as eight specialisations within the MSc programme in Business Administration (all in English). 

Our interdisciplinary research programme entitled ‘The Responsible Organisation’ addresses the multiple values underlying organisational responsibility, the conditions required to realise those values, and the interventions geared to the transition of organisations towards responsible organisations. We co-create knowledge with multiple stakeholders in the wider community to ensure the impact of our scholarly work. Our research activities fall under the responsibility of the interdisciplinary Institute for Management Research (IMR).

The research of the Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) group focuses on topics such as sustainable careers, employability, leadership of human resources, entrepreneurship, high-performance work systems, flexible work, gender diversity, and cross-cultural management. Members of the Strategic HRM group have published in high-impact journals such as the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Resource Management Journal, Human Relations, International Journal of HRM, Organization Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Research Policy, Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Academy of Management Annals. 

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Jeroen de Jong. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on 11 June. Any second interview will take place on 7 July. You will preferably start your employment on 9 September.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.