The University of Vaasa is an inspiring and international community where we work together for a sustainable and responsible future. We combine expertise in business and technology in a unique way, tackling current challenges with determination and collaboration. As part of the Nordic region’s largest energy technology hub, we promote sustainable business, energy, and society. We educate future professionals who will create a fairer and more sustainable world.
We are now inviting applications for an Associate Professor (tenure track) or Professor position in Strategic Legal Design. The position will be filled either as a fixed-term Associate Professor or permanent Full Professor position under the tenure track system. The tenure track level is determined by the applicant's merits and career stage.
Job description and requirements
The scope of the position is connected to the rapidly developing international field of Legal Design research. In this position, the perspective is directed particularly toward the business environment, where law functions as part of the design and development of business solutions. The position is located within the discipline of Business Law, and its research activities are integrated into the Business Law and information research group. The specific area of expertise of the position is Strategic Legal Design, focusing on the development of legally sustainable operating models, tools, and governance mechanisms that support business, as well as strengthening the strategic role of law in organizational decision-making.
Strategic Legal Design is broadly linked to the university’s research and teaching fields. Accordingly, the position serves the overall mission of the Business Law discipline, the School of Accounting and Finance, and the entire university. For this reason, the position requires readiness to allocate resources flexibly and innovatively in ways that support the interests of our university community. This is facilitated, among other things, by the university’s multidisciplinary research platforms.
The position is research-oriented, but also includes supervision of doctoral dissertations and other theses, teaching, applying for external research funding and participating in funded projects, as well as administrative duties within the university. Teaching and supervision are primarily directed toward the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies and the Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Business Law.
In terms of teaching duties, the focus is on the Strategic Legal Design doctoral pathway within Business Law. A central purpose of the position is to supervise doctoral candidates, coordinate the overall structure of the pathway, and serve as its lead, supported by other professors in the discipline.
Regarding the basic studies in Business Law, Legal Design is being developed to comprehensively cover the discipline. In this respect, the position’s resources are allocated partly to thesis supervision and partly to introducing the role and potential of Legal Design across various courses. These include, for example, contract law, company law, tax law, financial reporting regulation, and market law. This broad scope is made possible by the fact that the position does not include full responsibility for delivering bachelor or master level courses. The language of instruction in bachelor and master level studies is Finnish.
Pedagogically, the position emphasizes research supervision, particularly the supervision of doctoral dissertations. Therefore, the job description places corresponding emphasis on prior supervisory experience. The amount of teaching included in the Tenure Track position increases as the career path progresses. Given the central role of supervision in this position, preference is given to applicants qualified at the level of Associate Professor or Full Professor.
The position strongly integrates research and business practice. Practical familiarity with the field and experience in legal practice therefore significantly supports the applicant’s suitability for the role and are considered an advantage. However, practical experience in the field is not required for appointment.
The research related to the position is also linked to the University of Vaasa's strategic focus areas of business renewal, energy transition and societal transformation. Applicants must describe in their research plan how their plan relates to the research group and the strategy of the University of Vaasa.
The annual working time is 1612 hours based on the general collective agreement for Finnish universities and tasks are agreed in more detail in the Annual Work Plan.
Applicants are required to have a relevant doctoral degree and, in addition, excellent academic credentials, a proven track record of producing outstanding research, and evidence of high-quality teaching or the potential to do so.
For further detailed information about the requirements, criteria and our Tenure track procedure, please see: www.uwasa.fi/en/tenure-track
Salary and benefits
We are a truly international community of 7000 students and 650 staff members. We work in a unique environment at our maritime campus, with state of the art research laboratories and teaching facilities, located only a short walk away from the Vaasa city centre. At the University of Vaasa, you can build a successful and versatile academic career in an inspiring, international environment. Our unique three-track career model offers flexibility and growth: a tenure track leading to professorship, a research and project-focused track, and a teaching-oriented track.
We prioritize your well-being and professional growth. We offer comprehensive occupational health services, sports and cultural benefits, and plenty of opportunities for continuous learning. Work-life balance matters to us – we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly remotely.
The salary is based on both the job requirement and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System (YPJ), but you may also state your own salary request.
Each University of Vaasa employee automatically belongs to a pension scheme and the majority part of the pension contributions is paid by the employer. We also have a versatile reward system in use. If you are moving to Finland from abroad, relocation services are available.
Applications
Applications are submitted using the University of Vaasa's electronic recruitment system (See the ‘Submit an application’ button below). In order for applications to be processed, the application form must be filled out and the enclosures listed below must be attached to it. The application period is open until midnight (Finnish time, EEST) August 11th, 2026.
1. Attachments in English:
Curriculum vitae
List of publications
Research plan (max 5 pages): the research plan should detail the ways in which the candidate would direct their research from the perspective of their own discipline towards the focus of the position described in this call for applications and the strategic focus of the University of Vaasa’s research. The plan must include a description of the phenomena concerned, the perspective on the applicant's own subject and the added-value to be realized from analyzing the phenomena as well as possible partners. lt is beneficial if the plan also includes potential sources of external financing (programs or similar) and a publication plan.
Teaching portfolio (complementary to the teaching merits listed in the CV)
2. In addition, numbered according to the publication categories in the list of publications:
Copies of no more than 10 publications that the applicant wishes to be taken into account when evaluating their competence and qualifications. The publications can, if needed, be merged into a maximum of 7 pdf-files.
To ensure a smooth and fair recruitment process, we encourage applicants to focus on sharing information that is relevant to the selection process in their application. If you choose to include personal or sensitive details in your application, please do so only if you are comfortable sharing that information with, for example, external experts.
Further information
The position is located in Vaasa, Finland.
Starting date: January 2027 or as agreed.
The appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a trial period of 6 months.
- More information about the position:
Dean Marko Järvenpää, School of Accounting and Finance, tel. +358 29 449 8440
Vice Dean, Professor in Business Law Vesa Annola, School of Accountign and Finance, tel. +358 29 449 8442
Email: firstname.surname (a) uwasa.fi
Enquiries about the online application system: careers (a) uwasa.fi
Note, that during summer vacations in July there might be delays in answers regarding the position.
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The position is located in the School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Vaasa. Read more about us: School of Accounting and Finance
The University of Vaasa is located on the West coast of Finland at the heart of one of the most thriving regions in Finland and the Nordic countries’ largest energy technology hub. The University of Vaasa is a valued partner in the hub, and well positioned to interact actively with the surrounding society – internationally and nationally. More information about working with us:
Application period starts: 2026-06-11 12:00 Application period ends: 2026-08-11 23:59
