Social Worker with Doctoral Research Fellowship (Municipal Doctoral Candidate)

Halmstads kommun · Vollzeit

Kyrkogatan 5, Halmstad, Schweden

Do you want to help develop social services through both research and practice? How do we know that social services interventions make a difference for the people we meet? How can we better track outcomes, understand clients' experiences, and develop approaches that strengthen the quality of our support? Halmstad Municipality is now seeking a municipal doctoral candidate who wants to combine doctoral studies with practice-based work. Here you'll have the opportunity to contribute to new knowledge that can make a real difference for residents, while being an active part of social services development. The position is carried out in collaboration between Halmstad Municipality and Halmstad University of Applied Sciences. You will be employed by the Social Affairs Department while also being admitted to doctoral education at the licentiate level. Your responsibilities As a municipal doctoral candidate, you will divide your time between research and work in social services. The position comprises 50 percent doctoral studies and 50 percent practice work over four years. You will contribute to developing knowledge on issues that are important to social services' core mission. In the role, you will: - plan and conduct an independent research project - pursue doctoral studies leading to a licentiate degree - participate in doctoral courses, seminars, and conferences - present research results to both researchers and practitioners - help translate research into practical development within social services - strengthen knowledge development through collaboration between academia and practice. The doctoral education is conducted at the Academy of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University of Applied Sciences, within the research environment Center for Research on Welfare, Health and Sports (CVHI). Your qualifications We are looking for someone with an advanced degree in health and lifestyle studies that is relevant to doctoral education and who wants to help develop the future of social services through research and practice development. Requirements - advanced degree in health and lifestyle studies - eligibility for doctoral-level education - strong ability to express yourself orally and in writing in Swedish and English - experience from social services or other relevant welfare activities - ability to formulate research questions and translate ideas into a research plan. Merits - experience with research, development, or evaluation work - experience with follow-up and quality assurance work - experience with service user or client participation - scientific publications or other relevant academic work - experience with collaboration between academia and practice. To succeed in the role, you need to be able to take responsibility for your work and drive processes forward independently. You identify issues that need development and take initiative to find solutions that contribute to new knowledge and practice benefits. You have strong analytical skills and can examine complex questions from multiple perspectives to draw well-founded conclusions. Since the role involves collaboration between research and practice, you also need to be responsive and collaborate well with different professionals and stakeholders. You plan, prioritize, and follow up on your work so that both the research project and practice assignments progress with high quality. At the same time, you act with integrity and a professional approach in your interactions with people, practitioners, and research environments. What we offer you With us, you'll have the opportunity to combine research and practical work in a role that contributes to the development of social services. We offer you: - half-time doctoral education for four years leading to a licentiate degree - mentoring and support from experienced researchers - a stimulating research environment with national and international networks - the opportunity to influence the development of social services approaches - close collaboration between Halmstad Municipality and Halmstad University of Applied Sciences - meaningful work where research and practice development meet. As a municipal doctoral candidate, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to both scientific knowledge development and better conditions for the people that social services exist to support. Other information The doctoral education is conducted half-time over four years and leads to a licentiate degree. The position also comprises half-time practice work within the Social Affairs Department. Placement occurs through dialogue taking into account the candidate's preferences, the organization's needs, and suitability based on research area. You do not need to be employed by Halmstad Municipality today to apply. With your application, we would like you to attach: - research plan of 3-4 pages - CV - degree certificates and transcripts - relevant theses, independent work, and any scientific publications. The research plan should describe a research area with clear relevance to social services. You may submit multiple research ideas, but a maximum of four. The selection is based on a combined assessment of eligibility, scientific maturity, analytical ability, the quality of the research outline, and other experience deemed relevant to the assignment. Information about the recruitment process The application deadline is October 15. After the application period closes, an initial screening process is conducted where research plans are anonymized and summarized. Thereafter, the research plans are reviewed by SOL-collaboration, which assesses the relevance and quality of the proposals. Applicants will receive feedback on their research plans at the end of October. Interviews are planned for November, and references will be collected after interviews are completed. The goal is for recruitment to be completed and the position filled by January 15 at the latest.