Career and expertise development at UiT
Our students and staff are our most important resources. One prerequisite for us to succeed in our social responsibility is therefore that everyone is allowed to develop their potential.
Our students and staff hail from different countries and places and have different backgrounds and histories. They bring with them experiences and perspectives that enrich and challenge. UiT shall use this diversity as an advantage in creative and co-creating work, including as a foundation for building leading academic communities.
Ambition: UiT shall be a venue for the development of students and employees' expertise and talent, with diversity as a driving force and resource.
Introduction from the rector's office
Ambitions with career and expertise development
Elina Halttunen, head of department
A conversation about career guidance with Elina Halttunen
Jasmine Nahrgang, professor
A conversation about career guidance with Jasmine Nahrgang
Managers
Here you can find out what constitutes good management in the public sector, as well as management development tools: The Norwegian government’s employer portal
UiT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Management development includes activities for various management groups, academic and administrative alike. A desired main objective is to create a culture for management, consistently at all levels of the organisation, from a long-term strategic perspective, including the further development of a shared understanding of the performance of management in order to inspire strategic and relational management and further develop interactions and group processes within management groups.
Are YOU a manager and would you like to help develop UiT and management at UiT? This could be just the thing for you!
We can offer a management development programme that is research-based, experience-based and focused on development, encompassing the best examples from the field of practice.
The programme aims to inspire you to carry out management in a way that supports the UiT strategy and reflects excellent management principles. Here, you will have the opportunity to discuss challenges and development areas faced by UiT and to view these in the context of your own management role and development. By signing up, you commit to participate in a comprehensive development pathway spanning four two-day sessions.
Objectives of the programme
The programme sets the standard for outstanding management at UiT and supports quality in the core business (research and teaching activities). We do this by providing participants with increased expertise and an understanding of
- the core business
- their own management role
- Employees
- UiT as an institution
The programme will also provide greater confidence as a manager in a positive and appropriate manner, knowledge of the tools available to managers, freedom to act and insight into how you can be a relevant contributor to strategic goal attainment, as well as possibilities for horizontal and vertical networking across the organisation.
Thematic sessions
These sessions offer academic and experience-based presentations on topics that are relevant to managers at UiT. We emphasise dialogue, exchange of experiences and practical tasks. A recurring questions throughout is “What does this mean for UiT specifically, for the core business and for you as a manager?” In order to achieve the best learning outcomes from the management programme, it is crucial for participants to attend all sessions and the base group meetings in between sessions.
The main elements of the programme are:
| Sessions | Theme | Contents |
| First session: 21-23 February | You as a manager – insights provide prospects |
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| Second session: 25-27 April 2022 | Identity and affiliation |
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| Third session: 12-14 September 2022 | Culture and environment |
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| Fourth session: 21-23 November 2022 | The future of UiT with you as a manager |
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Target group
If you hold a formal management role at UiT, then you are part of the target group.
The programme has 30 spaces available and admission is by application and recommendation from your immediate superior.
Base groups
We will offer you a space in a base group that will follow you throughout the entire programme. Here, you will have the time and space for personal development and reflection together with other managers at UiT. The base groups, each comprising 8-10 members, will be assigned a permanent supervisor, who will assist the group throughout the programme. The purpose is to ensure that there is help and support available for personal development. Real cases from day-to-day work and independent/group exercises as part of the base group will be a recurring theme. Active participation and commitment to the base group will be a prerequisite for ensuring positive results.
Experiences
Three managers, Terje Martinussen, Kjersti Dahle and Ragnhild Johanne Rensaa, talk about their experiences of the UiT programme.
Terje Martinussen, former Head of Department at the Norwegian University College of Fishery Sciences
“Gaining an insight into the various management roles at UiT has been extremely valuable. I have also learned a lot about UiT as an organisation. It’s rare to have the time to actively think about your own role. Here, I have received theoretical input and the opportunity to discuss issues that arise during everyday work as a manager. This is very useful. I also need to mention the academic network, which is crucial both during the programme and afterwards.”
Kjersti Dahle, Head of Section - Section for Student Administration
“This programme is very much worth the investment and I have found it incredibly useful. I have, of course, learned a lot about the theories behind management, but I have also learned a lot about myself. This has resulted in a lot of reflection on my own management and my employees. Everyone in my cohort intends to share their experiences and knowledge and I have learned a lot from the others.”
Ragnhild Johanne Rensaa, Pro-Dean of Education at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
“The UiT management programme has provided me with new perspectives and made me more aware of how to solve management challenges in academia. It has also allowed me to get to know colleagues at UiT whose duties are similar to mine and share experiences with them. I have also had the opportunity to get to know UiT better as an organisation and received input in the form of several interesting lectures. These were often delivered by colleagues at the University and resulted in numerous group discussions.”
Programme committee
The University management is the contracting authority in respect of the UiT programme. A programme committee consisting of contributors from various units at UiT is responsible for the academic development and implementation of the programme. The programme committee work is headed up by the Section for HR and Organisation, which is part of the Department of Organisation and Finance.
Programme committee:
Elisabeth Westad
- elisabeth.westad@uit.no
- 77646261
Gølin Irene Larsen
- golin.i.larsen@uit.no
- 77623233
Ståle Liljedal
- stale.liljedal@uit.no
- 77646752
Julia Holte Sempler
- julia.sempler@uit.no
- 77646817
Sonni Olsen
- sonni.olsen@uit.no
- 77660401
In order to succeed in becoming better at stimulating career development at the institution, we need to increase our efforts to increase management expertise in the area. Research managers at research group and department level are those who have the most contact with academic staff. The same applies to programme managers at the individual departments. Academic managers require knowledge and skills in order to contribute to the professional development of their colleagues.
There is high turnover among these group managers, which means that there will always be new managers in need of skills development in both management and employee follow-up. Management training for academic managers primarily takes place in the faculties. UiT has a management development programme that is open to academic and administrative managers at institutional level.
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME AT UiO
The research management programme offers an intensive development pathway for research managers. If you are considering applying, please contact the faculty administration at the Faculty of Health Sciences. UiO research management programme
EMBO RESEARCH MANAGEMENT
EMBO offers a number of different courses in research management and self-management. Topics include management, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, problem-solving and team development. See a list of all courses, dates and registration details on the EMBO website.
The target group is postdoctoral fellows and researchers with HR responsibility for a research group or team as part of a major project. The courses are international and provide a networking venue for international research managers.
Dean
DEAN
The Dean is the head of the faculty and is responsible for day-to-day management of academic and administrative activities at the faculty. The Dean will appoint pro-dean(s) and will prepare instructions for them. The Dean and, in their place, the pro-dean, is entitled to participate in all faculty board, council and committee meetings.
Supplementary instructions for the Dean can be found in the HR portal.
THE DEAN SCHOOL UHR
The programme is intended for deans and heads of department and will provide participants with increased expertise in order to develop their own management roles. The main emphasis is on the strategic, academic, HR and financial aspects of the management role. Networking and exchange of experience play central parts.
The Norwegian Association of Higher Educational Institutions’ management development programme
Pro-dean
The pro-dean is a function only and it is not possible to be employed as pro-dean. The Dean will appoint the person they would like to serve as the pro-dean and duties are drawn up for the individual based on the Dean’s requirements/needs. There are no instructions available for pro-deans as there are for the Dean and heads of department.
Head of Department
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
The head of department is responsible for the day-to-day management of the overall academic and administrative activities at the department.
The head of department is responsible for ensuring that administrative and managerial tasks are performed effectively and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and rules, as well as within the financial framework set out by the overall authority, university board and faculty board.
Separate instructions have been drawn up for this post, with and without a department board, and these can be found in the HR portal.
Grounds for qualification: Professor/docent/senior expertise in relevant fields is normally required for this post.
Research group chair/programme manager
PROGRAMME MANAGER
The programme manager will contribute to the development of the learning environment and the academic and educational quality of the study programme. The role of the programme manager is advisory and duties are performed in close dialogue and collaboration with the Dean, head of department, course coordinators, lecturers and students. The development of quality in study programmes is a collective responsibility in the academic environment. The programme manager will chair the programme committee and reports to the responsible line manager. The duties of the programme manager are described below, starting from the circle on the right, where the development of academic and educational quality lays the foundations for the development of a comprehensive learning environment.
RESEARCH GROUP CHAIR
A research group can be established and changed by the head of department by request from researchers/heads of department. The research group chair is appointed by the head of department. The research group chair will have senior expertise and should generally be employed in a permanent main or secondary position at the Faculty of Health Sciences. The research group chair must also have documented experience of project/research management, network collaboration and guidance of PhD candidates. The research group chair must have experience with external financing of research and must have solid academic credentials. The main duties of the research group chair are described on the intranet page concerning the organisation of research groups.
Head of Studies (currently from the Faculty of Health Sciences/Department of Health and Care Sciences)
The Head of Studies can either be an employed role or a function.
The Head of Studies is primarily an academic management position associated with a specific qualification and will be part of the department’s management team. The post includes responsibility for day-to-day monitoring of education and for ensuring that the necessary systems for quality assurance are in place and working as intended within their area of responsibility. HR and financial responsibilities may be included in the role. The Head of Studies is responsible for developing education in accordance with framework plans and academic plans and may be responsible for the development of the academic portfolio for the qualification. The Head of Studies can also be assigned teaching duties.
Qualification requirements: The Head of Studies should generally be qualified for employment in teaching and research posts relating to the education and should possess knowledge about the programme, as well as teaching experience. Administrative experience and management and finance experience would be desirable. A minimum of three years of experience from the health service is required for appointment as head of studies for health science qualifications.
There are different types of management positions at UiT and the assessment criteria can be found in the local pay policy. There are also functions/roles that entail great responsibility with regard to the management of employees and academic elements alike. These roles are often referred to as academic group managers and are a function held for a specific period of time. There are some positions at UiT in which part of the position involves acting as an academic group manager. For those holding the function/role for a specific period rather than as part of their ordinary post, a functional allowance may be awarded that will cease when you step down from the function.
It is a good idea to discuss with your immediate superior during career appraisals if you have any desires/ambitions for a management career. It is important that you develop yourself as a manager if you are employed in a management role and there are various forms of training available internally and through the Norwegian government’s employer portal.