Academic Position in Operations Management

KU Leuven; Leuven; Sur place; EUR 70 000 - 90 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Starting grant of €110,000

Support with immigration and housing

Language training for Dutch

Résumé du poste

KU Leuven is seeking candidates for a full-time academic position in Operations Management. Applicants can be junior or senior researchers, with opportunities for tenure-track appointments. The role involves research excellence, teaching responsibilities, and contributing to the Operations Management department's goals.

Successful candidates will have a PhD in a relevant field and demonstrate strong research and teaching abilities. KU Leuven supports its faculty members with a starting grant and practical assistance for settling in.

Qualifications

• PhD in Economics or Business required, with focus on Operations Management or related field.
• Evidence of strong research output or potential through publications and projects.
• Experience in grant proposals and strong international network preferred.

Responsabilités

• Research in Operations Management and publish in top international journals.
• Teach courses in Operations Management across various campuses.
• Contribute to the education quality and supervise theses.

Connaissances

Research excellence

Excellent research output

Strong didactical skills

Team player

Communication skills

Formation

PhD in Economics or Business

Description du poste

Academic Position in Operations Management

(ref. ZAP-2026-32) Last modified: 29/05/26

The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) of KU Leuven has a vacancy for a full‑time academic position in Operations Management. The vacancy is open to junior and senior researchers, as well as PhD students in the final phase of their studies. Depending on qualifications and academic experience, candidates will be hired at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor. Junior researchers will be appointed as assistant professor on a tenure track for a period of 5 years, followed by a potential appointment as tenured associate professor upon positive evaluation.

You are an ambitious, internationally oriented researcher in Operations Management. You publish in top international journals, attract external research funding, develop international research projects and advise doctoral students. You strive for research excellence and contribute to the reputation of the Faculty and KU Leuven. You are interested in fundamental scientific research and perceive opportunities for valorization of findings and applied research.

Teaching

You are willing to teach courses in Operations Management at the campuses of Leuven, Antwerp, Brussels and/or Kortrijk. When assigning courses, we will consider your profile and experience. You contribute to the optimisation and continuous development of the educational programmes for which the Operations Management department is responsible, and you supervise bachelor’s and/or master’s theses. Tenure‑track candidates start with limited teaching duties.

You develop teaching methods in line with the KU Leuven approach of research‑based education with an emphasis on activating students. You take advantage of the opportunities offered by the faculty and the university to further develop your teaching skills. You contribute to the educational philosophy of the university and show commitment to uphold the high standards of its programmes.

Service

You show a willingness to integrate into the research group, to actively participate in and contribute to professional group activities, and to take up internal service duties. You put teaching and research activities at the service of society and aim to contribute to the broader social debate. Tenure‑track candidates start with limited service duties.

Profile

You have a PhD or will earn it before 1/7/2027 in Economics or Business with an emphasis on Operations Management, or a related PhD (e.g., operations management, supply chain management, operations research) with evidence of expertise in this field.

You have excellent research output or research potential. The quality is demonstrated by publications in top‑tier peer‑reviewed journals, promising research projects and work‑in‑progress papers, and/or international research experience. Junior applicants show their research potential through the quality of their PhD dissertation or job‑market paper and academic references. Experience in grant proposals and a strong international network are recommended.

You can show evidence of strong didactical skills and preferably have teaching experience in Operations Management. You have the necessary communication and organisational skills and are a team player. Research expertise and/or teaching expertise in port logistics is a plus.

Your written and spoken English is excellent. The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, you can follow language training provided by KU Leuven to enable you to take part in administrative meetings. Prior to teaching courses in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch to the required standard.

Offer

The position initially requires a clear commitment to the Leuven campus of the FEB, where you will join the Operations Management Research group.

You will join a dynamic and internationally oriented research environment. The Operations Management group collaborates closely with colleagues on the Leuven and Brussels campuses of the FEB.

The Faculty of Economics and Business is highly ranked by several independent accreditation committees for its research and teaching programmes. The FEB holds EQUIS accreditation and benefits from an extensive national and international network.

KU Leuven welcomes foreign professors and their families and provides practical support with regard to immigration, administration, housing, childcare, Dutch language learning and partner career coaching.

To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase, a starting grant of €110 000 is offered to new professors without substantial other funding, appointed for at least 50 % of the time.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity

KU Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity and explicitly encourages under‑represented groups at the university to apply.

We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognise the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you.