Postdoc in Investor Stewardship and Shareholder Engagement

Tilburg University; Tilburg; Híbrido; EUR 55 000 - 75 000; Tempo integral

Vantagens oferecidas por esta oferta de emprego

Hybrid working

Home working allowance (€2 p/day)

Internet allowance (€25 p/month)

Pension through ABP

8% vacation pay

Resumo da oferta

Tilburg University invites applications for a Postdoc in Investor Stewardship and Shareholder Engagement. The project investigates how institutional investors engage with listed companies, using empirical data and interdisciplinary methods in a hybrid setup at Tilburg Law School.

The successful candidate will study engagement as a relational, ongoing process, run analyses (QCA, regression, text analysis), and publish work in top journals while guiding impact outputs for practice and policy.

Qualificações

• PhD completed or expected by start date in finance, economics, management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated empirical research experience (quantitative and/or qualitative).
• Strong interest in corporate governance, institutional investors, stewardship or sustainability.
• Track record or clear potential for publishing in international journals.

Responsabilidades

• Study engagement as a continuous, relational process beyond separate tools.
• Examine engagement trajectories from first contact to escalation and voting.
• Publish in international peer‑reviewed journals and present at conferences.
• Contribute outputs relevant for investors, companies and policymakers.
• Collaborate in an interdisciplinary team and develop research ideas.

Conhecimentos

Empirical research

Finance

Economics

Management

Corporate law

Formação académica

PhD in Finance

PhD in Economics

PhD in Corporate Law

PhD in Business Ethics

PhD in Organization Studies

Descrição da oferta de emprego

Postdoc in Investor Stewardship and Shareholder Engagement (24787)

Postdoc in Investor Stewardship and Shareholder Engagement

Department: Private, Business & Labour Law

Hybrid or On site: Tilburg (hybrid)

Contract size: 1.0 fte (40 hours per week)

Intended start date: 1 February 2027

When does shareholder engagement actually make a difference, and for whom? Tilburg Law School is looking for a postdoctoral researcher who wants to answer this question, using, inter alia, empirical data on how institutional investors engage with listed companies. We explicitly welcome candidates with a background in finance, economics, business ethics or management, as well as candidates with a legal background, as long as you can do empirical research.

Your position

Stewardship has become the dominant framework for institutional investors' governance and sustainability responsibilities. Stewardship codes worldwide codify it, and policymakers (including in the EU through the Shareholder Rights Directive) rely on shareholder engagement to improve corporate governance and sustainability. Research mostly studies (public) engagement tools in isolation and measures success narrowly, as value for clients and beneficiaries.

In this project, you will study engagement as a continuous, relational process rather than as a set of separate tools. You will examine how engagement trajectories unfold, from the first contact and private dialogue to escalation and voting, and what makes engagement successful. Central questions may include, for instance:

• What constitutes successful engagement and stewardship, both from the perspective of clients and beneficiaries and from that of the corporate governance system as a whole?
• Which combinations of conditions (such as target company, theme, tools, timing and individual versus collective engagement) lead to successful engagement?
• How does the way investors communicate (argumentation, tone and framing) shape whether engagement works, and why?

The project combines conceptual and normative analysis with empirical methods. Depending on your expertise, these may include configurational analysis (e.g., QCA), regression analysis, (computational) text analysis and coding of engagement communication, interviews and case studies.

You will work in a small interdisciplinary team with Prof. Anne Lafarre and Prof. Christoph Van der Elst (Tilburg Law School). The position is part of a growing line of research on investor stewardship and shareholder engagement within the research program Connecting Responsible Organizations, with close ties to practice. You are expected to publish in international peer-reviewed journals, present your work at international conferences, and contribute to output that is relevant for investors, companies and policymakers. There is room to develop your own research ideas within the theme.

Your profile

• You hold a PhD (or will have completed it by the start date) in finance, economics, business ethics, management or organization studies, corporate law, or a related discipline.
• You have demonstrable experience with empirical research (quantitative and/or qualitative).
• You have a strong interest in corporate governance, institutional investors, stewardship and/or corporate sustainability. If you have a legal background, you are eager to work with empirical methods; if you have a background in economics, finance, business or organizational studies, you are curious about (corporate) legal and normative questions.
• You have a track record, or clear potential, of publishing in international peer-reviewed journals, in line with your career stage.
• You have excellent command of English (at least CEFR level C1). Mastering Dutch is not a prerequisite, but reading proficiency is an advantage for studying the Dutch corporate governance landscape.
• You can work independently as well as in an interdisciplinary team, you enjoy engaging with practitioners, and you handle confidential data with care and integrity.

Our offer

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• Employment of 1.0 fte (40 hours per week).
• Salary between € 4.925,= and € 6.682,= gross per month for full-time employment (UFO-profile Researcher 3, salary scale 11). Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 5 of the CLA for Dutch universities. You will receive a temporary employment contract for 2 years.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (€2 p/day) and internet allowance (€25 p/month).
• Reimbursement sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• Options model for additional leave, pension, a bicycle or personal training.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• 30% rule for international employees (if applicable).
• Pension through ABP.
• Ample training offer: personal development, leadership, education, research or language courses.
• Inclusive work culture: everyone welcome, equal opportunities.
• A green, inviting campus that’s easily accessible by public transport.

The letter selection will take place by the 11th of December. You will be notified as soon as possible thereafter. The first selection interviews will take place in week 51(16 December 2026) and the second in week 1 (4 January 2027).

The selection committee consists of:

• Prof. dr. Anne Lafarre, Professor of Corporate Law, Tilburg University (chair)
• Prof. dr. Christoph Van der Elst, Professor of Business Law, Tilburg University

You will ideally start working for Tilburg University on 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible afterwards.

This vacancy has been published simultaneously internally and externally. In case of equal suitability, our preference is for an internal candidate.

Tilburg University is the university in the humanities and social sciences. Ever since our foundation in 1927, we have been committed to a just, inclusive, and sustainable society. With leading research and inspiring education, we contribute to the interpretation and, where possible, solutions to current societal issues, from climate change to digitalization

Our community is personal, engaged, and small-scale. On our green, compact, and vibrant campus there is room for encounter, collaboration, reflection, and personal growth. Read more about Tilburg University .

Working at Tilburg University means working in an inclusive team with attractive employment conditions. At Tilburg University, you will receive ample opportunities to strengthen your talents and develop your career, in a warm working atmosphere where we attach great importance to the following values: curious, connected, caring, and courageous.

About Tilburg Law School (TLS)

Founded in 1963, Tilburg Law School has grown into a leading School of law and public administration. Our education and research have a clearly innovative and interdisciplinary character. In doing so, we are driven by our mission to effectively influence challenging societal developments such as new technology, sustainability, and vulnerable individuals in the rule of law from the perspective of law and public administration. We act from local, regional, national, and international developments and collaborate with other disciplines such as economics, the behavioral and social sciences, philosophy, history, and digital sciences. The School is organized into five Departments: Public Law & Governance; Private, Business, and Labor Law; Criminal Law; Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology & Society; and Tax Law.

About the Department of Private, Business & Labour Law

The Department of Private, Business & Labour Law (PBLL) consists of approximately a hundred researchers, lecturers and staff engaged in education and research in private law in its broadest sense. Research in the department is organised in the research programme Connecting Responsible Organizations, which focuses on sustainability and technology. Research on corporate law and governance in the department combines doctrinal, law-and-economics and empirical approaches, and has close ties with TILEC (Tilburg Law and Economics Center) and with practice, including institutional investors, investor organisations and policymakers. The inspiring and open culture makes working here a pleasure.

Recruitment code

Tilburg University applies the recruitmentcode of the Dutch Association for Personnel Management & Organization Development (NVP).

Disclaimer

The text of this vacancy advertisement is copyright-protected property of Tilburg University. Use, distribution and further disclosure of the advertisement without express permission from Tilburg University is not allowed, and this applies explicitly to use by recruitment and selection agencies which do not act directly on the instructions of Tilburg University. Responses resulting from recruitment by non-contractors of Tilburg Universities will not be handled.