Careers and development
At the ZHAW, you can look forward to an inspiring and appreciative working and learning environment. We support both academic and non-academic career paths and are committed to helping employees achieve their development goals.
Academic career paths
We offer a wide range of positions geared towards an academic career. In these roles, you will play your part in shaping practice-oriented education and research, and help advance them in collaboration with a network of experts.
Starting an academic career
As an emerging talent, you have the opportunity to gain professional experience at the ZHAW either during or after your studies. We offer a variety of qualification positions that allow you to further develop your academic knowledge in a professional environment.
Research assistants support research associates, lecturers and professors in their day-to-day work. Their responsibilities may include participating in projects, carrying out administrative tasks and supervising student term papers.
We are committed to supporting early-stage researchers. That is why we offer researchers the opportunity to pursue a doctorate at a recognised high standard in collaboration with national and international universities.
Post-doctoral researchers deepen their expertise and further develop their academic qualification after completing their doctorate. In addition, they can take on other responsibilities across various areas of activity (teaching, research, continuing education or business services).
“I began my career at the ZHAW as a research assistant. Since then, I have been given numerous opportunities to grow both professionally and personally, to take on responsibility and to develop my career across various roles, right up to a leadership position.”
Co-Programme Director, ZHAW School of Applied Linguistics.
Experienced professionals
Professionals with relevant experience can join the ZHAW as a research associate, lecturer or (assistant) professor. As a university of applied sciences, we maintain a strong link to professional practice and offer the opportunity to work in various areas (teaching, research, continuing education and business services). Many young talents join us through our research activities and later expand into additional areas of responsibility. This creates a variety of practice-oriented mixed profiles, which we actively support.
There are different formal requirements for each staff category, such as university degrees, additional certifications and professional and/or practical experience. These requirements are listed in the job advertisements as prerequisites for the respective positions.
Within the academic staff categories, there are various opportunities for employees with the appropriate qualifications to take on leadership roles, including programme management, research group leadership, centre management and institute management.
Non-academic career paths
In addition to academic positions, we offer a range of other exciting career opportunities. In these roles, you will make a vital contribution to the successful operation and ongoing development of the university.
More than a third of our employees work outside academia. Even if you do not hold a university degree or are pursuing a non-academic career path, you will find numerous options and career opportunities with us.
You will have the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally across a wide range of functions. Opportunities include specialist leadership careers (lateral or vertical) as well as positions in administration, support, IT, HR, marketing, accounting, controlling, facility management and many other fields. The following principle applies to all roles: whenever possible, we support our staff’s professional development through specialist certifications, further qualifications and continuing education opportunities.
As an educational institution, we care deeply about training future professionals. For this reason, we offer a variety of apprenticeships. Current apprenticeship vacancies are advertised on our job portal. We offer the following apprenticeships:
Information and Documentation Specialist (Federal VET Diploma)
Automation Technician (Federal VET Diploma)
Chemistry Laboratory Technician (Federal VET Diploma)
Biology Laboratory Technician (Federal VET Diploma)
Building and Grounds Custodian (Federal VET Diploma), specialising in Facility Services
Gardener (Federal VET Certificate), specialising in Horticulture and Landscaping
Gardener (Federal VET Diploma), specialising in Horticulture and Landscaping
We also regularly host apprentices employed by the Canton of Zurich who complete their training as Commercial Employees (Federal VET Diploma), specialising in Public Administration, through a rotational programme.
We offer a range of internships, including career exploration internships, internships as part of a degree programme, preparatory internships for a degree programme and internships as an alternative to a degree programme (post-secondary business training) or to help you enter the world of work.
“The ZHAW has always given me the freedom to follow my curiosity, explore new opportunities and take on responsibility.” This allowed me to progress from a student to a research associate, professor and co-head, combining research, teaching and leadership along the way.”
Co-Head of the MSc and Research and Development in Nursing, ZHAW School of Health Sciences
Development and support
The future is shaped by people who remain curious. At the ZHAW, we encourage forward-thinking and lifelong learning, whether in the workplace, through continuing education or in mentoring programmes.
The ongoing development of our employees is important to us. We offer a wide range of support through internal and external continuing education courses as well as various online programmes. Whether you want to learn a new language, strengthen existing language skills, deepen your professional expertise or broaden your personal competencies, we provide opportunities to support your growth. Find out just how we do this in our Benefits section.
You may have the opportunity to visit an international university as part of a continuing education programme, teaching activities or research projects. Two mobility programmes are available to you for this purpose. Firstly, the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), which supports university staff and students in continuing their professional development at a partner university or at a corresponding institution in Europe. And secondly, Swissnex, a global network that connects Switzerland with the rest of the world in the areas of research, education and innovation. With offices in Brazil, China, India, Japan and the US, Swissnex supports Swiss universities and their staff and students in building international networks.
Together with our partner universities, we regard balanced gender representation in leadership roles as an asset for higher education institutions. We are committed to ensuring that women are adequately represented in leadership roles and to actively developing future leaders.
The “Frauen für Führungspositionen” (women for management positions) (mentoring fff) mentoring programme offers qualified female employees the opportunity to explore the prospect of taking on a leadership role. Participants gain an insight into leadership roles at various Zurich universities of applied sciences (PHZH, ZHdK, HWZ, HfH, ZHAW) and are encouraged to pursue leadership positions themselves.
About the “Frauen für Führungspositionen” (women for management positions) mentoring programme (This link will take you to the German-language version of the page, as German is the language used throughout the mentoring programme.)
We are also very keen to support our staff’s professional development in their day-to-day work. To this end, we conduct annual feedback and appraisal meetings. Managers provide targeted feedback and work together with employees to define targets. In addition, employees may request a formal development discussion every two years. This process leads to tailored individual development measures.
“For us, staff development means developing both people and the organisation together. Through our programmes, we foster skills, promote personal responsibility and support the strategic development of the ZHAW.”
HR Development, ZHAW Finanzen & Services