Assistant Professor (with transition to conditional tenure) for the discipline Hebrew Bible / Old Testament 100%

The Faculty of Theology at the University of Bern is announcing a vacancy for the discipline
"Hebrew Bible / Old Testament," for an assistant professor position with a transition to conditional tenure (Tenure Track Transition), to be filled by August 1, 2026.
This professorship is tasked with representing the entire discipline in teaching and research, with specific options including "Material Culture and History of Israel and its Environment" or "(History) of the Literature and Theology of the Hebrew Bible." The professorship will work closely with the teaching position "Biblical Theology and its Actualization." Since the teaching content may also be offered in German two years after starting, the candidate must master German or acquire the necessary German language skills.
The assistant professor position with conditional tenure will become an extraordinary professorship subject to meeting the required qualification criteria and after a corresponding evaluation no later than six years.

The teaching and research activities corresponding to the professorship announced will initially be carried out in association with the professorship "Literature and Theology of the Old Testament" (Prof. Andreas Wagner) and the teaching position for "Biblical Theology and its Actualization" (Dr. Nancy Rahn). If not already done, we expect candidates to prepare a habilitation and establish or expand their own research and teaching profile.
The tasks associated with the professorship also include acquiring research funding as well as supervising Bachelor / Master theses and dissertations. Furthermore, the job profile includes international networking and collaboration within academic self-administration.

The person called to this position must have obtained a doctoral degree (with distinction) in the discipline "Old Testament," "Hebrew Bible Studies," or a related field. The candidate must also have excellent linguistic knowledge of biblical languages. Knowledge of ancient Near Eastern languages is an asset. We are looking for a committed person ready to develop their teaching and research profile. We would also appreciate receiving applications from individuals with university didactics experience or equivalent qualifications.
If you have questions, please contact Prof. Mathias Wirth, chair of the committee (email address: mathias.wirth@unibe.ch ); for more information about the faculty and institute, visit: Institute of the Old Testament .

For your application, please send us a motivation letter presenting your current research profile and your interest in the position you are applying for. Additionally, we need your updated CV, which will give us an overview of your academic background and current activities. Please also provide a comprehensive list of your publications and courses taught so far, including evaluation results.
Your application must include another essential element, namely a research concept established for the next five years outlining your planned research activities. If applicable, you may add a brief presentation of your habilitation project. Furthermore, please submit a teaching concept describing your didactic approaches and your vision of teaching. If you have already applied for external funding, we would appreciate receiving the corresponding information.

The application dossier (compiled in one file) must be sent by October 15, 2025 to the following address: University of Bern, Dean's Office of the Faculty of Theology, Länggassstrasse 51, CH-3012 Bern, Email: dekanat@theol.unibe.ch .

The University of Bern aims to be a family-friendly employer supporting equal opportunities. It values diversity and encourages an inclusive work culture. We are looking for a candidate with the potential and/or skills necessary to apply transformational leadership and advance a productive research culture. Suitable candidates possess diverse skills (such as teamwork and communication abilities) and are also capable of managing complex leadership and conflict situations.

The University of Bern wishes to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions. Therefore, it explicitly encourages women to apply. The University of Bern supports gender diversity. People of all genders are explicitly invited to apply.
The University of Bern encourages flexible working time models. Applications for shared positions are welcome. A concept explaining the sharing arrangements must be attached (see the Directive on job sharing in professorships at the University of Bern: Link ).