Family Counselor for More2Sleep, Institute for Sports and Nutrition

The Section for Human Movement Sciences at the Institute of Sports and Nutrition at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, seeks a skilled and engaged colleague for a 16-month position as a family counselor. The advertised position is linked to the research project “A randomized controlled trial of sleep extension to reduce overweight and improve learning in prepubescent children” (abbreviated More2Sleep), which is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The project

More2Sleep is a 3-month randomized controlled intervention study, which aims to examine the effect of extended sleep on weight, metabolism and learning in children aged 6-12 years. Half of the children will be randomized to the 12-week sleep-extension intervention group (facilitated by the parents), while the other half will act as a control group. During the 12-week intervention there will be sessions (both virtual and in-person) with the parents and their child with a view to advising them on how they can change their child’s sleep routines (bedtime).

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a person whose primary task as a family counselor will be to carry out the behavioral intervention, in the form of sleep strategies (e.g., setting bedtime goals), with the parents with a view to changing their child’s sleep habits and to function as a motivating and supportive resource to help them set goals and create routines regarding sleep. This requires close collaboration with the parents in order to achieve a successful extension of their child’s sleep. Other research-related tasks are expected to be included in the position.

We are looking for the following qualifications

• Relevant education in the form of a professional bachelor's degree as a teacher
• Experience with working with children and families’ behavioral patterns with a focus on counseling and guidance.
• Experience with working on research or development projects
• Speaks, writes and understands Danish.
• Speaks, writes and understands English (to communicate with both trial participants and the research team).
• Strong communication and dissemination skills, including the ability to listen actively and present information in an understandable way tailored to the individual family.

Time frame

The appointment is fixed-term for 16 months at part time (18.5 hours per week) with start on 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Application

If you are interested in the position, please submit an electronic application with attachments via the Job Portal (click the link "APPLY FOR THE JOB" at the bottom of the advertisement).

You are asked to attach the following documents to your application

• A motivated letter of application
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Documentation of education
• Other relevant material, such as references, language certificates, etc.

Application deadline

The application deadline is 26 October 2026 at 23:59 .

We reserve the right not to review material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not meet the above requirements.

The university wishes to reflect the surrounding society and encourages everyone regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Further information

You can read more about the project here: New research project will examine the effect of sleep on weight, metabolism and learning in children - Novo Nordisk Foundation

If you have questions or need further information, you can contact Department Head, Associate Professor Jesper Lundbye-Jensen, tel. +45 29611953, e-mail [email protected].

Salary and employment terms

The appointment is governed by the rules of the Danish General Collective Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions and CO10 – Central Organization of 2010 (LC/CO10 collective agreement) as well as the State Employees’ Agreement for employees with teacher education. There will be opportunities for negotiation of additional allowances based on qualifications.

The appointment is fixed-term for 16 months with start on 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The weekly working hours are on average 18.5 hours.

Read more about the Institute of Sports and Nutrition at https://nexs.ku.dk.

The University of Copenhagen provides its nearly 10,000 employees with opportunities to fully utilize their talents in an ambitious, informal environment. We combine traditional and modern frameworks for education and high-level international research. We seek answers and solutions to common problems and make new knowledge accessible and useful for others.

Contact

Jesper Lundbye-Jensen

E-mail: [email protected]

Info

Application deadline: 26-10-2026

Employment date: 01-01-2027

Working hours: Part-time

Department/Location: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports