Family Counselor for More2Sleep, Institute of Sports and Nutrition

The Section of Human Movement Sciences at the Department of Sport and Nutrition at the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen seeks a skilled and engaged colleague for a 16-month position as a family advisor. 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 Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Project

More2Sleep is a 3-month randomized controlled intervention study, which aims to investigate 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 serve 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 the aim of 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 counsellor will be to carry out the behavioural intervention, in the form of sleep strategies (e.g., setting goals for bedtime) with the parents with the aim of changing their child’s sleep habits, and to function as a motivating and supportive resource to help them set goals and habits regarding sleep. This requires close collaboration with the parents to achieve a successful extension of their child’s sleep. Other research-related tasks are expected to be part of the position.

We are looking for the following qualifications

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

Timeline

The appointment is temporary for 16 months on a part-time basis (18.5 hours per week) with a start date of 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 Jobportalen (click the link "APPLY FOR THE JOB" at the bottom of the advertisement).

Please attach the following documents to your application

• A motivated 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 investigate 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 Section Leader, Associate Professor Jesper Lundbye-Jensen, tel. +45 29611953, email [email protected] .

Salary and terms of employment

The appointment is made under the rules of the Collective Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Teachers' Union and CO10 – Central Organization of 2010 (LC/CO10 collective agreement) as well as the Terms of Employment for State Employees with a teaching qualification. There will be opportunities to negotiate additional allowances based on qualifications.

The appointment is limited to 16 months starting 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The weekly working hours are on average 18.5 hours.

Read more about the Department of Sport and Nutrition at https://nexs.ku.dk .