Data Manager of a Swiss multi-cohort panel study

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Start Date 01.05.2026
or by agreement
Employment Relationship 80-100%, until end of 2028
Institution / Workplace TREE, Institute of Sociology
University of Bern Bern
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Description

Transitions from Education to Employment (TREE) is a multi-cohort panel survey following up several cohorts of compulsory school leavers in Switzerland through their post-compulsory education and training and into employment and adulthood (www.tree.unibe.ch). TREE is hosted by the Institute of Sociology at the University of Bern and is mainly funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) as a national data infrastructure. We are hiring for the position of Data Manager (80-100%), starting on 1st of May 2026 or upon agreement. The position is limited until the end of the current funding period (December 2028) but is planned to be extended thereafter.

Tasks and responsibilities

  • Processing and cleaning of survey-, para- and meta-data, including plausibility checks and inspecting individual episodes and cases
  • Producing pre-load data files for the fieldwork of follow-up waves
  • Preparing Scientific Use Files (SUFs) in accordance with FAIR principles
  • Maintaining and further developing the existing (PostgreSQL) database and related processes
  • Optional participation in scientific networking activities with other national and international panel studies
  • Optional research contributions using the TREE data

Requirements

  • Master's degree in quantitative social science, social data science, survey methodology or a related discipline (essential)
  • Working experience with data management using SQL or other scripting languages (essential)
  • Working knowledge in processing and documenting data from population surveys (essential)
  • Experience with common statistical software packages for scientific analysis (e.g., R, Stata, or SPSS) (essential)
  • Working knowledge of text processing packages, such as LaTeX (desirable)
  • Familiarity in handling data collection of longitudinal (panel) studies (desirable)
  • Solid understanding of the survey data life cycle (desirable)
  • Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, including attention to detail, critical thinking, problem-solving 'can-do' attitude, and enthusiasm to work as a part of a team (essential)
  • Fluency in English and in one of the following languages: German, French, or Italian (essential)
  • Willingness to relocate to Bern, or to work in the Bern office regularly (essential)
More Information
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Application Process

Your Benefits

Benefit
Strong research infrastructure and international network
Benefit
Collaborative environment and ambitious team
Benefit
International reputation
Benefit
Individual career support
Other benefits

Your Benefits

  • Strong research infrastructure and international network
  • Collaborative environment and ambitious team
  • International reputation
  • Individual career support

Working at the University of Bern

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Application and Contact

Questions about the position?

For further information, please contact Claudia Finger, co-manager of TREE (claudia.finger@unibe.ch)

Questions about the application?

Please upload your application documents (cover letter, CV including list of publications and other scientific achievements) as a single PDF file by 19 April 2026.

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