PUBLIC NOTICE

(International tender for the position of Assistant Professor in the subject area of Nursing, subarea of ​​Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing, at the School of Health of the University of Algarve)

By ordinance dated May 23, 2025, issued by the Rector of the University of Algarve, it is open, for a period of 30 working days, counting from the working day immediately following the publication of this notice in the Diário da República (the Official Portuguese Gazette), an international tender for the position of Assistant Professor in the subject area of Nursing, subarea of ​​ Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing, at the School of Health of the University of Algarve.

This tender is governed by the provisions of Article 15 and the following articles of the Estatuto da Carreira Docente do Ensino Superior Politécnico (Statute of the Lecturing Career of Polytechnic Higher Education), hereinafter referred to as ECDESP, which was approved by Decree-Law no. 185/81 on July 1st, in its current version, as well as the Regulation for the Tendering of Personnel for Teaching Careers at the University of Algarve, Regulation no. 520/2010, published in Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 111, on   June 9 2010.

This tender will be published on the Public Employment Exchange (BEP) within 2 working days after its publication in Diário da República, as decreed by Law no. 78/2003 of April 23, advertised on the Euraxess Portugal portal at https://www.euraxess.pt, and on the University’s website, in both Portuguese and English, in accordance with Article 29-B, paragraph 1 of ECDESP, in its current version.

The purpose of this tender is to fill one (1) position through a non-fixed-term contract as government employees in accordance with Article 10-B of ECDESP. The tender will close once the position have been filled.

The rector is authorized, under Article 92, paragraphs d), e) and q) of Law 62/2007 of 10 September, to cancel the tender in   case of extenuating circumstances.

In compliance with Article 9, paragraph h) of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Public Administrations actively promote a policy of equal opportunities for employment and career progression between men and women, taking all possible measures to avoid any form of discrimination.

I - Admission requirements

1-Admission requirements:

a) Applicants must hold, under the terms of article 17 of ECDESP, a doctoral degree in the area of Nursing or a specialist title in the area of Nursing (CNAEF Area – 723);

i) Holders of a doctoral degree obtained outside Portugal must prove that their degree is recognized in Portugal under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August, and other applicable legislation;

ii) Applicants to whom the previous subparagraph applies and who do not provide proof of recognition or the request for recognition before the end of the application period will be excluded from the selection process;

iii) The specialist title mentioned in point a) refers to the provisions of article 48 of Law 62/2007 of September 10 and Decree-Law 206/2009 of August 31, in its current version.

b) Proficiency in the Portuguese language, both spoken and written;

i) Non-native speakers of Portuguese must provide proof of proficiency by presenting of an officially recognized diploma from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (proficiency level C1) by the end of the term granted for the contract’s signature.

c) Applicants must meet the general requirements for employment in public functions as outlined in Article 17 of the Labor Law in Public Functions, which is included in the Annex to Law No. 35/2014 of 20 June, in its current wording, unless exempted by the ECDESP.

2. Applicants will be excluded from the tender procedure if they:

a) Do not hold a doctoral degree in the area of Nursing or a specialist title in the area of Nursing (CNAEF Area – 723), under the terms defined in a) of paragraph 1 of Point I;

b) Do not hold a recognized doctoral degree, by the closing date of the tender, if their qualification is from a foreign institution;

c) Do not submit the required documents or works required in the Public Notice or their submission is carried out outside the designated deadline;

d) Do not meet the general requirements for employment in public functions foreseen in Article 17 of Law No. 35/2014, of 20 June, in its current wording, unless exempted by the ECDESP;

3 - The selection committee will notify the candidates of their admission or exclusion by email with a receipt of delivery for the purpose of a hearing of the interested parties.

II – Admission requirements based on absolute merit:

1- Acceptance of applicants on the basis of absolute merit will depend on, cumulatively:

a) Having an overall curriculum that the selection committee considers to be of technical-scientific merit, research capacity and value of pedagogical activity already developed compatible with the subject area and subarea for which the tender is open and appropriate to the respective teaching category;

b) Applicants must hold the active professional title of Nurse Specializing in Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing issued by the Order of Nurses.

2 – A vote against admission on absolute merit must be justified on the basis that the applicant's overall curriculum does not reveal technical-scientific merit, research capacity and value of pedagogical activity, under the terms described in the previous number.

3- In order to assess the absolute merit of the applicants, each member of the selection committee will independently submit a list of the applicants that do not meet the requirements indicated in paragraph 1 of point II, and provide a written justification for their decision, and then the selection committee will proceed to vote on each of those proposals, in accordance with the provisions of Article 23, paragraph 1, subparagraph b) of the ECDESP. Abstentions are not permitted. 

4 – An application will be rejected on absolute merit if at least one such proposal   is voted by the majority of the members of the selection committee present at the meeting. The justification for the exclusion of the applicant will be an integral part of the meeting minutes.

5 - The selection committee will notify applicants of the exclusion based on absolute merit by means of an e-mail with a receipt of delivery for the purpose of a preliminary hearing.

III — Application instructions

1- The application must be submitted by completing a form addressed to the Rector of the University of Algarve, which is available on the university’s website https://www.ualg.pt/pt/srh/concursos-pessoal-docente The application can be submitted in the following ways:

a) In person, at the Human Resources Department located on the ground floor of the Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve, in Faro; or

b) By registered mail, postmarked no later than the deadline for submitting applications, addressed to: Serviços de Recursos Humanos, Campus da Penha, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro.

2 - The application for admission to the tender must include the following documents, in Portuguese or English:

a) Photocopy or scan in PDF format of a valid identification document at the date of application;

b) Certificates proving that the applicant holds all academic degrees or specialist title (if applicable), and the active professional title of specialist nurse in Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing, issued by the Order of Nurses, photocopied and in electronic pdf format;

c) One (1) paper copy and one (1) copy in PDF format of the applicant's curriculum vitae, dated and signed, which includes the scientific, pedagogical activities, and other activities relevant to the mission of higher education institutions carried out by the candidate, strictly following the order of the parameters and factors stated in Point V of this announcement and the list of works to be presented according to the following paragraph;

d) One (1) printed or photocopied copy and one (1) PDF copy of each of the works selected by the applicant for the purposes set out in section V a), up to a maximum of five (5);

e) Document with a career development plan, containing objectives, development plan, and a synopsis of the research line to be implemented and pedagogical development plan, with a maximum of 5000 words, printed and in PDF format;

f) Indication of the results of the "quality assessment" carried out regarding to  curricular units for which the applicant was responsible, when existing and if applicable, also for the purposes of Article 23, paragraph 6, subparagraph b) of the ECDESP;

g) Documents with DOI (Digital Object Identifier), legal deposit, ISSN or ISBN, authored by the applicant, which he/she considers of interest to further demonstrate his/her technical-scientific performance, pedagogic skills, and other relevant activities and which would constitute a legal basis for ranking candidates, should the selection committee deem them appropriate and duly proven;

h) A criminal clearance certificate attesting to the fact that the applicant is not banned from working in government service or from exercising the professional functions for which he/she is applying;

i) A statement confirming that the applicant has the physical robustness and mental profile indispensable for the exercise of the functions in question;

j) An up-to-date vaccination certificate.

3 - The documents referred to in paragraphs h), i) and j) may be waived during the submission stage of the application, provided that the applicants declare under oath the situation in which they find themselves in relation to each of these requirements.   Failure to make a written declaration constitutes grounds for exclusion. The delivery of these documents will be required, should the applicant be selected for the vacancy.

4 - The PDF documents required in paragraphs b) to g) should be delivered on a pen-drive. The pen-drive, which should be searchable and contain entries of the publications accessible through clickable links. These links may be recorded on the same digital media or exist in a repository for free access on the Internet. Additionally, there should be clickable links to the web pages of the entities or events mentioned in the curriculum vitae, and when relevant and feasible, to the web pages of the courses for which the applicant has been responsible.

5 – The curriculum vitae and respective appendices must be, systematized in the order of the parameters and factors listed in point V of this Announcement. Failure to comply with this order may result in the information not being considered for evaluation. The same applies to accessibility to links, whose functioning must be verified by the candidate so that the jury members have access to the information.

6 - According to Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Regulation governing tenders for the contracting of lecturing personnel for the University of Algarve, the hiring committee may request additional documentation related to the submitted curriculum.

IV – Public Hearings

1- The selection committee may decide to hold public hearings, on an equal footing for all applicants, pursuant to the terms of Article 23, paragraph 4, subparagraph b) of the ECDESP and Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Regulation governing tenders for the contracting of lecturing personnel for the University of Algarve.

2- If the tender selection committee decides to hold the hearings referred to in the previous paragraph, the conditions and scheduling of the hearing shall be announced to the applicants at least 8 days in advance.

V - Evaluation parameters and seriation in relative merit, respective weighting and final valuation system

The assessment and seriation in relative merit are based on the following criteria and their weighting, resulting in the ordering of the weighted average of the quantitative scores obtained in each of the assessment parameters within a scale of 0-100 points: 

Curriculum evaluation (100%) - The Curriculum Evaluation focuses on activities developed by the applicants over the last five years in the subject subarea of the tender and their suitability for the category of Assistant Professor, considering the following parameters:

A) Technical-Scientific and Professional Performance (40%);

B) Pedagogical Capacity (45%);

C) Other activities relevant to the University’s mission (15%);

The above-mentioned components are evaluated according to the following parameters and respective factors:

A) Technical-scientific and professional performance (40%):

a) Academic degree and/or qualifications, namely (40%):

i) Doctoral degree in Nursing and active professional title of Nurse Specializing in Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing issued by the Order of Nurses. (45%);

ii) Doctoral degree in another scientific area and specialist title in the area of Nursing under Decree-Law no. 206/2009, of 31 August, amended by Decree-Law no. 27/2021, of 16 April, and professional title of specialist nurse in Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing by the Order of Nurses (35%);

iii) Specialist title in the area of Nursing under Decree-Law no. 206/2009, of 31 August, as amended by Decree-Law no. 27/2021, of 16 April and  professional title of Nurse Specializing in Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing issued by the Order of Nurses (20%);

b) Participation in research and development projects, scientific publications, in the subject area and subarea for which the tender is open (30%), including:

i) Member of a Research and Development Unit evaluated by the FCT or equivalent;

ii) Participation in a research and development project with funding; 

iii) Articles published (as author or co-author) in a journal indexed in SCOPUS or WoS;

iv) Articles published (as author or co-author) in a non-indexed journal;

v) Full articles published (as author or co-author) in scientific meeting proceedings;

vi) Book or chapter of a book or e-book with ISBN (as author or co-author) published;

vii) Review of an article in a scientific journal, supported by a statement from the journal.

c) Intervention in scientific and professional communities - assessment of the capacity to intervene in scientific and professional communities (25%), namely:

i) Oral communication by invitation at a scientific meeting;

ii) Free communication/poster (author or co-author) at a scientific meeting;

iii) Participation as a member of the organizing/scientific committee at a scientific meeting;

iv) Participation as a moderator/commentator at a scientific meeting.

d) Career development plan (5%). The potential contribution of the submitted document to the scientific and pedagogical development of the subject area related to this tender will be evaluated, with the aim of promoting the associated teaching and research activities.

 B) Pedagogical Capacity (45%):

a) Teaching, coordinating curricular units and participating in pedagogical projects in area of Nursing (40%), namely:

i) Responsible for curricular units in the various study cycles;

ii) Teaching in curricular units excluding hours of supervision/guidance of clinical teaching/internship;

iii) Supervision/guidance of students in curricular units of clinical teaching/internship contracted by IES in the area of Nursing;

iv) Guidance of students in the context of clinical practice;

v) Production and use of pedagogical material with ISBN registration;

vi) Participation in pedagogical innovation projects;

vii) Participation in the creation of new curricular unit programs, duly proven and validated by the competent body of the Higher Education Institution;

viii) Participation in the reformulation of existing curricular unit programs, duly proven and validated by the competent body of the Higher Education Institution.

b) Supervision or co-supervision of a completed thesis/dissertation/internship report/master's degree project work or monograph (30%), namely:

i) Supervision or co-supervision of a completed doctoral thesis;

ii) Supervision or co-supervision of a completed dissertation/internship report/master's degree project work;

iii) Supervision of a completed monograph/final undergraduate degree work.

c) Participation in juries for academic examinations and/or for the award of specialist titles (30%), namely:

i) Participation as an examiner of a doctoral thesis and/or specialist title jury;

ii) Participation as a member of a doctoral thesis and/or specialist title jury;

iii)Participation as an examiner on a dissertation/internship report/master's project work jury;

iv) Participation as an examiner on a jury for final coursework/undergraduate monographs.

C) Other activities relevant to the University's mission (15%):

a) Participation in management positions in bodies of the teaching unit or Higher Education Institution;

b) Participation in relevant activities with links to the community and affinity to the area of ​​the tender, duly proven;

c) Other positions of recognized public interest in the area of ​​the tender.

VI - Selection process based on relative merit

1. The methodology for selection based on relative merit is as follows:

a) Prior to the voting process, each member of the selection committee will submit a written document outlining their ranking of the applicants, considering factors such as technical-scientific performance, pedagogical skills, and other relevant activities, along with their respective weights. These rankings will be recorded in the meeting minutes. During each round of voting, each committee member will adhere to their submitted ranking, and abstentions are not allowed.

b) The first ballot is intended to determine which applicant is placed at the top of the ordered list;

c) If an applicant obtains more than half of the votes, the applicant shall be ranked first in the ordered list;

d) If two candidates each obtain exactly half of the votes, the president of the jury will break the tie, using as successive tie-breaking criteria the scores in the components “Pedagogical Capacity”, “Technical-Scientific and Professional Performance”, and “Other activities relevant to the University's mission”, with the applicant with the highest score prevailing;

e) If neither of those two cases occurs (c and d), a new vote will be held after removing the candidates who did not receive any votes in the first voting and also eliminating the least voted candidate but who received at least one vote;

f) If there is more than one candidate with the lowest number of votes, a vote will be held with only those candidates to decide which one to eliminate. For this vote, the jury members must vote for the candidate who is lowest in their ranking;

g) If there is still a tie between two or more candidates in this vote, the president of the jury will decide which candidate to eliminate, using as successive tie-breaking criteria the lowest score in the components “Pedagogical Capacity”, “Technical-Scientific and Professional Performance”, and “Other activities relevant to the University’s mission”. The applicant with the lowest score will be eliminated.

h) After eliminating that candidate and the candidates who did not receive votes in the first round, the vote is held again for the candidate to be placed in first place, repeating, if necessary, the process described above, until a candidate obtains more than half of the votes for first place;

i) Once a candidate has been placed first on the ordered list, that candidate is removed from the ballot, and the process is repeated for the second place, and so on, until an ordered list of all candidates is obtained.

VII - Composition of the Jury

President:  

Doctor Ana Maria de Melo Sampaio de Freitas, Vice-Rector of the University of Algarve, with delegated competence.

Committee members:

- Teresa Isaltina Gomes Correia, Coordinating Professor of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança;

- Doctor Germano Rodrigues Couto, Coordinating Professor of the School of Health Fernando Pessoa; 

- Doctor Marília dos Santos Rua, Coordinating Professor at the Higher School of Health of the University of Aveiro;

- Doctor Hélia Maria da Silva Dias, Coordinating Professor at the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém;

- Doctor Maria Augusta Gomes Alves Ferreira, Coordinating Professor at the Higher School of Health of the University of Algarve.

Alternative committee members:

- Doctor Manuela Maria da Conceição Ferreira, Coordinating Professor at the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu;

- Doctor Maria Otília Brites Zangão, Coordinating Professor at the S. João de Deus School of Nursing at the University of Évora;

VIII – Access to the tender procedure

The tender process can be accessed at the University of Algarve’s Human Resources Department, located on the ground floor of the Penha Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve, in Faro. Access is available from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  and from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. by appointment.