President

The Hertie School is recruiting a 

President (F/M/DIV) 

The Hertie School has established a search committee to recommend a candidate for appointment as the President for the term starting 2026. Since its foundation in 2003, the Hertie School has grown into one of the leading graduate schools of public policy worldwide. The Hertie School educates the next generation of leaders in government, business and civil society. It strives for excellence in research, teaching and outreach, promoting active engagement for the common good. The Hertie School is a renowned institution of higher learning and acknowledged as a centre of excellence in research on governance and policy issues that invites interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral approaches informed by comparative as well as international perspectives. The Hertie School acts as a recognised platform for vibrant public debates and intellectual discourse among academic experts and policy-makers. 

The Hertie School is a highly selective private graduate school based in Berlin with an interdisciplinary focus on issues of governance. A renowned international and interdisciplinary faculty of nearly 40 professors conducts state-of-the-art research, some of them located at the School’s 5 research centres and the Data Science Lab. The language of instruction is English. The school has more than 800 students and 260 employees.

The Hertie School, accredited by the German Science Council, prepares exceptional students for leadership positions in government, business and civil society by offering three full-time master programmes, an Executive master and a PhD programme. It has numerous dual degree programmes and close ties to top institutions of the European and international teaching and research community. The Hertie School is a full member of the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN), the Association of Professional School for International Affairs (APSIA) and CIVICA – the European University of Social Sciences.

The Hertie School was founded by the Hertie Foundation, a well-endowed foundation in Germany, which remains its major funder.

The ideal candidate is a distinguished academic, appointable as full professor and President, has a strong professional network as well as extensive leadership experience and a strong track record in academia or a closely related sector. In line with the mission of the Hertie School, the President is expected to further develop the School’s strategy. The candidate should be able to expand fundraising for the School and combine a strong professional network with the ability to address the needs of various stakeholders – academics, students, alumni, administrators, donors, media or policy-makers. The President manages the school and represents it internally as well as externally. The President acts as Chairperson and Academic Managing Director of the legal entity Hertie School gemeinnützige GmbH, a German non-profit limited liability company. In this capacity, the President holds the overall responsibility for the development of the Hertie School and chairs the meetings of the Hertie School Leadership.

The President will be appointed by the Supervisory Board upon approval by the Academic Senate of the Hertie School for a term of four years. Re-appointment is possible under the same conditions. The President’s office will start at the beginning of the academic year (Sept) 2026.

To submit your application, please send your documents (CV and motivation letter) via e-mail to Helge Braun (chairmanboardoftrustees@hertie-school.org), Chairman of the Search Committee. Applications submitted until May 31, 2025 are guaranteed to be considered. Submissions received after this date may be reviewed by the Search Committee at their discretion.

For information about the Hertie School, please visit www.hertie-school.org.

For questions about the position, please contact Helge Braun (chairmanboardoftrustees@hertie-school.org), Chairman of the Search Committee or Björn Schäfer, Secretary to the Search Committee (B.Schaefer@hertie-school.org).

Strict confidentiality in the application process is assured. The Hertie School is committed to equal opportunity employment. To promote gender equality, we strongly encourage applications from qualified women. Severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration in case of equal suitability.