Audencia (www.audencia.com) invites applications for a position as Assistant or Associate Professor in the Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Innovation (ESI) department. This is a full-time, permanent position based at our Nantes campuses or Paris campus (Saint-Ouen), with an expected start date of September 1, 2026.

Position requirements

We are looking for applicants specialized in Sales and Business Development in terms of both teaching and research. Applicants shall hold a Ph.D.

In accordance with our programs and in line with our school strategic axes, we particularly welcome candidates whose scientific and pedagogical activities, in addition to the above-mentioned subjects, are multi-disciplinary and are related with the economic, technological, environmental, social or (geo)-political challenges of today's world.

Applicants shall be able to demonstrate their ability to teach effectively a range of undergraduate and graduate courses such as “Introduction to personal selling”; “Negotiation and sales techniques”; “International negotiation and sales techniques”; “Sales performance optimisation”; “Social selling and growth hacking”; “Key account management”; “International business negotiations”. The teaching associated with the position will be in English and French.

They shall also be able to demonstrate their ability to successfully publish in high-impact peer-reviewed international journals.

Position overview

The new faculty member will join our ESI (Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation) department, consisting of 26 core faculty members. The research and pedagogy axes of the department are in entrepreneurship, strategy, design and innovation, sales and business development, and sports management. The department manages several programs such as undergraduate specialisation in our Bachelors (Entrepreneurship; Management for Tomorrow; Sport Management; Sales Development; Project Management, Design and Communication); MSc Programs (Business Strategy and Consulting; Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Impact; Business Development and Growth Hacking); and MS Programs (Marketing, Design, Creation; Responsible Management for Sports Organisations).

Salary is negotiable and commensurate with potential and experience. There are a number of benefits attached to the contract including an individual research or pedagogical budget, the possibility to apply for additional internal funding opportunities, performance-based bonuses and family medical coverage.

The School

Audencia is triple accredited (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA) and one of the leading European and French business schools. The school offers a wide range of programs including Grand Ecole Program, Bachelors, BBAs, MScs, MBA, Executive MBA, Doctorate in Business Administration and Executive Education Programmes, with 186 core faculty members from 37 countries. The school is very dynamic, has grown significantly in the most recent years and will continue to do so with new positions opening in the future.

The school has campuses in France and abroad. This position can be primarily based in Nantes or in Paris (Saint-Ouen) but the successful candidate must also be willing to teach across campuses.

Environment

Nantes is just 2 hours away from Paris by train, serviced by an international airport. The eclecticism of its landscapes and architecture, its dynamic industries and the diversity of its cultural events, along with the quality of the environment which won it the label of European Green Capital, have regularly placed Nantes at the top of the best cities to live in. In addition to its pleasant environment (vineyards, royal castles, rivers, the sandy Atlantic coast…), the city also boasts a rich economic and industrial identity. As the 6th largest city in France, the metropolitan region of Nantes is amongst the most dynamic (number three in terms of economic attractivity around energy shift). In 2025, more than 70 300 companies are housed in the city.

Application

Candidates should submit a cover letter, a recent curriculum vitae (including a complete list of publications), recent teaching evaluations, and the contact information of three referees.

Applications must be addressed to Prof. Thibaut BARDON, Associate Dean for Faculty & Research, and submitted exclusively through this webpage.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

For more information:

ESI Head of Department: Prof. RONTEAU Sébastien, sronteau@audencia.com

ESI Head of Research: Prof. SALMIVAARA Virva, vsalmivaara@audencia.com

Audencia ESI department: https://www.audencia.com/en/faculty-research/departments/entrepreneurship-strategy-innovation