Dr. Franziska Nocke

What is your job?

My job involves the management of the Department of Business and Economics with tasks such as committee support, responsibility for resources, student marketing and quality management. At the interface between decentralized department administration and central university administration, I manage a total of twelve employees.

What was your path to the University of Kassel?

After training as a bank clerk, I myself completed a degree in economics at the University of Kassel, followed by a doctorate. I then worked in the financial sector for ten years and also held a leading position there.

And what brought you back to your alma mater?

My personal motivation to move from the world of finance to the university was actually the innovative, international university flair and the structures that can be designed. In my previous management position, I worked many hours a week and was on the road all over Germany. Here I have a fixed work center and: I have a demanding job, but I can also pursue my private interests - I have come to appreciate a healthy work-life balance.

And what do you value about your job?

A sense of purpose and social responsibility. That was and is an important incentive for me to work at the University of Kassel. At our department, we work sustainably and purpose-driven, which I feel every day. We have the task of educating the next generation of our society and working world, and I get to be part of filling this task with content. How great is that?

We operate across industries, which gives us the great opportunity to work across disciplines. Although we primarily have a scientific focus, we also maintain networks with practitioners and can use this as a basis for further thinking and developing topics in research and teaching.

How is your department organized?

Economics is organized in a decentralized manner, like a traditional department. We have a kind of staff function here, and all the threads come together in the management.

Personally, I'm an agile type of person, and my job gives me the opportunity to live that out. For example, I was able to redesign and develop student marketing, which didn't exist before. I consider it a privilege that I have this freedom to try out new things without having to worry that there will be dire consequences if an idea doesn't bear fruit. I think this mixture of clear structures and the opportunity to get involved and develop is great.

What do you have to bring with you to work in your team?

Know-how, creativity and fun working in the dean's office as part of the science system. Our team is very heterogeneous and diverse; there are all age structures and different backgrounds - from administration and exam organization to IT and law.

What do you particularly appreciate about the University of Kassel as an employer?

In addition to a (crisis-) secure job, it's the diverse opportunities that are offered: flexible working time models and, above all, the freedom to live out one's abilities and interests. In addition, there are many opportunities for further training and education; I myself have attended courses on change management, for example.

There is a pleasant working atmosphere in an open corporate culture. The most valuable thing for me, however, are the people with whom I am allowed to work together to develop our Department of Business and Economics a little further every day. That is a gift for me. And that's what I like to work for.

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