Project Manager Major Research Initiatives

Introduction

Do you have an affinity for research focused on positive social impact? Do you have expertise in managing large, multi-stakeholder projects? Do you know what it means to work in a team with scientists executing research projects?

As a result of continued successes in acquiring competitive funding Engagement & Research Services is looking for a new team member to partner with researchers in the realization of major research initiatives: largescale, high impact, complex and multi-stakeholder research projects. This position offers the opportunity for someone to manage multi stakeholder projects to work with scientific leads and to be their right hand on maintaining consortium relationships, organizational structure and financial management of the project. In addition, this position will have a role in facilitating how the newly implemented University-wide project and portfolio management software supports the research processes.

Job description

As Project Manager Major Research Initiatives your main focus will be on major and complex research initiatives that are funded via European, national or regional funds. As the scientific lead’s right hand on managing consortium relationships, organizational and financial management and delivery of the project, you will be responsible for all organizational, contractual, and financial/administrative processes and communications. You will safeguard deadlines, monitor progress and prepare any non-scientific reports required by the project. Also, you will organize project events with or without additional help, depending on scale.

You are successful when stakeholders are always well informed, when the project is compliant with the funding requirements and when your work enables the scientific staff on the project to focus on doing science. Another aspect of your job will be to coordinate the research support community's engagement with the University's new project management support software. This will require working closely with all Schools and ERS as well as with the IT department to ensure the system continues to meet the needs of the users. 

You will be embedded within Engagement & Research Services and report in line to the head of the Grant Support Office at ERS and subsequently to the scientific lead(s) of the projects you support. In your day to day, you will work very closely with a team of 4 project managers, your project's scientific team and the Coordinator Project Management Major Research Initiatives.

Job requirements

- Working and thinking level equivalent to a university degree and relevant experience in academic research organizations;

- Three years of experience in managing multi-stakeholder projects;

- Affinity with social sciences and humanities.

- A good set of people skills;

- Accurate, solution oriented and capable of dealing with tight deadlines;

- The capability to act as a trusted sparring partner for scientists and other partners in a consortium;

- The ability to recognize the challenges and opportunities of working in a team that is developing;

- Excellent verbal and written command in Dutch (native or C1) and English (CEFR level C1);

It will be positively viewed if in addition you bring one or more of the following:

- Experience with projects funded through the European Commission or NWO;

- Project management experience in large, complex projects;

- Experience in events (online/offline) management;

- Previous experience with project management software in (large) organizations.

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 August 2025 and you will be based at the Woudestein Campus in Engagement & Research Services (ERS). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 4.537 to a maximum of € 6.209 gross per month Scale 11 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is offered for a period of 1 year.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Engagement & Research Services (ERS) advances excellent research and engagement to maximize positive societal impact. ERS creates conditions for transparent, inclusive, collaborative, and impactful research through strategic and operational expertise. 

We provide pathways for talents to reach their full potential and we advance fruitful collaborations, enabling Erasmus University to be a front runner in embedding excellent research in society. The following areas of support are embedded within ERS: Business Development, Grant Support, Legal Counsels, Open Science, Research Data Management, Ethics Review and Research Intelligence. ERS is a relatively young service department within Erasmus University Rotterdam and is steadily building and extending its service portfolio. ERS provides support to all faculties of Erasmus university Rotterdam (occasionally to Erasmus University Medical Center). 

Additional information

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Anca Miclea - Faciu via miclea@eur.nl.

Applying

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and CV, before the vacancy closing date.

The selection procedure consists of 2 interviews. Candidates invited for the second round of interviews will also be given a short assignment to prepare. Interviews are expected to be held according to the following schedule:

- First Round of Interviews on 21 May 2025 from 9.00 - 14.00 hours

- Second Round of Interviews on 26 May 2025 from 9.00 - 11.00 hours

The preferred candidate will be made an offer before the end of May.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.