Head of Department European Studies

'Educating global minds' is the joint mission of the European Studies, International Business, Translation and Interpreting, and Oriental Languages and Communication programmes which, together with the research centres for International Relationship Management and Sustainable International Business, work on improving educational quality, educational innovation, study success, internationalization, and research-informed teaching.

The European Studies programme (ES) has 356 students and twenty staff members. In the 2019-2020 academic year, a revised curriculum will be introduced for the first year of the ES programme. This new curriculum was developed in close collaboration with professionals in the field of European studies and is characterized by professional tasks and activating teaching methods. The European Studies programme will be audited in the autumn of 2020, for which preparations are already underway.

Profile:
As a member of the management team, the ES head of department is closely involved in decisions relating to strategy and policy at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and is responsible for incorporating these into the programme. The head of department works alongside other heads of department, lecturers, the director and is accountable to the director.

The ES head of department will further develop the proposed programme changes and oversee their profiling. Moreover, the head of department will collaborate with the curriculum committee, the board of examiners, the programme committee, the team members, the students, and the professional field, to create a more result-oriented team that is jointly responsible for transforming students into sought-after professionals. Objectives include:

• developing, implementing, and monitoring the quality of the programme (as evidenced by audits, among other things) in a well-functioning quality culture and increasing study success;
• rolling out the new didactic vision (task-oriented education) with attention to the integration of education and research within the programme;
• intensifying cooperation with the internationally oriented field of European studies;
• strengthening the profile of the degree programme in the public domain in the Netherlands, the Euregion, and within and outside Europe by attracting a diverse student population from home and abroad and strengthening relationships with similar international partners;
• creating a healthy and sustainable programme in a business and a financial sense.

Candidates are expected to:

• provide inspiring, motivated, and decisive team-oriented and people-oriented leadership and have experience in a comparable management position;
• have an affinity with the European studies field, a clear vision of the field, and a relevant network in the public domain, as well as a master's degree, preferably in the fields of public policy or communication;
• have excellent communication skills in both Dutch and English;
• be an open team player in the European Studies and management team;
• implement HR policy aimed at stimulating the development of the team and have an eye for the talents of individual team members and the cultural diversity of the team as a whole;
• interact with professionals, manage them at the process level, and help them develop into smaller, result-oriented teams;
• demonstrate coaching and connective leadership skills, which includes listening and giving and receiving feedback;
• respect the interests of individual team members, the team as a whole, and the organization, even if these conflict with each other;
• be willing to teach;
• be aware of the latest developments in higher education and initiate, implement, and generate support for innovations, in collaboration with key stakeholders and students;
• make a proactive and substantive contribution to strengthening the programme profile (both internally and externally) and making and maintaining external relationships;
• have knowledge of and experience with managing an organizational unit;
• have a sense of humour and compassion.

We offer an exciting position with plenty of room for personal and professional growth in a friendly, dynamic, and international work environment. This includes a one-year employment contract of 0.8 FTE via Zuyd University of Applied Sciences or Randstad Payroll, with the possibility of an extension. The salary is commensurate with your background and experience, but does not exceed a maximum of scale 12 or 13 CAO-HBO (maximum € 6,036.14 gross per month at 100% FTE).