As Assistant Professor (Universitair Docent), you will be involved in the preparation and development of courses within Bachelor's and Master's programes within the Department of Criminal Law, International Law, and European Law.

Your research expertise may be in any area within the fields of international or European law. You would be expected to develop and deliver coherent educational contributions within the Faculty's educational programme and the Department. Due to the source of funding for this appointment, you would be expected to conduct independent scholarly research in the field of international or European law in line with the specific Faculty research programme “Law in an individualized network society” and the Sector Plan, culminating in scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals. You would be expected to become a part of, and actively contribute to, the flourishing of the new OU research group within the framework of the Sector Plan.

The core research question that you would be expected to focus your research upon would be: ‘How do legal norms, institutions, mechanisms and processes beyond the state impact on democracy, the rule of law and effective legal protection within the Dutch state, and which (new) legal norms, institutions, mechanismsand processes beyond and within the Dutch state can facilitate, reclaim and strengthen democracy, the rule of law and effective legal protection within the Netherlands?’

Your research could potentially focus on the theme of judicial law formation and the ‘trias politica’ in a multi-layered global legal order. In your application, you could also submit a proposal for a different theme, falling within the general research question.

The successful candidate will hold a first degree in Law with good results. In addition, the successful candidate will hold a postgraduate degree in International law or European law, or will have demonstrable work experience in international or European law. You will have or will defend imminently a PhD on topic within the fields of International or European law.

Moreover, the successful candidate will demonstrate (the potential for) excellent research skills, particularly in the areas of international or European law, as evidenced (in particular) by relevant peer-reviewed publications. The candidate will be prepared to conduct research within the frameworks of the Faculty research program, in particular the above-mentioned Sector Plan. Successful experience with research funding applications will be considered an asset.

The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent qualities in both teaching knowledge and skills in their relevant field, in the supervision of students, and in developing educational programmes. They will have knowledge of and affinity with innovative delivery of education. It is considered an asset to be able to teach in other fields of law. The candidate should also have experience in performing administrative duties. The candidate will need to teach in Dutch and in English.

The successful candidate will be result-oriented with a proactive attitude, and will have the ability to work within a team and to build collaborative relationships. The candidate will possess excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing, and know how to present their proposals in a convincing manner. Given the online delivery of much OU teaching, it is essential for the candidate to have demonstrable experience with the use of IT, going beyond basic competence.

Fixed-term contract: fixed-term appointment for a period of four (4) years in the first instance, with 50% of time allocated to research.

Depending on your education, experience and qualifications, the salary is determined in accordance with salary scale 11 of Appendix A of the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities and amounts to a maximum of € 4,978 gross per month for full-time employment.

The Open University offers good secondary and flexible employment conditions in areas such as training and mobility, part-time work and paid parental leave.

Open University

Study online from the Netherlands and Flanders
The Open Universiteit (Open University of the Netherlands, or OU) is a part-time university in the Netherlands. At OU, students pursue an ‘online activating’ education and may choose from a wide range of scientific disciplines. Students can follow Bachelor- and Master-level education across seven broad subject areas. Key characteristics of the OU model of education are its openness, its flexibility, and its high quality. Particular attention is paid to improving students’ success rates. At the OU, there some 14,000 students, supported by 600 members of staff. The OU has study centres across the Netherlands and Belgium. Its headquarters are located in Heerlen.
At the OU, the newest, most innovative technologies and educational techniques are applied, not only in Bachelor- and Master-level studies and courses, but equally in our research programmes and collaborations with our partners. OU plays an important role, both nationally and internationally, in fostering innovation in higher education. Moreover, our educational curriculum is interwoven with our research, whiich ensures that state of the art research plays a role in driving education. The OU invests both in discipline-specific research, as well as in in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology.

Student satisfaction
In the Nationale Studenten Enquête (NSE—the Dutch National Students’ Survey), the Keuzegids Universiteiten (Keuzegids: a comparative university guide that compiles student satisfaction and expert evaluation on Bachelor-level education at the fourteen Dutch universities), and the Keuzegids Masters (for Master-level programmes), the OU has achieved, for many years in a row, a top ranking in the list of fourteen Dutch universities. In addition, all programmes rank highly in the subject-specific rankings of the universities in respect of the relevant courses of study. All assessments can be found on the OU website (www.ou.nl).

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law is involved in academic education and research in the field of law. The Faculty offers academic Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in Law; the Schakelprogramma bridging programme into law, and a higher professional education degree (HBO-opleiding) in Law. The Faculty has four primary departments: private law; constitutional and administrative law; criminal law, international law & European law. The Faculty aims to provide substantive and educational innovation within the curriculum, with a strong emphasis on digital resources and an electronic learning environment. In addition, the Faculty is building on the interdependence of education and research within the research programme ‘Law in an individualised and networked society’.