The Aurora Programme Manager is a vital supporting and coordinating role within the Aurora 2030 programme, an European University Alliance programme, dedicated to advancing higher education across Europe. Reporting to the Secretary General, you will facilitate and coordinate the programme’s activities, ensuring that each Work Package and Task Team achieves its objectives on time and to a high standard.

As Programme Manager, you will provide vital support for systematic reporting, track progress, and contribute to delivering core programme results. You will also play a key role in aligning educational developments across Work Packages, ensuring the coherence and consistency of new educational products and approaches.

You will work closely with the other Programme Manager and other Aurora Central Office members, including the Communications Officer, Administrative Officer, and Brussels liaison, in a highly collaborative environment. This position is based at the Aurora Central Office, located at VU Amsterdam.

This role provides a unique opportunity to support the Aurora universities and its alliance programme, Aurora 2030, making a meaningful impact on the future of European higher education.

Tasks

• Form a strong team together with the other Programme Manager in monitoring the progress of the Aurora 2030 programme
• Support the realisation of the project plan to ensure timely reporting
• Coordinate the educational development of the Aurora 2030 programme in collaboration with the Secretary General
• Coordinate the data collection and systematisation during the reporting period and support the production of reports.
• Coordinate reporting to internal stakeholders and EACEA together with the other Programme Manager
• Support the coordination and organisation of management-level meetings
• Manage communications with Team leaders together with the other Programme Manager

Requirements

• Master’s degree or a higher qualification
• At least ten years of relevant work experience in project management
• Competence in managing complex international projects: operationally, administratively, financially and in terms of goal attainment.
• Experience in the field of higher education
• Proven ability to align educational initiatives across diverse teams or projects, ensuring coherence and consistency.
• Affinity with financial management and administration
• Level C1 in English (in all sections: reading, writing, speaking, listening) is minimally required. In addition, level B2 in at least one and preferably two other European languages is desired
• Knowledge of European policies in the field of higher education and European cooperation is desired
• Experience working in an international setting across different languages and cultures
• Availibility to travel

Competences

• Excellent organisational and time management skills, also under stress
• Strong coordination and collaboration skills, particularly within multi-stakeholder environments
• Proactive and interculturally sensitive
• Flexibility and the ability to improvise
• Good interpersonal communication skills
• Dynamic, energetic and has a positive mindset

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At Aurora, at VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 4.537,00 (Scale 11) and maximum € 6.209,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Projectmanager 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE.
• the initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

AURORA
Aurora is a network of research-intensive universities in Europe committed to matching academic excellence with societal relevance. Aurora serves as a high-trust platform in which university leaders, academics, students and administrators learn from and with each other how to make their universities more successful in achieving their shared mission. Only one university per HE system can be member; other membership criteria address research excellence, demonstrable societal engagement and comprehensiveness of education and research.

It was founded in 2016 as an association under Dutch law by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of East Anglia. It currently consists of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the University of Iceland, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the University Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, the University of Innsbruck, the University of Naples, Palacky University in Olomouc, and the University Paris Est-Creteil. The University of Minnesota is Global Associate Partner.

Aurora is part of the European Universities initiative funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. In November 2023, the 2nd funding period under this initiative has started as the Aurora 2030 programme. The Copenhagen Business School is also member of this Aurora 2030 programme. In addition, 4 universities in Central and Eastern Europe collaborate with Aurora in the Aurora 2030 programme

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload
your curriculum vitae and cover letter until 19 January 2025.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.
Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:
Dr. Ramon Puras (Aurora Secretary General)
E-mail: r.a.puras@vu.nl
Telephone: +31 649886198