You will have extensive experience of practice-based academic research and specialist knowledge of co-design, multi-stakeholder coalitions, social issues and transitions in the Creative Business Research Centre and, more specifically, a research group, a research programme or projects.  

You will be able to perform well in an interdisciplinary professional field that is subject to rules or policy to just a limited extent. It's your job to promote and defend new ideas, concepts and opinions and you know how to gain support for it. 

Read more: Societal Impact Design

Your role

Armed with your co-design knowledge and expertise, you will set to work with the various stakeholders with an interest in a particular social issue. You will be able to independently organise and conduct design research and involve lecturers, students and the professional field in research projects. You will seek to strengthen the connection between research and education and contribute to the innovation of the curriculum.  

You will work with the lector to coordinate the activities of the Societal Impact Design research-group team, which consists of junior researchers and lecturer-researchers.  

The research questions on which the research group focuses are taken from professional practice. Your duties will include writing articles and grant applications, organising, coordinating and conducting design research projects and coaching lecturer-researchers. When seeking to acquire new projects, you will work with other knowledge institutions to develop research ideas. You will also identify and speak to possible partners from the professional field.  

When conducting research, you will maintain contact with stakeholders from the business community, the non-profit sector, authorities and various knowledge institutions (quadruple helix) and ensure that the research conducted covers the issues and all the different perspectives involved. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and empathy and understand how empathy can benefit multi-stakeholder coalitions and social transitions. 

You will work with other research groups, within the Faculty of Creative Business under which the research group falls, the Inholland University of Applied Sciences and the Systemic Co-Design Expertise Network (ESC): a  SIA Sprong group

Have you become enthusiastic about the position and do you see yourself fulfilling the role altogether? Please know that we base the first selection on the job requirements below. In our opinion, these requirements are of great importance in order to be able to perform the function properly. If you meet (or recognize) these job requirements, we look forward to your application with great interest. Make sure that the job requirements below are properly reflected in your motivation letter. Based on this, we carry out an initial selection.

We are looking for one or two senior design researchers to fill this position. The successful candidate(s) will have a background in higher or university education or in conducting applied design research. You will be able to demonstrate this on the basis of academic and/or specialist publications and approved grant applications.  

You will meet the following requirements: 

• you will be an experienced, practice-based design researcher who is familiar with Research Through Design, co-design and social design practices; 
• a doctoral degree in social-, change-, design- or technical sciences is what you have obtained, on a subject that is relevant for the research group. Ideally, you will be able to combine these fields; 
• you bring an up-to-date knowledge of and make an impact with empathetic co-design processes; 
• you will be aware of and reflect on current social developments and the perspectives of the relevant stakeholders; 
• you will have a good network in higher design education, universities, the professional field and related organisations and be able to participate effectively in these networks and multi-stakeholder networks; 
• you will have demonstrable expertise in obtaining external funding for research; 
• you have demonstrable expertise in acquiring external funding to conduct research; 
• you will be a proactive organiser who likes to take the pressure off the professor, has an eye for detail and the ability to delegate when necessary. 
• you are a proactive organiser who enjoys relieving the lecturer, is detail-oriented and can delegate when necessary. 

You will also have: 

• experience applying for and coordinating practice-based design research projects and programmes (project management); 
• experience managing, guiding and coaching design professionals; 
• a particular knowledge of and experience with qualitative and possibly also quantitative data collection methods and an up-to-date knowledge of the corresponding analysis techniques; 
• good intercultural communication skills in Dutch and English (written and spoken); 
• published academic papers. 
• experience in soliciting and coordinating practice-based design research projects and programmes (project management);  
• experience in managing, supervising and coaching design professionals;  
• knowledge of and experience with mainly qualitative and possibly quantitative data collection methods and related up-to-date analysis techniques; 
• good intercultural communication skills in Dutch and English (verbal and written);  
• success in academic writing. 
• A teaching qualification would be an advantage.

Important to know

Do you not fully meet the above job requirements, but do you know that you could quickly function at this level? Even then, we look forward to receiving your application. 

We are prepared to put together an adapted range of tasks that corresponds to scale 12 (minimum € 4,715.81 and maximum € 6,064.86) based on full-time employment.

Fixed-term contract: the contract could be renewed or extended.

• a temporary employment contract for 12 months will be offered initially. If appropriate, the contract could be renewed or extended; 
• a gross monthly salary of € 5.401,60 to €6.579,22 on the basis of scale 13 in the event of full-time employment. Your salary level will depend on your relevant professional and other experience and education; 
• a working week of 16-32 hours a week; 
• an easily accessible work location in Diemen. All public transport expenses will be reimbursed in full. If you choose to use your own transport, please be aware that you will be reimbursed to a limited extent; 
• an 8% holiday allowance paid out in May; 
• an 8.3% year-end bonus payable in December; 
• a generous leave scheme allowing for individual choice. For example: employees with a full-time employment contract, who have opted to work 40 hours a week, will have 428 hours of leave per year. This comes down to a total of 53.5 days off. Our leave scheme includes the compulsory days off and all national and public holidays; 
• Inholland adheres to the collective labour agreement for higher professional education (cao hbo) and offers an attractive package of primary and secondary employment conditions. In the cao hbo, social partners are continuing to seek agreements that genuinely work and are based on the commitment to be expected from a good employer and a good employee; 
• see Inholland’s full employment terms and conditions here.  

Inholland University of Applied Sciences

The Creative Business Research Centre consists of seven research groups and six living labs with close links to the Inholland faculty of the same name. The faculty, research groups and living labs focus on enabling current and future creative and tourism professionals to do their bit to make the world a better – read: more sustainable and equal – place. Highly-skilled creativity and self-reflection are crucial.   

In the living labs, learning coaches, lecturer-researchers, lecturers, lab coordinators and learning directors from the Faculty of Creative Business – and increasingly from other faculties too – are combining education and practice-based research in the so-called quadruple helix (citizens, the business community, government and knowledge institutions). For example, Citylab Haarlem, the International Music Industry Lab, the SLUISlab, the Sustainable Media Lab, the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam and the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam and the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Rotterdam.   

As you will notice when you come to work for our university of applied sciences, we are committed to our students and employees. Together, we create a reassuring learning and work environment in which students feel at home, seen, noticed and acknowledged. Personal and accessible. We offer students a safe basis and help them to become confident, versatile professionals who make a meaningful contribution to the inclusive world of tomorrow: wherever they come from and whatever their interests and (life) experience are. Our university of applied sciences embraces a wide range of different students and colleagues. It’s this diversity that makes us strong.  

Whichever position you have at our university of applied sciences, we expect you to be a role model to our students at all times: because the educational innovation we want to achieve with you by our side will require you to demonstrate versatility, courage and curiosity too. You will feel that you are able to and actually use the scope that your role gives you to contribute – and take responsibility for contributing to – the facilitation of educational innovation.   

If you would like to know more about our university of applied sciences as an employer, see Werken bij Hogeschool Inholland.