In 2019, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) adopted its new strategy "Creating positive societal impact". This strategy focuses on increasing the societal impact of the university. The many and vast challenges society is struggling with from the individual to the collective level underline the great importance of the university's public role and responsibility. These tough issues call for a university that does not remain aloof or develops solutions in splendid isolation, but takes responsibility and, embedded in and in dialogue with society, helps to co-create ways to tackle these challenges in sustainable relationships with its stakeholders. Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) takes this public role seriously and wants to contribute positively to the challenges society faces. As EUR, we have positive societal impact if, through our teaching, research, or societal engagement, we make a (sustainable) contribution to a better understanding of societal issues, possible approaches to dealing with these issues or the collective ability to develop and apply these approaches. This definition clarifies that the impact we aim for is diverse.

An important question here is whether the university manages to realise this ambition and how this can be determined. In line with the mission of the strategy, the EUR wants to develop a supported approach for enabling, evaluating and monitoring positive societal impact that responds to and does justice to the differences between scientific fields and faculties.

The Evaluating Societal Impact program takes steps towards appropriate impact evaluation and associated governance structures at EUR, in other words the program enables the creation of societal impact. In doing so, we collaborate with internal stakeholders to create synergies, we focus on sustainable policy changes within the organisation, and we advise faculties and strategic initiatives on impact. In addition, we strongly invest in the development of easy to apply, scalable and sustainable impact enabling tools and methods. Through that we actively contribute to the transition of the EUR towards an impact driven university. Do you want to join us and contribute to this transition?

We offer a stimulating, people-oriented work environment and a place where brainstorming, knowledge exchange, creativity, and the development of new ideas are central. The team consists of a group of people with many different expertise and diverse cultural backgrounds. Within the team we value great team work and supporting each other As ESI, we are very motivated to contribute to this cultural change within EUR (see https://www.eur.nl/en/evaluating-societal-impact-team for the team composition).

As a junior researcher, you will become part of the team and play an active role in developing and testing tools and methods for enabling societal impact at the EUR. Further, you will develop and execute processes for the development of impact strategies. This allows you to develop various skills on the crossroad of research, project management and advice, learn to work in a complex environment with many internal and external stakeholders, and get the chance to establish yourself broadly as an impact expert. A great opportunity to develop as a professional!

Job description
As a junior researcher you will play an important role in:

• Organizing, recording and leading co-creation and design activities to develop and test impact enabling tools, e.g., workshops, stakeholder consultation sessions;
• Advising internal stakeholders on steps to take to enable the creation of societal impact within EUR, e.g. development of impact ambitions/strategies within faculties, development of EUR engagement strategy
• Carrying out impact research using different methods for impact evaluation, e.g., interviews, surveys, focus groups;
• Translating knowledge and insights on enabling impact methods into relevant content and tools for the impact-driven knowledge website/environment of Evaluating Societal Impact (https://www.eur.nl/en/research/research-services/societal-impact-evaluation).

The work is done in close cooperation with the program manager, the senior account manager, and the other junior researchers. There is plenty of room to come up with your own initiatives and ideas within the framework of the program.

• WO (academic) working and thinking level;
• Knowledge of/affinity with the theme of societal impact of science;
• Interest in advising and doing research at the interface of science, policy and society;
• Experience with doing research: demonstrated experience with qualitative research methods, such as interviewing or focus groups, experience with quantitative research methods and analyses is a plus;
• Experience with writing articles for scientific and non-scientific audiences, e.g. website pieces, (advisory) reports;
• Experience in higher education is a plus;
• Team-oriented, enthusiastic, intrinsically driven personality;
• Flexible, reflexive, patient (complex cultural change) and able to work independently;
• Fluent (writing and speaking) in English.

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The start date of this position is 01-JULY-2023 and you will be based at the Campus Woudestein - Rotterdam, located at General Management Directorate (ABD). The position is for 0,8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 2.960 to a maximum of € 4.670 gross per month on a fulltime basis, in accordance with Scale 10 of the CAO-NU. In addition, we offer an 8% holiday allowance, an end-of-year payment of 8.3%, and a very generous paid leave scheme. Furthermore, EUR is affiliated with ABP for the pension provision, and we offer partially paid parental leave, fully paid extended birth leave for partners, a personal career budget, work-life balance coaches, discounted collective health insurance, and more. As an employee, you can also use EUR facilities such as the University library and receive a discount on subscriptions for the Erasmus sports center.

Erasmus University Rotterdam offers a Dual Career Programme (DCP) to assist the life partners of new academic staff (on payroll) in finding employment in The Netherlands. The programme is offered in close cooperation with the nearby universities of Delft and Leiden.

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfill their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

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 3.700 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
The services and departments

The Evaluating Societal Impact program has a central position within the EUR and is embedded in the current strategy (Strategy 2024). As junior researcher you will be assigned to the Strategy Office (SO), which is part of the General Administration Service (ABD).

The Strategy Office (SO)
The Strategy Office guides the EUR in its transition to an impact-driven university and works with the entire organisation to achieve the strategic objectives.

The Strategy Office (SO) is a policy department that, on the one hand, focuses on (supporting) the integral implementation of the strategy (both in terms of content and process) and, on the other hand, provides the management and the organisation with the capacity to provide strategic advice on a wide range of issues. Obviously, this is done in close cooperation with other central policy departments, the faculties and institutes and support services (that embed and help implement the EUR strategy) and the project leaders and academic leads who lead the strategic projects. The team consists of both programme management functions and strategic advisors, and is supplemented with colleagues from support services, who contribute ideas on strategic and implementation issues. The SO functions as a spider in the web, in order to realise the strategic ambitions in cooperation with the entire community.

The General Administration (ABD)

As a central staff organisation, the General Administration (ABD) is responsible for organising policy support at the institutional level. The ABD supports the Executive Board (CvB) in exercising its responsibility for the quality, accessibility and financing of education and research. The ABD takes care of the joint design of integral policy, the timely submission of this policy for decision-making, ensures (partly) that the policy is implemented and carries out continuous monitoring and evaluation with a view to improvements. The department is formed by the Academic Affairs departments, the Chief Information Officer Office, Corporate Planning & Control, Administrative Affairs, Legal Affairs and Strategy Office. The independent Erasmus Magazine is also part of the ABD. The administration department is headed by the Director of General Administration (also Secretary of the Executive Board).