Research Project Officer

Do you enjoy working with academic staff, helping them to manage complex project requirements? Are you enthusiastic, well-organised and used to working with deadlines? Then read on, as you might want to become the new Research Project Officer in our Research Support Office at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS).

Job Description

As project officer, you are the linchpin between academic staff and support staff. Your focus is on research projects that are financed by external organisations such as the European Commission, NWO, and regional or international funds. Understanding guidelines and requirements from external funding agencies as well as faculty- and UM policies, and making this information accessible, comes naturally to you.

As Project Officer, you:

• will liaise between the Principal Investigators (PIs) and external and internal stakeholders of several (externally funded) research projects;
• support with organisation of meetings, conferences (e.g. kick-off, mid-term, final) and smaller seminars and workshops during the projects;
• are responsible for tracking, formatting and publication of project-related deliverables (e.g. progress reports, secondment contracts, ethics protocols);
• understand the ethical, legal and compliance issues associated with such projects, are able to take the lead and know when and where to seek specialist advice;
• will work closely together with the PI on project deliverables (e.g. data management plans and ethics approval, financial overviews) and preparing the mid-term/final reporting
• liaise with the PI to setup and manage the (refinement of) the project plans.

When receiving a grant, researchers already have a solid project proposal with a budget prepared by the Finance Cluster and possibly an extra check with the HR cluster. Key to your role is supporting researchers with the implementation of their project; e.g. finding their way in the rules and regulations of the grant agreement and relevant FASoS and UM policies. What do they need to know? With whom do they need to pick it up, by when? You are the liaison between the researcher on the one hand and the grant authority and internal organisation on the other hand. Your goal is to keep the entire process and administration surrounding the execution of projects running smoothly.

You will be part of the Research Support Office (RSO). The RSO at FASoS aims to make the life of researchers easier through faculty incentives, funding support, secretarial support, and policy advice. This includes supporting a number of strategic externally funded projects. In addition to assisting individual researchers, the RSO prepares policy advice and procedures to the Graduate School, Research Programmes, Research Centres, and Faculty Board.

The position of project officer is closely linked to those of the other staff members in the Research Support Office and beyond. Other clusters you will be working with are Finance, HR and Marketing & Communication.

Requirements

We are looking for an independent, proactive team player who likes to support academic staff/content experts on their research projects. You will have the opportunity to contribute to exciting research, think along with a range of colleagues and contribute to projects in creative ways.
You:

• have relevant experience in project management in an (inter)national context;
• have an academic working and thinking level;
• have strong social and communication skills;
• time-management comes naturally to you;
• are accurate and have a proactive, positive attitude towards administrative work;
• know how to balance between a flexible and ‘thinking along’ role on the one hand and a guiding and persuasive role on the other;
• have practical experience in a similar role. Knowledge of NWO- or EU-funded projects or funding instruments, and/or running projects consisting of multiple groups or partners is an asset;
• can create a structured working environment and have excellent organisational skills;
• are a real team player with an open, accessible and proactive attitude;
• have excellent and fluent proficiency in both English and Dutch, written and oral.

What we offer
As Research Project Officer at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 10 according to UFO profile Project Leader, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3378,00 and €5331,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 0,6 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programmes and eight masters programmes (including two research master programmes) that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation.

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction

.
Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job.

For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS.

In our teaching and research, we highlight major developments in societies and cultures as they have unfolded during the modern and contemporary eras. We seek to gain understanding of the interrelationships of Europeanisation, globalisation, scientific and technological development, political change and cultural innovation. We are interested in how today’s societies cope with these challenges through, amongst others, practices of remembrance, governance techniques, strategies for managing knowledge, technologies and risks, and ways of dealing with diversity and inequality. Yet, understanding our present world is impossible without insight into its past. This is why historical research serves as a key element of our scholarly and educational identity.

FASoS Research is organised around four programmes: Arts, Media and Culture (AMC), Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development (GTD), Science, Technology and Society Studies (MUSTS) and Politics and Culture in Europe (PCE). The Research Support Office is part of the Faculty Office, which covers the clusters Marketing and Communication, HR, IT, Finance, Educational Development and Policy, and the Office of Student Affairs.

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Michel van der Graaf, Cluster Coordinator of the Research Support Office, tel. +31 6 4150 2490 or m.vandergraaf@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Applying?

Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Research Project Officer? Apply now, no later than February 24, 2025, for this position.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.