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The Citizen Science Lab – based in LURIS - is looking for a:

Project Manager ‘Leiden Buurt-Kennisstad’ (1.0 fte)

Are you passionate about environmental and healthy living environment topics and societal transitions? Do you feel a connection with the city of Leiden? Are you an organiser with communication and event planning skills who enjoys collaborating with a wide range of people? Are you interested in citizen science approaches, and can think on your feet?

Then you could be just the person we are looking for!

What you will do
As Project Manager of the ‘Leiden Buurt-Kennisstad’ project, you will be the ‘quarter-master’ building the collaboration between the core partners (the University and City together with local societal initiatives) and local residents, community groups, students, and welfare organisations. This collaboration will take shape over a series of events in various locations across the city, which it will be your task to plan and organise. The central collaborative activity will be the grassroots Citizen Science activities, which it will be your responsibility to support and sustain with ongoing communications and/or events, and pairing those with the relevant societal partners and policy makers. The ideal candidate is someone who is organised, likes to roll up their sleeves, and can make this project run smoothly by planning effectively in advance, while also thinking creatively and bringing their own ideas and vision to the project.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for executing the Project Plan under the supervision of the Coordinator of the Citizen Science Lab and co-applicant partner Leiden Kennisstad,
• Establishing contact and regular communications with the project partners, and identifying other potential external parties to invite to join the collaboration in connection with the topics identified for further investigation,
• Planning and running public ‘Knowledge Cafe’ events, discussion workshops, and active Citizen Science activities in a range of locations across Leiden, together with partners,
• Close coordination with the Leiden Biodiversity Network in planning biodiversity related events and Bioblitz activities as a core theme throughout the project, including the eDNA Citizen Science approach to engage the public in air and water sampling activities for biodiversity monitoring (in close collaboration with that project coordinator based in the Leiden University Centre for Environmental Science)
• Planning a communication campaign to raise awareness of the project and the citizen science activities, invite participation, and keep everyone informed of the latest developments and upcoming steps, also making use of partners’ communication channels,
• Drawing up plans with collaboration partners to align the project with their own activities, and expand those to include other local partners and interested parties,
• Supporting the development of citizen science instructional materials and the roll out of citizen science activities, together with other members of the Citizen Science Lab team and researchers at the local Knowledge Institutes (including information packs for societal partners),
• Leading a co-evaluation process to jointly monitor progress towards the desired outcomes of the varying partners, helping to keep the project on track, and writing a reflection report at the end of the project with recommendations for others.
• Supporting the Citizen Science Lab team in creating Guidance Documentation and other Resources for wider dissemination to other cities and citizen science practitioners.
  

Where you will work
The Citizen Science Lab is based in LURIS, the University knowledge transfer office and expertise centre for collaborations between Leiden researchers and public and private partners.

LURIS creates and facilitates the network between Leiden scientists and public and private partners, with a focus on generating societal impact through research, knowledge and innovation. We support scientists at Leiden University in their ambition to further develop and develop their research. To achieve this goal, we work closely with academics, companies and many other stakeholders in the Leiden ecosystem.

What you bring
In this team, we are looking for someone who can work independently. Every job is different, so in the beginning we will devote attention to your onboarding. If some of the work activities are new to you, we will look together at what you need and draw up a development plan. This position is a good fit for you if you recognise yourself in the following:

• A tertiary education degree and minimum of two years work experience
• Fluent Dutch, and good oral and written communication skills
• An open personality and comfortable speaking in public
• An affinity for collaborative work, and a connection with the City of Leiden
• Experience with managing projects and the organisation of community-based events
• Experience planning and running workshops and facilitating open dialogue (or willing to learn)
• Experience responding flexibly to changing circumstances or partner needs, and thinking creatively on your feet
• Willingness to occasionally work in the evenings and on weekends for public events (in exchange for time off during the working week)
• Knowledge of or experience with a broad network of stakeholders and societal partners in Leiden, and an affinity with the City of Leiden
• Willingness to bring your own energy, ideas, and motivations to act on important societal topics to the project, as one of the partners key to its success!
• If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements, but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!
  

What we offer
Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development.

You can count on an enjoyable job with responsibility and room for your own creativity within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located just steps away from Leiden’s lively city centre. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University.

We also offer:

• An employment contract for the duration of one year with the possibility to prolong until end of project in April 2027 (total duration of contract is 24 months). This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary of a minimum of € 3378,- and a maximum of € 5331,- gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (scale 10);
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week.
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription or bicycle scheme, and we also offer child-care options;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop and a mobile telephone.

For more information about employment conditions, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/werken-bij/sollicitatieprocedure-en-arbeidsvoorwaarden

What we find important
Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. Leiden University aims to be an inclusive community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to develop to their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High-quality education and research means inclusive education and research.

Want to apply or find out more?
If you want to apply straight away, click the application button.

If you would like more information about what the job entails, please contact Margaret Gold, coordinator of the Citizen Science Lab, at GoldM@vuw.leidenuniv.nl. You can apply until 15 April 2025, and applications will be processed immediately.

• To help us get to know each other better, we follow a number of steps in the application procedure. For more information, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/werken-bij/sollicitatieprocedure-en-arbeidsvoorwaarden
• We believe mobility is very important. That is why we are also publishing this vacancy internally. In case of equal suitability, we will give priority to the internal candidate.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. If you nevertheless choose to send us CVs, no rights can be derived from this. #LI-Hybrid

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