For the Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands (Huygens ING), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is looking for an authoritative, internationally acclaimed humanities researcher in the field of history and culture – someone with a broad overall view of scholarship, an excellent network, and strong management qualities.

Job Description

• You will ensure that Huygens ING remains a leading international institute where scientific and scholarly talent flourishes. You will identify important developments in research and society, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere, and respond effectively to them. You will develop a distinct approach to the profile and future development of Huygens ING as a dynamic, internationally authoritative institute for research, with added value for the Netherlands. You will give innovative substance to digitalisation and digital research applications.
• You will direct Huygens ING, be responsible (together with the Director of Operations of the Humanities Cluster) for the general and day-to-day management of the Institute, and bear final responsibility for the Institute’s direction and operations, in line with the strategy pursued by the Academy. In the coming period, you will play an important role in the substantive and administrative development of the alliance with the Meertens Institute and in the management of the Humanities Cluster. You will be a member of the consultative body of directors within the Cluster.
• You will play an important role in national and international networks and partnerships in the Institute’s field and promote interdisciplinary cooperation with universities and other Academy institutes (specifically within the Humanities Cluster) and NWO institutes. Within the Humanities Cluster, the alliance with the Meertens Institute will be a special focus of your attention.
• You will position the Institute with national and international bodies that fund research (including the EU, NWO), knowledge, heritage and government institutions and the business community, and by doing so create new partnerships.
• You will devote yourself to fostering scholarly communication and maximising the impact of the Institute’s research activities on society. You will be the standard bearer and point of contact in public debate and the media, highlighting the relevance of the Institute’s research for current societal themes.
• You will represent Huygens ING both within the Academy and in national/international bodies, thus representing the interests of both the Institute and the Academy.

• You are an internationally authoritative and innovative scholar, carrying out independent research. You have a large national and international network and are demonstrably able to use your network to forge strategic alliances and obtain research grants. You are open to public debate and committed to research integrity and scientific rigour. You are familiar with and have experience in the digitalisation of scholarly research, computational analysis, and digital infrastructures.
• You have demonstrable leadership skills, you are creative and engaged, and you are capable of leading and inspiring a team of professionals as a “first among equals”. You advocate and promote a safe, inclusive, and diverse research environment. You have an eye for what is taking place within the organisation; you are people-oriented, empathetic, accessible, and capable of making changes; and you invest in your employees’ careers. In doing so, you act as a unifying force.
• You display integrity, you have a results-oriented mindset, and you are decisive and dynamic. You are an effective communicator, both internally and externally.
• You have an affinity, understanding, and experience of finances and human resources management that will enable you, with support from the Director of Operations, to assume overall responsibility for the Institute in these areas.
• You have an excellent command of Dutch and English (written and spoken).

The appointment is for a period of five years with effect from 1 November 2021, with the intention of reappointment for a second and final term of five years. Depending on his/her education and work experience, the person appointed will be remunerated at scale 17 (of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities), including 8% holiday pay and a year-end bonus of 8.3% of his/her annual salary. The Academy has a comprehensive package of fringe benefits. 

Huygens Institute for Netherlands History (Huygens ING)

The Academy is a learned society of outstanding scientists and scholars, advising the Dutch government on research matters, and is responsible for ten national research institutes, an institute that provides infrastructure for research and an institute for advanced study. Huygens Institute for Netherlands History (Huygens ING) is one of the Academy’s research institutes, forming part of the Humanities Cluster. The Academy is committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation and strives to set a good example in its leadership and management and ensure a safe, honest and inclusive workplace culture.

Huygens ING conducts research, utilising innovative digital methods, in the fields of Dutch literature, history, and the history of science and scholarship. It also provides access to primary source material and text editions on which to base further analytical and interpretive research. Through fundamental, advanced, and interdisciplinary research on sources, Huygens ING provides new insights into the (long‑term) development of the Netherlands, without losing sight of Europe and the rest of the world. With the research results generated, the Institute contributes to ongoing discussion within scholarship, education, and society. The approach it adopts is highly source-oriented, but at the same time methodologically experimental and innovative. The Institute plays a leading role in creating and providing the digital infrastructure for the humanities in the Netherlands

Since 2016, Huygens ING, the Meertens Institute, and the International Institute of Social History (IISH) have together formed the Academy’s Humanities Cluster (HuC). The forces in the field of operational management and digital infrastructure have been combined. There is also a joint digital humanities group. The HuC plays an increasing role as a booster and facilitator for innovative humanities research in the Netherlands. Within the HuC, the Meertens Institute and Huygens ING form a special alliance due to their important common ground as regards research. This is expressed, for example, in the joint NL-Lab that develops new perspectives on Dutch culture, history and language. The alliance is also expected to gain importance as regards management in the coming period.