Researchers at Erasmus University Rotterdam perform research in the domains of health, wealth, governance and culture. They constantly make decisions when weighing the interests of those involved in their research and those who may or may not profit from the research while taking into account power relationships that may play a role and for instance their own safety. EUR is currently scaling up activities in the domain of ethics review and is working towards having all research checked by a Research Ethics Review Committees.

The secretary will support the Research Ethics Review Committees of different Schools at Woudestein campus, mainly the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC); Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), Erasmus School of Law (ESL) and the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), and performs secretarial, administrative and organisation-related preparatory work for the Committees in such a way that these are provided optimum support in decision-making and implementation.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Research Ethics Review Committees evaluate applications for ethical review submitted by members of the Schools.

The secretary:

• advices researchers and helps them get ‘ethics-ready’;
• checks that documentation submitted to the Research Ethics Review Committee is complete;
• if applicable, makes minutes of the decision making process;
• prepares approval/rejection letters to researchers;
• stores all relevant documentation related to an application, including final decisions;
• divides submissions between members of the Committee;
• monitors the progress and arranges additional expertise, when required;
• monitors the review process;
• monitors compliance with and makes proposals for the modification of existing procedures and regulations;
• functions as first point of contact for researchers, members of the Research Ethics Review Committees and the Coordinator Ethics Review regarding content and process;

A database in which best practises are shared is one of the expected results the secretary will work on.

The new set-up of the Research Ethics Review Committees asks for (digital) support and communication. EUR is currently discussing possibilities for a dedicated ICT support system with an external supplier. 

The secretary reports to the Coordinator Ethics Review.

The positioning in a university wide context makes the secretary position challenging. We look for a strong person with a few years of experience in a similar position or environment. Besides he or she has/is:

• Completed academic or higher professional education, preferably in relation to social sciences or humanities
• Capacity to convince others based on knowledge about contents and procedures
• Capacity to learn and reflect
• Capacity to plan, organize and prioritize
• Customer oriented
• Good communication skills in a multi-cultural environment
• Accuracy, flexibility, team-player, pro-active, integrity and a fast worker
• Experienced in Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point
• Fluency in both Dutch and English (minimum level C1)

Fixed-term contract: The candidate will be offered a one year contract with prospects of a prolongation or a permanent employment.

The successful candidate will be offered a one year contract with Erasmus University Rotterdam with prospects of permanent employment. Remuneration will be in accordance with scale 9 set by the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU). Fulltime work (38 hours) will pay between € 2.835,- and € 3.895,- depending on labour experience of the candidate.

Erasmus University Rotterdam offers attractive terms of employment, including a holiday allowance of 8%, a year-end payment of 8.3% and 41 holidays per year based on a full-time appointment. In addition, EUR takes part in the ABP pension scheme, and we also offer partially paid parental leave. Moreover, EUR staff members are allowed to make use of the EUR facilities, including the Erasmus Sports Centre and the University Library.

You will be based at Woudestein Campus, Rotterdam. The start date of this position is as soon as possible. 

Erasmus University Rotterdam

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced social focus, both in its education and research activities. On the lively, modern campus, more than 28.000 students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. Our more than 2700 scientists and employees work together with all our students to solve challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the consistently dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. The academic education offered at our faculties is intensive, engaging and strongly focused on practical application. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, which are closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of its degree programmes, EUR can compete with the foremost universities in Europe, which is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. Erasmus University Rotterdam’s key values are daring, curiosity, social involvement, breaking new ground and striving for success. More information can be found on www.eur.nl.

Erasmus Research Services

At Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), Erasmus Research Services is currently developing a coherent set of harmonized services across the university. During the preparation and execution of research projects, these services include support concerning legal issues, intelligence, ethics, data management and support to obtain grants among others. For each type of services communities of practice exist, consisting of support staff from relevant central offices and the various schools at the EUR. The communities are instrumental in the specification, implementation and adoption of new services.