Management of the Faculty

You will be supported in your responsibilities by the Faculty Board, which includes two Vice-Deans, the Faculty Director and a student member. You’ll meet with the Heads of Department on a periodic basis. You also act as the formal point of contact for the Council.

Core tasks

To develop and enhance the faculty's strategy in the field of teaching, research and valorisation, in accordance to the University's strategy:

• continued promotion of excellence in research, in accordance to the research strategy of the University and the Faculty and the multidisciplinary priorities identified, as well as the relevant partnerships (national and international, public and private);
• continued strengthening of the range of Master's level education associated with the research priorities of the Faculty and the University's ambitions in the field of the graduate phase;
• continued enhancement of the quality of Bachelor's level education;
• enhancement of the Faculty's international profile in teaching and research;
• responsibility for the design and realisation of impact and valorisation in teaching and research;
• continued consolidation of the Faculty's financial position, in particular by ensuring the continued enhancement of earning capacity;
• contribution to and implementation of University-wide programmes and projects.

To create momentum and internal cohesion:

• ensuring cooperation and liaison within and between the various departments;
• ensuring good relations with the Faculty's employee and student participation bodies;
• encourage and facilitate new, ambitious initiatives in the Faculty;
• develop and utilise existing potential, and attract new potential;
• embark on innovative partnerships with internal and external parties, with due consideration of the changing ways in which research is funded.

You:

• are a connector and team player who makes use of the Faculty Board and delegates management tasks to colleagues (vice-deans, faculty director and heads of departments) as appropriate;
• are an authoritative scientist in one of the Faculty’s sciences;
• have proven management skills, with experience in administration and management;
• have knowledge of and experience with the Dutch Higher Education system and awareness of the Dutch culture;
• operate at a strategic level, has a long-term vision, is outward-facing;
• engage and inspire others, especially within the Faculty and the strategic research themes. You can organise based on shared values;
• have a clear vision of and are open to the positioning and development of the full range of the sciences, including links to other disciplines;
• have a clear vision of and affinity with teaching and research;
• have (inter-) national experience, experience of working with The Hague, the EU/Brussels and have a relevant network;
• are able to maintain constructive relations with the staff and student participative bodies;
• ensure that there are connections between operational management and teaching and research activities;
• are receptive, seek consensus, can resolve issues conclusively where necessary and stand behind decisions taken;
• communicate clearly and effectively.

Given the current composition of the Faculty Board and of the Executive Board and the other Deans, a female is preferred for this position.

The position offered is on a fulltime basis for a period of four years, with the possibility of one extension. The maximum monthly salary will be €9,375 on the basis of full-time work, with a further supplement of maximum 15 per cent. Additionally, Utrecht University offers an attractive package of secondary employment benefits. The salary and benefits are based on the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities and the Dutch law: WNT.

Download 17-10-12 - Utrecht University - Dean of Science - Appointment Details.pdf

Utrecht University (1636) is a European research university that prides itself in providing excellence in teaching and education. The University is a member of the League of European Research Universities, and has achieved the highest position of any Dutch university in the international rankings. The University's teaching and research activities are closely integrated and are rooted in issues relating to science and society. The University has identified four core values: ambition - inspiration - commitment - independence; these values have been translated into a code of conduct for staff and students. Utrecht University published its Strategic Plan 2016-2020 in July 2016, charting the course for the University's development over the coming years.

The University has formed strategic alliances with a number of other institutions such as UMC Utrecht, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Toronto and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The University is organised in accordance with the Netherlands Higher Education and Research Act, and its organisational procedures are set down in governance and management regulations. The Executive Board oversees the management of the University. The University has seven faculties: Medicine - Veterinary Medicine - Science - Geosciences – Social and Behavioural Sciences - Law, Economics & Governance - Humanities, plus the University College and the Roosevelt Academy; the Faculty of Medicine is integrated within University Medical Centre Utrecht. Each of the individual faculties is managed by the Dean of the respective Faculty. The University has two university-wide services: the University Library and the University Administration. Employee and student participation are organised at the University level by means of the University Council and the University Labour Representation Board; the Faculty Board and Programme Committees have a role in this at the Faculty level.

• the faculties are responsible for the primary processes of education, research and valorisation;
• the Executive Board bears ultimate responsibility for all the processes within the University as a hole;
• each faculty is managed by its Dean; the Deans are ultimately responsible for and empowered to act in relation to matters concerning teaching, research, valorisation, organisation and management; the Deans are accountable to the Executive Board;
• the Executive Board and the Deans of the faculties meet at the University management meeting; in this way, the Deans contribute to and are partly responsible for the design and implementation of the University's strategy.

The Faculty of Science

• enjoys a leading international position in scientific research in the field of Sustainability (water, climate and ecosystems, future food, future energy and resources), Life Sciences (Science for Life), Bioinformatics, complex systems and gaming within the departments of Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics;
• encourages and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration with other Faculties within interdisciplinary research themes such as Sustainability (together with Geosciences, Law, Economics and Governance), Utrecht Life Sciences (together with the faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine), Bioinformatics (together with the faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine), Complex Systems Studies (together with the faculties of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine), Future Food (together with Social and Behavioural Sciences, Medicine), Game Research (together with the Humanities);
• is one of the largest Faculties of Science in the Netherlands, offering seven Bachelor's programmes and eighteen Master's programmes;
• provides a challenging learning environment for its students, with an emphasis on developing quality and talent;
• has approximately 1600 fte, 5,900 students and an annual turnover of 140 million euros.

The aspirations, choices and opportunities identified for the Faculty in the short and medium term are set out in the Strategic Plan Faculty of Science 2017-2021 Excellent & Relevant. The Faculty also contributes to achieving the goals and aspirations set out in the Utrecht University Strategic Plan 2016-2020.