The Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University is looking for an academic project manager to manage Phase 1 of the EPOS-NL project which is part of the Netherlands national Large Scale Research Infrastructure. EPOS-NL is the Dutch contribution to the European Plate Observing System EPOS, a network of research infrastructures for solid earth science, that facilitates the integrated use of data, data products and labs. EPOS-NL consists of a unique integration of multi-scale observational, laboratory, numerical modelling, and large-scale subsurface experimental facilities, with Utrecht University, Delft University of Technology and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI as founding members.

The EPOS-NL facilities provide services for scientists in the Netherlands and Europe to undertake research that serves societal needs for supply of natural resources, and for protection and warning against geo-hazards. EPOS-NL facilities can for instance be used to study the stability and safe utilisation of the Dutch subsurface, addressing natural and human induced earthquakes, subsidence and relative sea level change, geothermal energy, subsurface energy and waste storage, and the future construction of subsurface infrastructure.  

The academic project manager is the senior manager of the EPOS-NL large scale research infrastructure, which is coordinated by the Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University.  The position is embedded in the Department of Earth Sciences and the project manager works in close cooperation with the EPOS-NL Scientific Director, currently Prof. Dr. Martyn Drury.

We are looking for a project manager who feels at ease collaborating with scientists, support staff and external contacts.  As project manager you take the lead in the organisation of the EPOS-NL large scale scientific infrastructure. You will take responsibility for developing strategies for data management, communication and external access to unique research facilities. You work together with the scientists, department manager, project controllers, research support office, and other stakeholders, so that the project goals are achieved, within the boundary conditions of costs, quality and governance framework. You are the first contact point of the EPOS-NL Scientific Director, the facility managers and scientists as well as external facility users. Your work will involve planning, monitoring budgets, reporting, communications and outreach as well as an involvement in the scientific research and strategic development of EPOS-NL. You will lead and be supported by the EPOS-NL management support team, which comprises a project manager at TU Delft and a Data scientist/manager at Utrecht University.

The position requires a high level of organisational and communication skills, alongside enthusiasm for supporting scientific activity. Experience in managing research projects is beneficial and a background in earth sciences (or a related field) is a prerequisite. A high level of competence in English is required and Dutch is advantageous.

Specific responsibilities include:  

• acting as a central point of contact for EPOS-NL for the project team, facility users and other stakeholders; 
• represent EPOS-NL at national and international  scientific, EPOS and societal meetings;
• the strategic development of EPOS-NL facilities, including consortium forming and coordination of proposals for new facilities and trans-facility research;
• conduct collaborative research with EPOS-NL scientists and facility users;
• set up,  implement and update facility management and data management plans;
• preparing decisions, agenda and minutes of the Scientific Steering Committee and the Governing Board meetings;
• budget administration and reporting;
• project documentation and reporting, collecting deliverables from partners and producing deliverables for external stakeholders;
• management of the national research infrastructure access system, according to the EPOS Transnational Access scheme;
• setting up and managing internal and external communication, news and outreach activities, including EPOS-NL website and national access portal; 
• liaison with stakeholders (EPOS, potential new partners in NL, Aardned, etc);
• liaison with and reporting to NWO, PC-GWI and Ministry OCW and related national infrastructure projects;
• stakeholder management (internal and external) and consortium forming for future research collaboration.

We offer a position (1.0 FTE) for four to five years, depending on the starting date. The minimum gross salary is €3,637 and the maximum gross salary is €3,895 (scale 11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month, at a full-time employment. 

Besides that, you will receive a holiday allowance of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 %. Utrecht University also has an appealing package of terms of employment, including the choice for a good balance between work and private (a good arrangement for leave, among other things), possibilities for development and an excellent pension scheme. More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Department of Earth Sciences conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and Environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international group of more than 100 PhD candidates and Postdoctoral Researchers and houses a wide variety of world-class laboratories, including the new solid Earth cluster Earth Simulation Laboratory. In addition, the department offers an extensive high-end computing infrastructure.