The two 4-year PhD positions are sponsored by the VU Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and are part of the Management & Organisation department at the School of Business and Economics of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The first PhD position focuses on the topic of gender parity in top leadership positions. No matter how many talent development practices organizations introduce, there is still a limited number of women in the top corporate positions. This PhD project will focus on analysing data related to the leaking gender pipeline in organizations.

The second PhD position focuses on leader behaviours and mindsets aimed at leading increasingly diverse work environments.  Efforts to recruit, select, develop, and promote diverse employees do not guarantee that these employees reach their full potential. This PhD project will focus on inclusive leadership as a way to create inclusion and enable effective functioning of diverse teams.

Please consider that the PhD positions involve both research and teaching responsibilities. Specifically, PhD candidates are expected to conduct independent, high-quality scientific research, supervised by a team of professors, and incorporate the research findings in a doctoral dissertation for 60% of their time. Additionally, they are expected to be involved in teaching activities at the School of Business and Economics for the remaining 40% of their time.

• MPhil / Research Master degree in social sciences or business studies
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Proactive behaviour and initiative taking
• Evidence of their good academic writing abilities (through publications or individual assignments from their Research Master programme).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Outstanding interpersonal skills to work with multiple stakeholders

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts to €2,395 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €3,061 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 1 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for 3 years (so 4 years in total).

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavour – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

School of Business and Economics
The School of Business and Economics (SBE) provides high-quality education and excellent research in business administration and economics with a focus on contributing to the social, economic and ecological challenges of our time. Whether it is the use of robots in society or big data, labour market participation or flexibility in the labour market, traffic jams or the housing market, flash crashes in the stock market or choice behaviour in gambling, leadership or change management: we believe in goal-oriented scientific research and understand that progress in academics, the business community and society is achieved through cooperation, openness and social responsibility.

At SBE, all of our highly-motivated colleagues work together closely in a stimulating, dynamic and international environment to achieve our collective goal of encouraging society to make informed choices. Approximately 4,200 Bachelor’s and Master’s students and 1,700 executive students are enrolled at the School, and employs roughly 500 people.