Are you interested in public policy making and governance on contemporary issues such as sustainability, evolving welfare states, and identity politics, and how these are embedded in transnational society? Are you attracted to a large Political Science Department with international BA and MA programmes, and a research institute (AISSR) with ample opportunities for collaboration and exchange with scholars from other fields of political science as well as the other social sciences?

The Department of Political Science at University of Amsterdam (UvA) has two vacancies for assistant professors in public policy and governance.

The public policy and governance tracks in the BA and MA offer students a distinctive focus on the relation between political and policy theory and specific practices of governance, such as participatory governance, contention and conflict, sustainability, social justice and public welfare issues. We are interested in research that contributes to the development and implementation of policy and to reflect on the practical arrangements in which policies get made.

What are you going to do

Your core tasks will be teaching (0.6 fte) and research (0.4 fte) in the field of public policy and governance. You will occasionally fulfil organizational tasks and committee work in the wider context of Department and AISSR.

You will:

• teach mostly in the Public Policy and Governance (PPG) track of the BA and the MA programmes in Political Science; occasionally also teach one of the more generic political science courses;
• teach a variety of courses: in the Political Science and adjacent interdisciplinary programmes: a core (BA or MA) course in Public Policy and Governance as well as electives and/or BA or MA thesis projects;
• actively contribute to (the development of) the research programme of the Programme Group Transnational Configurations, Conflicts and Governance of the AISSR: publishing in international scholarly journals and/or with international academic publishers, co-supervising junior researchers and submitting grant applications.

What do we require?

You have:

• a PhD in public policy and governance ;
• a solid knowledge of the canon and contemporary innovations in the literature on public policy and governance (theories of the policy process; policy analysis; implementation; management and politics of public organizations; governance modes etc.);
• a proven capacity to publish in international scholarly journals;
• some experience and an engaged interest in teaching;
• affinity with/interest in teaching students from other tracks within political science, and from interdisciplinary programmes.

You are:

• both an independent professional and a team worker;
• an enthusiastic, and in current times, flexible teacher, interested in drawing on literature and examples from across the globe;
• interested in contextualizing issues and critically reflecting on current policies and practices in light of developments in transnational society and transnational governance arrangements;
• interested in studying and teaching public policy and governance in the wider context of political science, i.e. taking into account their politics (legitimization, powering etc.), ongoing developments in political institutions, etc.;
• able to alternate in your teaching between a helicopter and an actor perspective, and between theory and practices of policy making and governance;
• knowledgeable on research design and a variety of especially interpretive/qualitative research methods.

Our offer

We offer a temporary employment contract of 38 hours per week for a term of period. If the candidate proves suitable, barring unforeseen organisational developments and assuming sufficient FTE availability, we intend to extend the term of employment/offer the candidate a permanent employment contract.

Salary depends on past education and relevant work experience, with a minimum salary of €3,746 and a maximum salary of €4,538 gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week (in keeping with scale 11.0-11.6, as per the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary employee benefits, including a generous holiday scheme and year-end bonus. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation, we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.

What else can we offer you

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. The social and behavioural sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

To work at the University of Amsterdam is to work in a discerning, independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

In our teaching and research we adopt the view that good social science teaching and research requires a staff which reflects the diversity of society. We want to encourage women and members of underrepresented groups to apply as we are striving for a more diverse staff composition.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is an active participant in a diverse, international community. Our goal is for you to feel at home here, regardless of your background, race, orientation and/or beliefs.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences – Political Science

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences enjoys a prominent standing within the social sciences sector in Europe and is the largest educational and research institution in the social and behavioural sciences in Europe.

Research and education at the Faculty address societal and human behaviour related themes, like the impact of new media on society, healt care, urbanisation, human and child development, mental health, inequalities, diversity and social cohesion.