In 2019, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) adopted its new strategy "Creating positive societal impact". This strategy focuses on increasing the social impact of the university. The EUR wants to understand complex social issues and contribute to their solution. An important question here is whether the university manages to realise this ambition and how this can be determined. In line with the mission of the strategy, the EUR wants to develop a supported and authoritative approach for evaluating and monitoring positive societal impact that responds to and does justice to the differences between science fields and faculties.

The strategic project Evaluating Societal Impact (ESI) is taking steps to jointly work on an appropriate impact evaluation and associated governance structure. In a co-creative and iterative process with (internal) stakeholders, ESI works on methods and tools for impact evaluation as well as on ways to make this impact visible and to monitor it. We are looking for a design researcher who can contribute with the ESI team to the development and dissemination of these new impact evaluation ideas, tools and methods. You will inspire EUR staff to apply impact evaluation in an innovative way in their work and to gain new insights. You will develop valuable end products in co-design with scientists and policy advisors. In this way, you help EUR to develop a broadly supported framework for monitoring and evaluating impact.

The current team of Evaluating Societal Impact consists of an academic lead (Prof. Arwin van Buuren), a project manager (Dr. Bianca Langhout), a research intelligence advisor (Tung Tung Chan, MSc.) and currently two medior/senior project staff members are being recruited. In addition, 2-3 junior researchers are involved in the project on an ongoing basis. We offer a stimulating, people-oriented work environment and a place where brainstorming, exchange, fierce debates, creativity and the development of new ideas are central, always in relation to social developments. As a design researcher, you will become part of this team and play an active role in thinking about and designing impact assessment at the EUR. Your focus will be on applying visualisations, user-centred tools and other working methods in impact assessment at the EUR. In addition, you actively contribute to the transition of the EUR to become an impact driven university!

Your tasks
As a design researcher in our team:

• Take the lead in our search for ways to help the entire university to understand and discuss impact with each other and the outside world;
• Engage with the EUR academic community and apply design-based methods to arrive at usable and user-oriented methods;
• Ensure that the user perspective is strongly represented in all impact evaluation activities in our team;
• Come up with creative ways to improve impact evaluation tools and help implement them;
• You will play an important role in the development of our own core products such as our website, our own impact reports and any impact dashboards that may be developed;

The work is done in close cooperation with the project manager and project staff. There is plenty of room to come up with your own initiatives and ideas within the project framework.

• HBO/WO working and thinking level;
• Knowledge of or affinity with societal impact
• Interest in design-based research at the interface of science, policy and society
• Experience in both research and design
• Several years of experience with innovations in the public sector, preferably in higher education
• Able to design through co-creation using visualization software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Miro
• Optimistic, enthusiastic, and curious attitude
• Able to share your knowledge and inspire colleagues during workshops, innovation sessions, lunch lectures and more
• Team-oriented personality
• Excellent oral and written communication in Dutch and English

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good terms of employment in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU). The employment contract is for 1 year to start with. The salary depends on your knowledge and experience and with a full-time appointment amounts to between €2960,- and €5439,- gross per month (scale 10/11 depending on your experience). The EUR has attractive employment conditions, including 8% holiday pay, a year-end bonus of 8.3% and a very generous leave scheme. Furthermore, the EUR is affiliated with the ABP pension scheme and we offer partially paid parental leave. Employees can also make use of EUR facilities, such as the Erasmus sports centre and the university library.

The EUR offers a Dual Career Program (DCP) to help partners of new scientific staff find work in the Netherlands. The programme is offered in close cooperation with the nearby universities of Delft and Leiden.

We value diversity and believe that a diversity of talents contributes to our vision and strategy to excel as a university in research and education. Therefore, we are looking for a person who can complement our team from a diversity perspective.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.