Are you interested in having a supporting role in a scientific research institute? Do you like working with many different people, with different backgrounds and are you good at organising, communication and switching between tasks? Then the position of project support officer at NIOO-KNAW may be a position for you. In this job you will primarily work on supporting the responsible project manager and principle investigator in two large projects, the NWA project SPARKLES focusing on floating solar and its environmental impacts, and EU project More4Nature focusing on environmental compliance using citizen science. Project work is diverse, ranging from attending and documenting meetings to organising and designing workshops and communicating with various partners within and outside the project consortia. The SPARKLES project falls under the coordination of NIOO-KNAW and involves 17 national partners in the Netherlands. Within SPARKLES you will be responsible for communication with and support of the various project partners in their activities, such as setting up an Early-Career Forum, organising meetings and liaising with the coordinator. The More4Nature project has both national and as international partners with whom you will interact. In More4Nature you will be given a leading role in organising the activities around one of the citizen sciences cases on pollinators, where we attempt to improve the uptake of citizen generated data for environmental compliance. Tasks will include connecting with and maintaining contact with relevant stakeholders in the case, such as the citizen science intiative (‘de vlinderstichting’) and relevant authorities. Activities are supported through a large network of international experts, and translated by the local team into concrete activities for the pollinator case.

We offer an interesting project support officer position for 4-5 days per week (0.8-1.0 fte) for a maximum of 3 years, with ample opportunities to expand your network both within the Netherlands and abroad. Due to the diversity of tasks, you will be developing or consolidating a large transferable skill set. At NIOO-KNAW there is ample opportunity to expand your skills according to your own interests and necessity within projects through courses. You will join a stimulating research environment at the research group AKWA (https://nioo.knaw.nl/en/departments/akwa-aquatic-knowledge-centre-wageningen) in a translational science team that strives to employ team-science approaches in our research and allow members to benefit from each other’s strengths.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and communicative person with an interest in and preferably experience in citizen science. That experience does not need to be professional, but may also come from having taken part in citizen science campaigns or initiatives in your personal life. Furthermore, candidates should have an existing portfolio in project support or coordination. An interest in sustainability and environmental issues is preferable, as is having experience in working in a scientific or research environment. We are looking for excellent communicators with a supportive mindset. Candidates should be competent in working with MS office products and have affinity for digital meetings. A sound command of both the Dutch and the English language in written and spoken word is required.

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 3.186,- and the maximum salary is € 4.255,- gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 8 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.
The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).
For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.
Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) is a national research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). NIOO performs leading ecological research on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable use of land and water, stimulates ecological research of the Netherlands and shares its ecological knowledge with society. Based on our core values, NIOO strives to be a collaborative, inclusive, innovative, impactful, and responsible organization.

Aquatic Ecology

You will be appointed at the Department of Acquatic Ecology of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) located in Wageningen. For detailed information on the Acquatic Ecology Department, please visit our website: https://nioo.knaw.nl/en/departments/aquatic-ecology.