Project Manager to lead the Work Package on Alliance Communication

One of EURs strategic missions is UNIC, the European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition. This is a alliance of ten European urban universities, dedicated to advancing inclusive education, research, and societal engagement. The alliance addresses the complex challenges facing post-industrial cities—such as urban transformation, migration, and social inequality—through transnational collaboration. UNIC aims to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to mobility, teaching, and the integration of universities within their urban environments.
Next to being 1 of the 10 partners, EUR is also coordinator of the UNIC Alliance.

Job description
To support the alliance’s communication activities, we are looking for a Project Manager to lead the Work Package on Alliance Communication.

In this role, you actively shape the strategic communication and branding, promoting the alliance’s visibility and strategic positioning within European higher education. One of the ways is via the UNIC work package "Promotion, Communication and Dissemination", where you are responsible for coordination across 10 international partners, implementation, and monitoring. You ensure the development of a coherent communication strategy, guarantee consistent messaging across partner institutions, and coordinate communication activities at alliance level, towards agreed deliverables, objectives and activities and beyond.

The position requires strong coordination skills, the ability to work with international partners, strong practical experience in marketing, branding, PR, or a related field, and a well-developed sense of communication strategy and stakeholder engagement.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Strategic Communication and Branding

• Develop and execute an integrated communication, branding and dissemination strategy for the alliance.
• Understand relationships with policymakers, networks, funding bodies, and external partners.
• Ensure consistency of communication efforts across European partners, faculties, and services.
• Contribute to the refinement of key messages and translate project activities and outcomes into clear communication products for diverse audiences.
• Support efforts to strengthen the alliance’s visibility and engagement within European higher education and relevant stakeholder communities.
• Support the development and implementation of the alliance’s brand identity.

Work Package Coordination

• Lead the alliance’s Communication Work Package in accordance with agreed objectives and timelines.
• Coordinate planning, execution, documentation, and reporting of WP activities, deliverables, and milestones.
• Liaise with communication officers, WP leads, and project managers across partner institutions.
• Maintain alignment with alliance governance bodies and contribute to project-wide management tasks.
• Monitor progress of tasks carried out by partner institutions and ensure timely and high-quality outputs.
• Monitor KPIs related to communication work package.
• Prepare reports for internal management, the European Commission, and external evaluators.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of communication processes.

Content Development and Execution

• Prepare communication materials, including news items, web content, newsletters, briefings, social media content, and visual materials.
• Manage digital communication channels (website, social media) in collaboration with the alliance’s partners.
• Maintain and update communication templates, guidelines, and shared resources.
• Ensure compliance with funding regulations and internal quality standards.

Education & Experience

• A completed Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (HBO/WO), preferably in communication, marketing, PR, international relations, public policy, or a related field.
• Relevant experience in communication roles (approx. 3–5 years), preferably in international, multi-stakeholder, or European projects or organizations.
• Experience in project coordination or team leadership (minimum 2 years).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong command of English (C1 level or higher); knowledge of Dutch language is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to work with international partners and navigate complex organisational environments.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Proficiency with digital communication tools and platforms (e.g., CMS systems, social media management tools, MS Teams/SharePoint).
• Strong analytical and writing skills, with the ability to translate complex information into accessible formats.
• Proactive, solution-oriented, organisational sensitivity and able to work both independently and collaboratively.

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 01-MAR-2026 and you will be based at UNIC, Strategy Office, in General Management Directorate (ABD). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 4.728 to a maximum of € 6.433 gross per month Scale 11 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is offered for a period of 1-2 years.

Everything else we offer you; you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

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 4.100 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.

The General Management Directorate
The General Management Directorate (Algemene Bestuursdienst, ABD) is the central staff organisation responsible for the organisation and support of EUR’s policy and administration at the institutional level. ABD supports the Executive Board in fulfilling its responsibilities with regard to the quality, accessibility and financing of EUR’s education and research programmes. ABD handles the joint design of integrated policy, ensures the timely submission of policy within decision-making procedures and the implementation of the adopted policy measures and constantly monitors and evaluates developments in the interest of further improvement. ABD comprises the departments of Academic Affairs (AZ), Corporate Planning & Control (CPC), Administrative Affairs (BZ), Legal Affairs (JZ) and Strategy Office (SO). The independent university publication Erasmus Magazine also falls under ABD in organisational terms.

The management directorate is headed by the Director of the General Management Directorate, who also serves as Secretary of the Executive Board.

The UNIC Head Quarter team consist of around 10 employees. The team is diverse on several dimensions, has an informal culture with open lines of communication among the team members. The team is passionate about the future of education in Europe, and has a can-do attitude.