Chief Technology Officer

ODISSEI develops the Dutch national data infrastructure for the social sciences. It is a rapidly growing consortium of 45 participating organisations working together to improve the digital research infrastructure in the social sciences. The data infrastructure is internationally unique, including state-of-the-art supercomputer and HPC facilities, data collection, and support for innovative technologies. For more information, please see www.odissei-data.nl (ODISSEI).

ODISSEI is currently running two large scale research infrastructure projects, with a combined budget of €30 million and some seventy employees spread over fifteen implementing partners. The ODISSEI Coordination Team, based at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), coordinates ODISSEI’s operations and the integration of ODISSEI’s numerous federated services.

We are looking for a Chief Technical Officer to strengthen our team at EUR. In close collaboration with the rest of the Coordination Team, you have a key role in strategically developing ODISSEI and the social sciences. You have a broad role covering all aspects of ODISSEI.

Job description
As Chief Technical Officer you will:

• Implement and oversee technical projects within ODISSEI so that they align with the strategic direction set by the Management Board..
• Ensure high-quality periodic reporting on technical aspects of the infrastructure, including progress on interoperability standards, metadata alignment, automated access workflows and performance of secure HPC services.
• Present ODISSEI’s technical achievements to member organisations, partners and potential collaborators, demonstrating progress in secure HPC workflows, federated analysis, metadata interoperability and the integration of AI-based analytical tools.
• Represent ODISSEI in national and international consultation forums, ensuring that interoperability standards, secure computing architectures and AI-enabled research workflows developed within ODISSEI align with broader European and global initiatives.

You are independent, responsible and motivated, with the ability to work flexibly as part of a team.

You hold a university degree in computer science, data engineering, information systems, computational social science or a closely related technical field; a PhD is an asset but not required.

You have at least 2 years of experience in technical leadership roles within research infrastructures, data-intensive organisations, HPC environments or large-scale digital platforms. This includes demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-institutional technical programmes, ideally involving secure data access, linked data, or trusted research environments.

You have a proven track record in developing interoperable systems, APIs, metadata workflows, or integration layers across heterogeneous platforms. Ideally you would have familiarity with deploying or supporting AI and machine-learning workflows, including large models, large network analytics, or multimodal data processing.

Experience supervising technical teams, external partners, developers and researchers in an academic or research context.

You are well organized, adaptable and willing to apply yourself to a wide range of new skills.

You have knowledge of and experience in the academic field and/or research infrastructures in the social sciences.

You are well organized and have attention to detail. You can communicate well and have professional oral and written command of English (C1-level CEFR or equivalent).

Dutch proficiency is not required but is a plus.

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 1 March 2026 and you will be based at Campus Woudestein in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 5.705 to a maximum of € 7.904 gross per month Scale 12 or 13 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is offered for a period of 1 year and can be converted into an employment contract for an indefinite period if suitability is proven and if continued in the same position, if (financial and/or organizational) circumstances remain the same.

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.

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) combines various disciplines such as public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College is affiliated with the faculty. Within ESSB, we work in teams on education and research, emphasising interdisciplinarity, diversity, inclusion and sustainability. Together, we strive for societal and scientific impact.

ESSB distinguishes itself through inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary research, in which academics and students work together on complex social issues. Thanks to this approach, ESSB successfully attracts national and international research subsidies and funds, with which we continuously strengthen and renew our education and research.

ESSB serves almost 6,000 students annually with a wide range of bachelor's and master's programmes and has more than 600 employees. These programmes are highly rated by students and alumni. Within ESSB, developing new insights and realising positive societal impact are central, always with a focus on people and society.

Visit our website for more information about the faculty, and click here for more information about our academic teams.