The faculty of Management, Science & Technology at the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) is looking for an  Assistant professor Environmental Governance (F/M, 0,8 fte) for 4 years, with the possibility of a permanent contract afterwards. The successful candidate will become part of the Department of Science, a small but ambitious group focused on sustainability challenges. The group wants to contribute to the resolution of societal problems through excellent research and teaching programs. The educational programs of the Department have been evaluated as the best in the Netherlands for years. The Department has similarly high ambitions in the realm of research, as witnessed by its very active participation in the OUNL Research programs on "Resilience, Learning and Innovation" and “Safety and the City”. We are looking for enthusiastic applicants who will help us enhance the profile of the OUNL, and who have the qualities to contribute new energy and ideas to our teaching and research lines.

Role
The assistant professor will play an important role in both the teaching and research programs of the OUNL. The research of the Department specifically is aimed at developing a better understanding of the origins of policy innovations, their pathways of diffusion, and their actual impacts in terms of sustainability. The candidate we seek has proven research skills in the field of environmental governance and has an active interest in the theme of (policy) innovation, that is, new modes of governance, new goals, and new instruments. The Department hosts both a B.Sc. and a M.Sc.- program in Environmental Sciences (online education) and the assistant professor will be responsible for several courses, and is to provide additional teaching inputs where needed (thesis supervision, new courses, certified professional programs).

Tasks
The tasks of the Assistant professor will include:

• Doing research in the field of Innovations in Environmental Governance
• To successfully publish the outcomes in academic outlets and build up a research line
• Assisting with the acquisition of new research funding, specifically from the national science foundation (NWO) or the European Union, with the aim of expanding the number of Ph.D.-students and postdoctoral researchers in the Department further.
• Instruction in various existing courses (distance teaching) for instance our courses on Corporate Social Responsibility, on the Science-Policy Interface (“Crossing Boundaries”), and a new course on the Governance of Big Data.
• Course development or renewal in line with the requirements of our Teaching Programs and the OUNL in general.

• Ph.D.-degree in a relevant social science discipline, including public administration, policy analysis and the social environmental sciences
• Experience with research on Innovations Environmental Governance
• A track record of relevant scientific publications in well-known outlets
• An ability to develop the research on (policy) innovation in Environmental Governance further
• Very good command of spoken and written English
• Good time management and organizational skills
• Possession of or willingness to attain the Basic Teaching Qualification as is standard in Dutch Universities.
• Preferably: experience with the acquisition of new research funding, specifically from the national science foundations (NOW or similar) or the European Union.
• Preferably: Dutch language skills or a willingness to learn them.

Fixed-term contract: for 4 years (with a view to a permanent contract afterwards).

The salary level will be determined on the basis of your education, experience and qualifications but will be in accordance with the general salary scales 11/12 of the CLA-NU. An indication of the maximum gross salary is € 5656,= per month based on a full-time contract. The employment is temporary, for the duration of 4 years (start fall 2019), with a possibility for a permanent contract afterwards. The OUNL has excellent labor conditions in terms of mobility, part time work and paid parental leave.

For additional information about the Open University of the Netherlands, you can visit our website www.ou.nl.

Station
Your station can be discussed, but we expect you to be present in Heerlen (which is in the vicinity of Maastricht) for a substantial part of the week.

Open University

The Open University of the Netherlands is the only university in the Netherlands where students study part-time and follow online and activating education in bachelor and master degree programs. They can choose seven fields of study. Characteristics of the education are openness, flexibility and quality. Enhancing the study success of students is an important point of focus. More than 14,000 students are studying at the OUNL and it has 655 employees. The OUNL has a network of regional study centers in the Netherlands and in Flanders. The head office is situated in Heerlen. Modern technologies and educational insights are applied in bachelor and master programs and courses and also in projects and programs with partners. Nationally and internationally the OUNL plays a key role in the innovation of higher education. Education and research are closely interrelated which guarantees that the current state of science is applied. The OUNL does not only invest in research in the various academic disciplines, but also in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology.

Satisfied students
The OUNL consistently maintains a top position among the fourteen Dutch universities in the National Students Survey, the Dutch University Guide (in which the ratings by students and experts of the bachelor studies of the fourteen universities are compared), and the Dutch Guide to Master’s Programs. All ratings are available on the website (www.ou.nl).

Faculty of Management, Science & Technology

The faculty of Management, Science & Technology (MST) is one of the three faculties of the Open University of the Netherlands. Education, research and valorization are the main tasks of the faculty. MST offers academic bachelor and master programs in the fields of management, environmental science and computer science. Additionally the faculty offers a Liberal Arts & Sciences bachelor program as well as short programs for professionals (certified professional programs), which aim at gaining more in-depth knowledge. The Faculty research program focuses on Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems and is characterized by its multidisciplinary approach. The Faculty actively contributes to the OU research on “Safety and the City”. Furthermore, MST is partner in the Business Intelligence & Smart Services (BISS) Institute, which is part of the Brightlands Smart Services Campus http:/www.brightlands.com. The faculty has a large number of Ph.D.-students who conduct research on various current topics within this research program. As a result of the interdisciplinary focus on education and research, as well as the close link with practice, work at our faculty provides many innovative and challenging opportunities for entrepreneurial researchers.

Department of Science
The Department of Science at the Open University of the Netherlands is an ambitious interdisciplinary group focused on sustainability issues. The group wants to contribute to the resolution of societal problems through excellent research and teaching programs, and one of its focal areas is Environmental Governance (chaired by prof. Dave Huitema).The educational programs of this Department have received the highest accolades in the country in this domain for years. We are looking for candidates who can contribute to the national and international profile of the OUNL, and who have the qualities to contribute new energy and ideas to our teaching and research.