Are you a social scientist with a keen interest in Local Governance? Do you seek to understand how the grand societal and technological challenges of our time are addressed by local policy makers? Do you want to contribute to the development of a fair and sustainable (digital) society from a Local Governance perspective? Then join our team! We offer an inspiring academic environment that stimulates you to further develop your academic research and teaching, for example in (comparative) local government studies, administrative reforms (such as decentralization), cross-border governance, interregional cooperation, municipal planning and policy, local governance networks, public service delivery, or local interactions between governments and citizens. This could be your next new exciting career move!

As a newly appointed assistant professor, you will be working in the section of Public Administration of the Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behaviour (HIB) at the University of Twente. You will further develop your research, publish in international journals, and disseminate your research at leading conferences. Besides your excellence as a researcher, your teaching skills are very important since you will develop and teach courses in our BSc Management, Society & Technology and the MSc programme in Public Administration. You will also supervise bachelor, master and PhD theses.

• hold a PhD (or almost completed) in the social sciences, preferably on a subject in the field of public administration, policy sciences, local government studies, regional and urban planning studies, or in related field;
• have strong interest in the study of local governance, preferably in a context of grand societal challenges and technological transformations that local governments find themselves confronted with;
• are committed to achieving societal impact;
• have ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
• have experience in, and enjoy, teaching (both lecturing and tutoring), designing and coordinating courses;
• possess a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) certificate, or the willingness to acquire this;
• possess good communication skills and have an excellent command of the English language (at least at C2 level) and preferably also of the Dutch language (or the willingness to learn);
• are a team player with good social skills;
• have ability and ambition to work closely with external stakeholders.

We offer you a fulltime position in an inspiring multidisciplinary and international environment. The successful candidate will be employed for the duration of 1,5 years with the prospect of a permanent position subject to a successful evaluation. Your gross monthly salary will be between € 3.821,- to € 5.943,- depending on your background and relevant experience. This salary is based on the job profile Assistant Professor; according to scales 11-12 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Additionally, the University of Twente offers attractive employment conditions such as:

• a dynamic, cooperative work environment with entrepreneurial and enthusiastic colleagues;
• an 8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance;
• an attractive pension scheme;
• possibilities to save up holidays for sabbatical leave;
• minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
• excellent professional and personal development programs.

The Technology of Human and Institutional Behavior department

Many of the major societal challenges of our current and future world - such as transitions in health care, building capacity for resilience and risk-management, creating inclusive and sustainable, safe communities-warrant a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to technological innovations. The department Technology, Human and Institutional Behaviour (HIB) at the University of Twente (The Netherlands) comprises expertise in psychology, communication science and public administration and aims to integrate individual, (inter)organizational, institutional, and societal perspectives on technologies of behaviour change. In addition, innovative technologies are increasingly used to understand human behaviour in our rapidly digitalizing world. The HIB-department is committed to designing, evaluating, implementing and teaching about comprehensive technology-based solutions supporting people in behaviour that promotes their health, safety, resilience, connectedness and joy.

The section of Public Administration

The section of Public Administration (PA) is part of the wider Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behaviour (HIB) at the Faculty of Behavioural, Management & Social Sciences (BMS) at the University of Twente. The section of Public Administration is responsible for research and education in Public Administration; in the contemporary context of grand societal challenges in a technologically transforming society. We seek to contribute to the development of a fair and sustainable (digital) society from a Public Administration scholarship perspective. The section of Public Administration is a group of researchers with expertise in the subdisciplines Public Policy, Public Management and Public Governance in a strong methodological setting. We focus on how the grand societal and technological challenges of our time are addressed by governments and governance institutions. We include the perspective of globalization and localization of governance in a technologically transforming world. Challenges include, for instance, sustainable development, energy transition, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, (big) data-driven and algorithmic policy making and governance, transboundary crises, data protection, smart cities, or administrative reforms.