TU Delft has chosen in its ambitious Open Science programme to integrate open science as the default way of practicing research and education. Data stewards are key for the implementation of FAIR data and FAIR software practices, which underpin open science.

TU Delft chooses to embed data stewards at the faculty level. You will be in close contact with researchers, data managers of research projects and PhD candidates. Making data FAIR has been part of the faculty policy since 2018 and is well integrated in the research cycle. Attention in the next phase for the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences is on expanding training in data management, as well as improving dataset quality, citations of datasets within articles and re-use of datasets. We also aim to improve education and workflows relating to research ethics and handling of personal data within the faculty.

With respect to FAIR software, TU Delft introduced a Research Software policy in 2021 and in the future the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences will focus on raising awareness of this policy and of good practices for managing and sharing software.

You will be key in designing processes and workflows with these goals in mind, liaising to other support services and further embedding FAIR data and FAIR software practices in the faculty. You’ll be training staff, identifying new developments, and advising management on next steps. You work closely at the faculty level with the other faculty data steward, data analysts, contract managers, and ICT and at the university level with a variety of teams as well as the data stewardship coordinator and colleague data stewards from other faculties.

Your main task is to advise and train PhD candidates, researchers and the faculty on research data and software management. You will work with the existing faculty data steward to:

• Advise and support researchers in drafting data management plans, writing data management sections in grant proposals and planning data management tasks in projects, in line with funder requirements, privacy and ethics regulations, and intellectual property rights considerations.
• Design and run disciplinary training events tailored to researchers’ needs and inspire researchers to participate at both faculty and university level.
• Develop and disseminate data management practices tailored to the types of research data generated in the faculty, for example in consultation with a planned assistant/associate professor in “Data driven research methods in Civil Engineering” or through engagement and collaboration with external RDM communities.
• Act as spokesperson within the faculty on data and software management, create awareness and explain to researchers the added value of good data and software management.
• Liaise with open science-related initiatives at the university level (TU Delft Open Science Programme, Open Science Community Delft, TU Delft Digital Competence Centre) to engage with researchers and promote open science practices within the faculty.
• Further develop and implement the software and data management and stewardship strategy and policy for the faculty.

We are looking for a candidate experienced with research topics and methodologies relevant to the faculty's research. The candidate should:

• Have experience or interest in and advocate for open science, FAIR data, and FAIR software.
• Have a PhD or equivalent research experience in a relevant subject area (desirable).
• Have a broad understanding of how research operates and how data and software underpin reproducible research.
• Have a good knowledge and hands on experience in managing and making research data and software reproducible.
• Have experience in designing research and handling personal data in compliance with the GDPR (desirable), or an interest in gaining more knowledge on this topic.
• Be an excellent communicator, able to speak not only with scientific staff and students, but also with other support staff, while being sensitive to organisation-specific culture and practices.
• Be a team player while being able to work independently.
• Be fluent in English. Dutch is a plus.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

• A salary according to the Collective Labor Agreement of the Dutch Universities, plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Civil Engineering & Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource depletion, urbanisation and the availability of clean water, conducted  in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced that Open Science helps to achieve our goals and supports its scientists in integrating Open Science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

You are part of the Management Support team of the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences. You report to the executive faculty secretary and work closely with the other faculty data steward. You collaborate with other support staff in the faculty such as data analysts, Faculty IT Manager, Faculty Information Security Coordinator, and Faculty Contract Managers. 

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.