Policy Officer Education | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS)

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague with a passion for educational policy and insights in relevant related developments, and who excels in analytical and advising skills and has a collegial attitude, to join our team at the Educational Development and Policy (EdaP) cluster of Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

We offer a job as Policy Officer Education with a high responsibility for supporting the Faculty Board and Programme Directors with advice on education in a broad sense. You will be part of the EDaP cluster in which you will be responsible for specific educational dossiers, depending on your expertise and experience.

You engage in improving educational processes within our faculty and institution, and keep track of (inter)national developments regarding educational policy, including debates about the internationalisation of higher education.

You work together with your colleagues from EDaP to develop, implement and evaluate educational policy in the faculty. You will be responsible for various education dossiers (depending on your own expertise and experience), such as: quality assurance, participatory bodies in education management, assessment policy, joint teaching programmes, interdisciplinarity in education, and much more. You signal relevant developments on your dossiers and advise the Faculty Board and Programme Directors on this.

EDaP provides theory- and evidence-based support to all FASoS (educational) staff. In particular the Faculty Board, Programme Directors, and the Educational Programme Committees. We aim to further improve education at FASoS by collaborating with relevant stakeholders. You will work together with support staff, teaching staff, and students to further high-level teaching and learning at FASoS. On a policy and educational development level, you will work together within the EdaP team and other members of the faculty. In addition, you will maintain good relations with your colleagues in other faculties and and at university level.

We are looking for an independent, proactive team player who is keen on advising the Faculty Board and supporting academic staff/content experts on education policy. You are sensitive to stakeholder interests, and you possess a keen awareness of stakeholder concerns and demonstrate innovative thinking when addressing challenges.

You,

• have relevant experience in development, implementation, and evaluation of education policy and quality assurance processes;
• are able to guide relevant policymaking processes and have a good sense for educational organisation in higher education, with organisational sensitivity, different stakeholders and administrative and political relations;
• are capable of analysing policy questions and translate these into written advise, taking into account relevant current developments and challenges in (inter)national higher education;
• have experience with project-based and independent work and are capable of keeping an overview of multiple dossiers simultaneously;
• are accurate and have a pragmatic and clear vision towards educational policy;
• have good oral and written communication skills in Dutch and English: level C1;
• are a real team player with an open, accessible and proactive attitude and you take responsibility for both giving and receiving feedback to further improve cooperation and processes;
• have the ability to put things in perspective and are able to engage in less clearly defined tasks and ad hoc tasks.

What we offer

As Policy Officer Education at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 9 or 10 according to UFO profile Beleidsmedewerker, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3377 and €5090 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 0.8 - 1.0 FTE. Thereafter, in case of good performance and equal prospects for the faculty, a tenure appointment will be offered.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• You have to be willing to move to (the vicinity of) Maastricht. If you do not already live in Maastricht (or its direct surroundings), you will be eligible for an allowance for moving costs. If you do not already live in Maastricht (or its direct surroundings), you might be eligible for an allowance for alternative housing.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation.

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction.

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS.