Do you have a high degree of independence and responsibility, and would you like to be part of coordinating two international teams developing cutting-edge research in political and legal anthropology? Then you would be an excellent fit for this position.

Your job
As project manager in our two new European Research Council projects, you will become part of the coordinating team of the INFRAEMPIRE and ARMIES projects and will work in close collaboration with Professor Rebecca Bryant and Dr. Tessa Diphoorn.

You will be responsible for all the core administrative tasks for two large teams, in collaboration with Rebecca Bryant and Tessa Diphoorn. The core duties are:

• assisting with recruitment of team members;
• organising meetings, workshops, and conferences, including participants’ travel, booking of accommodation, etc;
• note-taking for such meetings, where necessary;
• budget management, including tracking expenses;
• project correspondence, including with the funder;
• general communication of project development, such as website maintenance;
• data management tasks;
• assisting with general administrative tasks.

INFRAEMPIRE: Rebecca Bryant’s project explores the ways that rising economic powers such as Turkey, China, and Brazil rely on building the infrastructure of other states to drive reconstruction in their own capitals and create ‘soft power’ empires. INFRAEMPIRE will turn an ethnographic lens on the infrastructural imperialism of the Turkish state, a growing power whose construction sector is reshaping the Global South and for almost two decades drove a domestic economic boom. INFRAEMPIRE’s six researchers will conduct ethnographic fieldwork in six cases at the seam of Eurasia, a critical geopolitical juncture where former and aspiring empires intersect, compete, and build new worlds through infrastructure.

ARMIES: Tessa Diphoorn's project is an ethnographic study of the everyday deployment of firearms and their societal impact in Brazil, Germany, and South Africa. The project examines and compares the various ways firearms produce communities, and it focuses on groups that are overlooked in the field of gun studies, such as gun owners associations and hunting clubs. The team of four researchers also aims to design a new multisensorial ethnographic toolkit to better understand why firearms are so attractive for certain groups of people.

We are looking for a candidate with:

• a master’s degree in cultural/social anthropology or a related discipline. We prefer candidates who have obtained the master’s degree by the time of application but will consider those who will have completed by the start date;
• project management experience;
• a professional attitude and conduct that includes pragmatism, excellent communication, and organisational skills;
• independent thinking and a hands-on mentality;
• a collaborative attitude and teamwork orientation;
• high proficiency in English (C2 level). Proficiency in Dutch is also an asset.

We expect you to have a high degree of independence and responsibility. Because you will work with two teams and their larger networks, teamwork and communication are also essential.

We offer:

• a position for 8 hours per week from 1 June to 1 September, 2024; 16 hours per week from 1 September, 2024 to 1 June, 2029; and 8 hours per week from 1 June to 1 September, 2029.). You will initially be hired for one year with the possibility to extend to 1 September 2029;
• a gross monthly salary between €3,377 and €4,640 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 9 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Almost 7,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 1,100 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues. The faculty itself is located at Utrecht Science Park near the historical city centre of Utrecht.

You will work at the Department of Cultural Anthropology in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The two projects will be located in the Cultural Anthropology Department’s Sovereignty and Social Contestation Research Programme. The research programme addresses the interaction between power, authority, and legitimacy, which it seeks to connect with social movements, protest, and conflict.