At the department of Public Administration and Sociology  there is a vacancy for a post doc working on the field of new forms of governance especially branding in governance processes. The post doc will be employed for 4 years and be financed by two grants. First of all through a grant in the Vital Cities program of the Erasmus University and secondly additional founding will be secured through the EU funded research project Tropico. International research activities (possibly case studies but maybe also other research activities like experiments) are very likely to be part of the research.

Participating in two projects
Within the vital cities project the post doc will work on the theme branding as new governance tool to include citizens to tackle social problems. Brands, especially when created and sustained interactively, can create identity and a sense of belonging but also motivate other actors to co-operate in tackling social problems. In this research we explore the possibilities of branding for creating identity, enhancing participation and strengthening resilience by several research methods :
- case studies to explore the participation effect of branding
- Experiments to test the identity forming of branding
- Q sort research to test stakeholders perceptions on branding.

Valorization is secured by reaching out to the municipality of Rotterdam and connecting it to the new Faculty’s incubator GovernEUR.

The EU (2020) TROPICO project (Transforming into Open, Innovative and Collaborative Governments) aims to comparatively examine how public administrations are transformed to enhance collaboration in policy design and service delivery, advancing the participation of public, private and societal actors. It analyses collaboration in and by governments, with a special emphasis on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and its consequences. The post doc will especially work on the work packages that are aimed at Public Private Partnerships and democratic legitimacy (case studies and Qualitative Comparative analysis will be employed).
The post doc will work closely with other researchers on the two projects and be part of a larger research team that jointly works on research and research outputs. For the TROPICO research the post doc will cooperate with various researchers in other countries.
Finally, the postdoc will assist in teaching for the master programme.

• You have a PhD in Social Sciences, preferably a specialization in Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Sciences;
• You have good knowledge on the field of Public Administration and are at least interested to bring the theme of branding further in this filed
• You have high quality scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals;
• You have excellent skills in quantitative and qualitative research methods
• You have experience in carrying out scientific research independently;
• You have experience in acquiring research grants;
• You have good didactic skills and relevant teaching experience at academic level;
• You are in possession of a Basic Qualification Teaching (BKO) or you are willing to achieve this qualification;
• You are interested in the relation with the practical world of public administration;
• You have excellent written and oral skills in English, level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference.
• Willingness to learn Dutch.

The conditions of employment comply with the CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten/ Collective Agreement Netherlands Universities (CAO NU). Salary is subject to know-how and experience and corresponds to scale 11 CAO NU, which is between € 3.475 and € 4.757 gross per month on a full-time basis (38 hour per week).

The Contract will be in total for a period of 4 years, starting as soon as possible. The trial period is two months.

The EUR has attractive employment conditions, which include holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, an end-of-year payment of 8.3% of the yearly salary and 232 hours leave per year (based on a full-time appointment of 38 hours). In case of a working day of 8 hours, you will weekly save 2 hours extra for annual leave (totally 328 hours).

In addition, EUR takes part in the ABP pension scheme, and we also offer partially paid parental leave. Moreover, EUR staff members can make use of the facilities at the EUR campus, including the Erasmus Sports Centre and the University Library. Substantial tax benefits apply to non-Dutch citizens, conditional on permission granted by the Dutch Tax Office. Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract.

Diversity is one of our strategic priorities. Female candidates, candidates with an international background and/or candidates from an ethnic minority are encouraged to apply. Under the condition of equal suitability, these candidates will have a priority position.

Erasmus University Rotterdam is a modern, highly ranked, international research university, based in the dynamic and diverse city of Rotterdam. We were founded in 1913 and nowadays host 25.000 students. Our faculties and institutions work on global, national and local social challenges in the areas of: healthy development, wealth, governance, culture.

The quality of research at Erasmus University, named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. On the lively, modern campus, students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition.

Working at the Erasmus University Rotterdam means working in a professional environment, where development is encouraged through an active career and mobility policy. The Erasmus University Rotterdam highly appreciates flexibility: we have a 38-hour workweek, flexible working hours, possibilities to work part-time, and maternal/paternal leave. Moreover, the University has a company childcare scheme, possibilities to participate in a terms of employment option model, company savings program and life insurance schemes and favourable collective insurance schemes. Employees can also make use of facilities such as sports facilities and library.

https://www.eur.nl/english/

Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Vital Citizens
The Erasmus University has recently launched three so-called Erasmus Initiatives, through which academic excellence and multidisciplinary collaboration in research is stimulated. One of these is the Vital Cities and Citizens project which aims to (i)  to advance our understanding of the ways in which social and cultural transformations affect urban life - and (2) by doing so – to help cities thrive as places of inclusion, tolerance and cohesion, and better articulate the aspirations of their diverse, resilient and creative citizens. The Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS, coordinator), the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).

The Faculty of Social Sciences (from September Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences)
The Faculty of Social Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This also reflects in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programmes and in research.  Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the FSW fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. FSW offers a stimulating research environment where major national and international research grants are received. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English programmes are highly ranked by students and alumni. FSS is home to over 2500 students and 300 staff-members.

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)
The department benefits from a key position in the European public administration landscape through numerous editorial board positions and participation in several cross-national networks. Leading sociologist in the field of migration, political sociology and families are based in the department and participate actively in public debates and international research projects. Cooperation with third parties and conducting research with societal impact are key values of the department. The bachelor and master programmes reflect our diverse expertise and educate students to become active professionals.