European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination

The Utrecht University's Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance seeks to fill a position for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the field of EU gender equality law. The successful candidate will be part of the coordination team of the gender stream of the European Network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination. This Network provides independent information and advice to the European Commission on equality and non-discrimination developments in 35 European countries (the EU Member States, EFTA countries and four EU candidate countries). The primary task of the Network is to gather reliable expert information on legislation, case law and national developments to enable the Commission to fulfil their role as guardian of the treaties.

The Network consists of 35 national gender equality law experts and 35 non-discrimination law experts. It is jointly managed by Human European Consultancy (general coordination), Migration Policy Group (coordination non-discrimination stream) and Utrecht University (coordination gender equality stream). At Utrecht University, it is coordinated by a tight-knit team consisting of Dr. Susanne Burri (Specialist Coordinator), Dr. Alexandra Timmer (acting Specialist Coordinator) and Franka van Hoof LL.M (Research Editor), as well as Prof. Linda Senden and Prof. Frans Pennings who are senior experts in the Network. The Postdoc will join this team.

 

Every year the Network publishes thematic reports on current topics of EU gender equality law. Recent reports concerned gender balanced company boards and gender equality and the collaborative economy. The Network also produces the bi-annual European Equality Law Review, as well as general country reports providing a comprehensive overview of the implementation of EU gender equality law at the national level. Read the website for more information about the Network and the full-texts of its reports.

 

This position provides an excellent opportunity for the Postdoc to expand his or her network, to gain coordination skills and to gain first-hand knowledge of current developments in EU gender equality law.

Tasks of the Postdoc

We look for an enthusiastic scholar to play an important role in the coordination of the gender equality stream of the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination.

• The Postdoc will keep an overview of all the activities and deliverables of the gender stream of the Network in close collaboration with the acting specialist coordinator in gender equality. This involves communicating effectively with both the Network’s coordination team and the 35 national gender equality experts, as well as the European Commission.
• The Postdoc will be involved in all steps of the development of the Network’s reports, from outlining the topics of new reports, to drafting questionnaires, and providing feedback on draft reports.
• An important task of the Postdoc will be to help attract funding for the continuation of the Network and funding for other research projects.
• The Postdoc will conduct research related to topics of gender equality law, and publish the results.  
• The Postdoc will participate in the organization of research activities and events, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications.

Requirements for the Postdoc:

• a completed dissertation in the field of EU, human rights, constitutional or labour law on a topic related to gender equality;
• affinity with multidisciplinary gender-related research is an asset;
• team-player, with good communication skills;
• excellent command of English, both verbal and written English;
• command of Dutch and/or French is an asset;
• experience working in international or European research projects is an asset;
• experience applying for external research funding is an asset.

The appointment is in principle 0.8 FTE for a period of one year, to start as soon as possible (preferably May 2018). An appointment of 1.0 FTE could be negotiated. Extension of the contract depends on the continued availability of funds and performance of the candidate. The salary for a full time appointment is maximum €3,475 gross (scale 11.0 Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities). Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, (partly paid) parental leave, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is available at: working at Utrecht University.

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