We offer the position of postdoc researcher and lecturer in adaptive organizations & reflective practices. The Athena Institute’s research programme aims to contribute to the improvement of health and well-being in a sustainable and equitable way by studying and designing inclusive, multi-stakeholder, innovation processes. The way (public) organisations are able to respond to changes in their environment and take part in, and accommodate, inclusive innovation processes is of growing importance and an expanding area of research. The research involves studying and facilitating change within (public) organisations (such as health & welfare organisations, research institutions, governmental organisations) with a focus on enhancing the reflexive capacity of organisations, teams and professionals through interactive evaluation methodologies. This research should be considered in the light of system innovation and transition management.
The position involves contributing to this research area for 50% of the time and teaching in various courses offered by the Athena Institute for the other 50%.
 
Your duties
Research tasks include, but are not limited to, contributing to research acquisition in this area, further conceptualising this area of research from a system innovation perspective, operationalising the research for and in collaboration with specific organisations, designing and facilitating focus groups discussions and reflection sessions.
Teaching tasks are embedded in the wide variety of courses offered by the Athena Institute and include course coordination, workgroup coaching and lecturing as well as supervising Master students during their internships and literature reviews on diverse topics pertaining to the wider educational programme of the Athena Institute. 
  

You:
• have a PhD degree, preferably in the field of system innovation, science & technology studies, public sector transformation, organizational change (incl. communities of practice, reflective practitioners), knowledge cocreation or other discipline(s) that shows an integrated social sciences and natural sciences background;
• preferably have experience with designing and facilitating focus groups discussions and reflection sessions as part of change processes. You also have experience or affinity with participatory research methodologies, reflexive monitoring in action, learning histories, most significant change techniques;
• are a team player;
• have potential for, or experience with, obtaining research grants;
• hold a network of relevant (inter)national contacts;
• have excellent teaching skills and you are an engaged and inspiring lecturer, as proven by student-evaluations;
• are well capable of supervising a theoretical thesis, research projects and student internships;
• have published in refereed international journals or books;
• write and speak Dutch and English fluently. 
  

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of € 2.640,-  and a maximum of € 4.166,-  in accordance with salary scale 10, depending on your education and experience. The job profile (researcher 4) is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0,8 FTE.
 
The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension.
 
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:
• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• considerable employer’s contribution to the ABP pension scheme
• contribution to commuting expenses

https://workingat.vu.nl/vacancies

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.
 
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 23,000 students. We employ more than 4,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.
 
Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 5,750 students. 
   
The position is offered within the Athena Institute, Faculty of Science. The institute’s mission is to study and design interfaces between science and society. How to organize an inclusive multi-stakeholder innovation process which contributes to solving complex societal challenges? This requires an understanding of the dynamics within and between science and society; methodologies (principles and heuristics) that can guide inclusive multi-stakeholder innovation processes; strategies that can sustain and upscale such processes; methodologies to monitor and evaluate such innovation processes; as well as approaches to train students and professionals in these methodologies.
For more information about the Athena Institute: https://science.vu.nl/en/research/athena-institute/index.aspx.