The Elastomer Competence Center (ECC) is a joint business of the Polymer Science Park (PSP, Zwolle) and the University of Twente, more specifically the chairs of Elastomer Technology and Engineering (ETE) and Sustainable Elastomer Systems (SES) within the department of Mechanics of Solids, Surfaces and Systems (MS3). It was founded on January 1st, 2019, and is embedded in the ETE/SES groups and PSP. ECC has the goal to execute projects with third parties, which do not fit into the academic R&D work as they are too small to be handled by a PhD or PDEng student. The research questions are mainly on academic level, and the practical work will in first instance be performed by trained students or staff members of ETE, SES or PSP. The project manager is responsible for setting up the business and making the ECC profitable within 3 years.

The challenge

The project manager of the Elastomer Competence Center is in charge of acquisition, managing and execution of the project portfolio. You have to initiate new projects by actively approaching the rubber and related industries, discussing their R&D questions and elaborating a research plan to answer the questions, including timing and costs. For this reason, a broad knowledge about rubber is a pre-condition. The organization of the practical work including availability of lab equipment as well as researchers is also part of your tasks. You have to supervise the lab work, and you are responsible for reporting to and keeping contact with the customers during the whole project. You have to ensure the quality of the work, which has to be on an academic level, and control the costs.

As a project manager, you have to develop and maintain a network of (potential) customers, and keep contact with the supporting units of PSP and UT. You have to disseminate knowledge by visits to (potential) customers, fairs and conferences, and to acquire new customers. Besides, you have to administrate the projects, to have a global overview of the financial and portfolio situation, and to support the customers to apply for funding if possible.

The project manager will be a member of the Elastomer Technology & Engineering (ETE) and Sustainable Elastomer Systems (SES) groups. You have to be informed about the past and running R&D topics and projects within ETE and SES, to be able to fit ECC projects into these research lines. Furthermore, you have to gain a good overview of the MS3 department and related activities, to adjust the participants in future projects according to the request.

• Master or PhD degree in the field of rubber;
• Broad experience and knowledge in rubber is a necessity;
• Broad network within the rubber industry and related businesses;
• Very good business and commercial skills;
• Being able to negotiate, plan and organize projects;
• Strong communication towards students, academics and industrial partners;
• Excellent communication skills in English; communication in German and Dutch desired;
• Very good social and coaching skills;
• Mobile and flexible for visits to customers, fairs etc.

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

For more information about this vacancy you can contact Wilma Dierkes, email: w.k.dierkes@utwente.nl, or Anke Blume, a.blume@utwente.nl. You can submit your application, including a recent CV and motivation letter, before March 24th, 2019, using the link below.

• We offer a challenging fulltime position for a period of 2 years (with the possibility of extension) in an inspiring multidisciplinary industrial-academic environment, at a university that is continuously improving its cooperation with industry and startups.
• The gross monthly salary will range from € 3.637,- to  € 5.656,- (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities) and will depend on experience and qualifications;
• A holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• Minimum of 29 holidays in case of fulltime employment;
• Facilities for professional and personal development.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.