As junior EU Public Affairs Officer (EU PAO) you will support the EU liaison officer (EU LO) in the activities related to representing Erasmus University Rotterdam in Brussels, and vice versa in bringing European higher education, research, and innovation policies towards the university. The EU LO provides advice and support to the Executive Board and the directors of research in the development and operationalizing of their research funding strategies; facilitates EUR’s exposure and visibility of the university’s excellent researchers and represents the EUR in various national and Brussels based organizations, networks and working groups that shape the national and EU research agenda. Your supporting activities will include early intelligence, access to information, representation and advocacy.

Your day-to-day activities and duties as junior EU PAO will include: 

1. Monitoring the research and innovation agenda and the research-funding developments in the EU (incl. the Horizon Europe programs, and the specific calls); identifying synergies with the EUR strategy and the priority themes and linking them with the relevant researchers or other EUR stakeholders.
2. Following the developments on campus, like our strategic initiatives and flagship programs, the research strategies of our schools, the multi-disciplinary cooperation between our schools and the transdisciplinary collaborations and strategic cooperation with other universities (such as those within the Convergence Alliance).
3. Support the EU LO in strengthening our strategic relations with leading European university networks, associations and platforms which are directly or indirectly related to multidisciplinary research topics of interest to Erasmus University Rotterdam.
4. Creating and maintaining excellent relations with relevant European institutions (DG RTD and Education, ERC Executive agency etc.) as well as relevant Dutch agencies/ministries, local authorities and international networks and organizations dealing with EU affairs (e.g. UNL, Neth-ER, RVO, Crowdhelix, EUA, EASSH, LERU, GUILD, ScienceBusiness etc.);

Related to the above you will be involved in:

• Conducting desk research, gathering of documents, information and data
• Conducting analyses, preparing overviews, reports or presentations, that will feed into the activities related to the EU funding and public affairs strategies of EUR and its schools, incl. preparation of newsletter and news items for the website
• Organizing events (strategic sessions, visits, meetings, workshops etc) both at EUR, in Brussels and elsewhere, bringing EUR and EU together 
• Proactively participating in high level meetings, workshops, and events with internal and external stakeholders, which may contribute to the achievement of our strategic goals.

You will work directly with the EU LO who will provide guidance and daily supervision.

You will report in line to the director of Erasmus Research Services (ERS).

The EU PAO internal stakeholder’s community will include the grant officers and business developers at ERS, the wider research community at EUR, (incl. policy officers, grant officers, various researchers within EUR, project and programs leaders within various EUR Initiatives), the marketing and communications team, etc. Via the EU LO, you will also get involved in activities with different external networks and stakeholders.

As junior EU PAO you should possess a completed master's degree at an academic level, preferably in European Studies. You have good understanding of the EU institutional set-up, EU political agenda, and preferably the EU Research- and Education agendas. Previous experience with EU funding programs for research and innovation will be considered as an asset.  You have developed strong interpersonal skills and are able to engage with people from various backgrounds within and outside our organization. As an easy connector you have a proactive and entrepreneurial attitude, capable of anticipating external developments in a timely manner and creating internal awareness for relevant opportunities that arise. You should have affinity with social sciences and humanities, and ambition to develop professionally in the European public affairs domain.

 In addition, you possess:

1. Creative thinking, developed analytical skills and ability to write technical reports and other written material
2. Excellent oral and written expression skills in English (C1 Common European Framework).
3. Flexible, with the ability to switch easily between activities and manage different activities simultaneously
4. Organizational skills (organizing and facilitating larger scale events (conferences, strategic visits)

Willingness to travel and to spend several consecutive days in Brussels       

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The start date of this position is as soon as possible, and you will be based at Erasmus Research Services in Rotterdam, Woudestein campus. The position is for 1 FTE. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of €2.846 to a maximum of € 5.230 gross per month on a fulltime basis, in accordance with scale 10/11 of the CAO-NU. In addition, we offer an 8% holiday allowance, an end-of-year payment of 8.3%, and a very generous paid leave scheme. Furthermore, EUR is affiliated with ABP for the pension provision, and we offer partially paid parental leave, fully paid extended birth leave for partners, a personal career budget, work-life balance coaches, discounted collective health insurance, and more. As an employee, you can also use EUR facilities such as the University library and receive a discount on subscriptions for the Erasmus sports center.

Erasmus University Rotterdam offers a Dual Career Programme (DCP) to assist the life partners of new academic staff (on payroll) in finding employment in The Netherlands. The programme is offered in close cooperation with the nearby universities of Delft and Leiden.

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfill their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus Research Services

Erasmus Research Services (ERS) advances excellent research and knowledge transfer to maximize positive societal impact. ERS creates conditions for transparent, inclusive, collaborative, and impactful research through strategic and operational expertise. We provide pathways for talents to reach their full potential and we advance fruitful collaborations, enabling Erasmus University to be a front runner in embedding excellent research in society.

The following areas of support are embedded within ERS: Business Development, Grant Support, Legal Counsels, Open Science, Research Data Management, Ethics Review and Research Intelligence. ERS is a relatively young service department within Erasmus University Rotterdam and is steadily building and extending its service portfolio. ERS provides support to all faculties of Erasmus university Rotterdam (occasionally to Erasmus University Medical Center).