Legal Counsel

Job Description

Researchers and research support staff regularly encounter legal issues. As legal counsel at the Erasmus Research Services (ERS) department of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), you will provide clear and practical support to researchers and research support staff across various faculties, and you will often work closely with your immediate colleagues from teams such as the ERS Business Development & Knowledge Transfer team and the ERS Grant Support team. You will draft and review agreements between EUR and other parties, such as grant providers, research partners, and clients. You will protect the interests of the university and researchers in areas including scientific integrity, intellectual property, publications, and liability. You will be employed by the Legal Affairs Department (JZ) and will be fully seconded to ERS.

Work

Your main responsibilities will be:

• You will review and draft agreements and provide legal advice on the negotiation process and the approach to (individual) legal issues related to research collaboration (whether funded or not) and knowledge transfer.
• You provide clear advice and offer practical legal support.
• You identify legal risks and seek creative solutions in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
• You will contribute to the development of templates and promote legal compliance and efficiency in close collaboration with researchers and research support staff.
• You will maintain contact with relevant stakeholders, such as research support staff, researchers, and legal professionals both within and outside the university.
• You will play an active role in raising the profile of ERS Legal Research Support within EUR.

Job Requirements

• You have a bachelor’s degree in Dutch Law (with a specialization in private law or business law).
• You have at least three years of relevant work experience in the business sector, the legal profession, and/or higher education.
• You are highly skilled in drafting and negotiating (commercial) agreements and have an affinity for intellectual property law.
• You are open-minded and committed, and you enjoy contributing to a positive and open work environment.
• You are proactive, positive, and energetic.
• You are interested in academic research in the social sciences and humanities.
• You have strong verbal and written communication skills in Dutch (C2 on the Common European Framework) and English (C1 on the Common European Framework).

Terms of Employment

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied position within an enthusiastic team, with excellent employment conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CLA-NU).

The start date for this position is as soon as possible. The salary depends on your knowledge and experience and ranges from €4,332 to €5,929 gross per month (Scale 11) for a full-time position (38 hours), in accordance with the NU collective bargaining agreement. Your place of work will be Campus Woudestein - Rotterdam, at the General Administrative Service (ABD). The position is 0.8 FTE to 1.0 FTE. The contract is for a period of one year and may be converted to a permanent position subject to satisfactory performance and unchanged organizational circumstances.
You can find everything else we have to offer below!

• Everything you need for a great work-life balance: the option to work from home by arrangement, 41 vacation days with a 40-hour workweek, 8% vacation pay and an 8.3% year-end bonus, and a substantial discount on a membership to our on-campus fitness center
• A sustainable, inclusive, and diverse work environment with an open culture where you can be yourself and we care for one another and for the world. For example, take advantage of our bike allowance or join networks such as Young@EUR, Fame, QuEUR, or the Young Erasmus Academy.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, study abroad opportunities largely at our expense, and free access to our university library.
• A good pension with ABP to which we contribute two-thirds, discounts on various group insurance plans through Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, as well as travel, work-from-home, and internet allowances.
• Are you balancing work and parenthood, or do you plan to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid supplementary birth leave for partners, and there is on-campus childcare.
• Are you moving to the Netherlands for a job at EUR? If so, you may be eligible for the 30% tax exemption if you meet the conditions set by the Tax and Customs Administration, and we’ll help you with our Dual Career Programme to help your partner find a great job as well.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social vision for education and research—our mission is “Creating positive societal impact.” EUR employs over 3,700 staff members, and nearly 33,000 students from 140 countries pursue their academic studies here. Everything we do is guided by the motto “The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter.” We are global citizens, connecting, enterprising, open-minded, and socially engaged. These Erasmian Values serve as our internal compass and make Erasmus University recognizable and distinctive to the outside world. Guided by these values, with a broad perspective and an appreciation for diversity, different backgrounds, and viewpoints, our staff work closely together to address societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks in part to the high quality and positive societal impact of our education and research, as well as our distinctive mindset, EUR ranks among the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Department

General Administrative Services
As the central administrative unit, the General Administrative Service (ABD) is responsible for coordinating policy support at the institutional level.

The ABD supports the Executive Board in fulfilling its responsibilities regarding the quality, accessibility, and funding of education and research. The ABD facilitates the collaborative development of comprehensive policies, ensures that these policies are submitted for decision-making in a timely manner, helps ensure that the policies are implemented, and conducts ongoing monitoring and evaluation with a view to making improvements.

The department comprises the Academic Affairs, Chief Information Officer Office, Corporate Planning & Control, Administrative Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Strategy Office divisions. Organizationally, the ABD also oversees the independent Erasmus Magazine. The Administrative Services Department is led by the Director of General Administrative Services (who also serves as Secretary to the Executive Board).

Group

Legal Affairs
The Legal Affairs (JZ) group is EUR’s central legal department. JZ consists of three units—Legal Advice (LA), Legal Protection (LP), and Legal Services (LS)—and is managed by the Director of JZ. LA advises the Executive Board (CvB) on strategic policy initiatives and contracts and represents the CvB in legal proceedings. LA consists of the education law and operational management expertise teams. LP supports the legal protection committees and boards, which handle objections, appeals, and complaints. LS provides first-line advice to the decentralized services and faculties through the deployment of dedicated legal counsel. As a JZ legal counsel, you will be assigned to Erasmus Digitalization & Information Services (EDIS) to address privacy law issues.

Department

Erasmus Research Services
Erasmus Research Services (ERS) promotes excellent research and knowledge translation to achieve the greatest possible positive societal impact. We create conditions for transparent, inclusive, collaborative, and impactful research through strategic and operational expertise. We support research talent in realizing their full potential and foster fruitful collaboration. In doing so, we enable Erasmus University Rotterdam to be a leader in embedding excellent science in society.ERS provides support in the following areas: Business Development & Knowledge Transfer, Grant Support, Legal, Open Science, Research Data Management, Ethics Review, and Research Intelligence. ERS is a relatively new department within Erasmus University and is steadily expanding its services.

Apply

For more information about the process, please contact Steef Arends, corporate recruiter at Erasmus University Rotterdam: steef.arends@eur.nl or 06-38950814. For questions regarding the content, please contact Renée Hanegraaf, Senior Legal Counsel at Erasmus Research Services: hanegraaf@eur.nl

Would you like to make this your new job? Then submit your cover letter and resume via the application form on our website. at the top right of this page! You can apply by September 10 at the latest. The interviews are expected to take place during the weeks of September 11 and 18. An assessment based on a real-world case study may be part of the process.

Internal candidates will be given priority in the selection process.

Recruitment agencies are asked to refrain from contacting us regarding this job opening.