Research Data and Compliance Advisor

Do you have a good understanding of how research operates and how data and good data management underpin high-quality research in the humanities? At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, you can contribute as a Research Data and Compliance Advisor.

Your function

As a Research Data and Compliance Advisor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, you are the central point of contact within the School of Humanities for all questions related to research data management (RDM), privacy (GDPR), and research ethics. You are part of the Faculty Research Office and operate at the intersection of policy, research support, and practice.

In this role, you combine the functions of Data Steward, Privacy Champion, and Ethics Advisor. You support researchers and faculty leadership in strengthening responsible research practices and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and institutional policies across the full research lifecycle.

You work closely with colleagues across the university, including the University Library, IT, Legal Affairs, and other research support professionals, and you actively contribute to VU-wide and national RDM and privacy networks.

Your duties

• support researchers throughout the full research lifecycle by providing guidance on Research Data Management; assist in the development, implementation, and review of Data Management Plans (DMPs), and advise on good data practices
• contribute to the development of faculty RDM policies aligned with institutional frameworks, and promote FAIR data principles and research reproducibility
• act as an advisor to the Research Ethics Review Committee and support researchers in preparing ethics applications and required documentation
• play an important role in ensuring that research within the faculty adheres to ethical standards and responsible research practices
• provide first-line support on GDPR and privacy-related questions as Privacy Champion
• support researchers in preparing essential privacy documentation, such as privacy statements, data processing agreements, and DPIAs, and collaborate with legal and central services on more complex issues
• develop and deliver training sessions, workshops, and guidance on RDM, ethics, and privacy
• maintain and develop informational materials and tools for researchers, and actively promote responsible research practices, research integrity, and Open Science across the faculty
• provide support and advice on research tools and systems such as DMPonline, Yoda, and Qualtrics
• help researchers effectively use data storage, archiving, and publication tools, and contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of research data infrastructure and services
• collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, including the Research Office, University Library, IT, Legal, and faculty management
• participate in institutional and national networks and act as a key liaison between researchers and central support services

Your profile

• A (Research) Master’s degree in a relevant field
• Experience with or strong interest in research data management
• Affinity with research ethics and privacy
• Excellent command of Dutch and English
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Proactive and service-oriented mindset

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.546,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 6.433,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Data Steward 2 or Data Steward 3. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 12 months.
• a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• possibility to save holiday hours for sabbatical leave

About us

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

A better understanding of ourselves and social communities, values and meaning through social sciences and humanities: that is the aim of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion and Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH).

If you join Social Sciences and Humanities, you become part of a dynamic academic community with approximately 900 staff members, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, colleagues work together on education and research with impact.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely. By joining forces across disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet and aim to create an inspiring environment for education and research.