Coordinator of EWUU's Centre for Unusual Collaborations (CUCo)

The Centre for Unusual Collaborations is looking for a coordinator eager to enable and nurture innovative inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations between early- and mid-career academics.

About the Role

The Centre for Unusual Collaborations (CUCo) is seeking a coordinator who is eager to embark on a mission to let early- and mid-career academics experience what it takes to be part of unusual inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations, and who helps shape CUCo’s next steps towards the future.

For the past five years, CUCo has been supporting and enabling unusual, outside-the-box collaborations among researchers from diverse backgrounds. CUCo has also developed diverse tools and methodologies to help researchers develop the competencies to truly cross disciplinary boundaries. These efforts sit at the core of what CUCo wishes to be: a community with expertise in inter- and transdisciplinary research and learning, serving as a breeding ground for breakthrough research that addresses pressing challenges of the age.

CUCo strives to nourish passion-fueled research, where scholars can find joy and grow as researchers and as humans. CUCo honours progress over perfection, process over outcome, eco over ego, and doing business as unusual. CUCo is committed to fostering brave spaces that enable scholars to challenge the productivity-driven, competition-based, path-dependent individualism that has come to dominate academia. These take the form of collaborative, non-hierarchical, open, fair and inclusive approaches to inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge co-generation that are currently undervalued and under-supported in conventional academic frameworks.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Facilitating inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations and coordinating activities within CUCo;
• Developing policies and strategies for fostering inter- and transdisciplinary research;
• Coordinating a small team, including career development and performance evaluations;
• Overseeing documentation of learnings about collaboration as well as their strategic communication;
• Supervising the daily management and administration of CUCo, exercising powers delegated by the Board;
• Liaising with the other initiatives within the broader EWUU alliance and its stakeholders to establish a CUCo learning community.

CUCo is an initiative within the EWUU Strategic Alliance, a collaboration among Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, and University Medical Center Utrecht. All institutions are represented in the CUCo Board and the whole initiative is advised by its Supervisory Board.

Working Environment

You will join the CUCo team, which brings extensive experience in developing, facilitating, and monitoring interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary training programs. The team maintains the flexibility and responsiveness of its learning journey while handling the day-to-day management and administration of CUCo activities within the EWUU organisation. As the primary point of contact, the CUCo team members support all funded CUCo initiatives and engage with external partners. A key responsibility of the team is fostering internal and external communication to strengthen and expand the CUCo community.

The CUCo Team works together with the CUCo Board, which consists of four representatives, one from each of the four EWUU institutes. The board’s core responsibilities are fulfilling a supervisory role in relation to the day-to-day management of CUCo and taking the lead in its strategic positioning. As CUCo coordinator, you will execute decisions made by the board in close collaboration with the CUCo team. As CUCo is positioned within the EWUU alliance, you will also liaise with the EWUU core team, alliance initiatives, and the associated institutes.

The Coordinator position can be held by anyone who the Supervisory Board and CUCo Board agree can fulfill the duties and responsibilities.

The Coordinator has a voice in decisions but no voting power; the CUCo Board makes final decisions in case of disagreements.

What You Bring

As CUCo’s new coordinator, you:

• Embrace and embody CUCo’s core values of collaboration, curiosity, creativity, trust and humility;
• Feel aligned with CUCo’s mission and vision and are excited to work together with CUCo’s (small) team and board to further shape this precious space;
• Have a keen understanding of inter- and transdisciplinary processes and what is needed to support these;
• Have a solid understanding of policy, politics, and decision-making within universities, and the ability to handle uncertainty in flexible organizational governance;
• Have experience working in academic and/or research policy, and with coordinating a team, including performance reviews and career development support;
• Demonstrate excellent listening and communication skills;
• Have the ability to step outside of the box and embrace discomfort before change;
• Are open-minded and able to bridge gaps among disciplines.

You also have:

• Ability to write comprehensive reports;
• Fluent proficiency in Dutch (spoken and written) is a plus;
• Ability to oversee daily management and administration, ensuring compliance with EWUU regulations;
• Excellent organisational and (time) management skills;
• Experience with managing organisational budgets;
• Experience with project coordination, administration, or academic policy is a plus;
• Willingness to work at CUCo’s main location in Utrecht two days per week.

What We Offer

• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.
• The option to select additional employment benefits in exchange for gross salary, such as purchasing a bicycle and memberships.