Research Assistant Technical Support Unit IPBES Spatial planning assessment

Are you committed to help in solving the biodiversity crisis? Are you willing to support international collaboration processes? Then apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Support the Assessment of Biodiversity Inclusive Spatial Planning and Ecological Connectivity

In this function, you will support the process of working with 100 authors from across the world in making an assessment of biodiversity inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity. This assessment is part of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which has a membership of about 150 governments and seeks to respond to the needs of governments and other stakeholders to strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

This junior researcher position is located at the technical support unit for the IPBES spatial planning and connectivity assessment at the Institute for Environmental Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Together with a postdoc, the research assistant will be responsible for providing technical support for the production of the assessment by a large group of international experts. This entails both ensuring a smooth operation of the collaboration amongst a very diverse group of experts as well as supporting the assessment with literature search and small research components aimed at synthesizing existing knowledge. In addition, as part of the function you will spend about 1 day a week on research tasks in projects conducted by the Department of Environmental Geography within the Institute for Environmental Studies.

Your duties

• Support the overall production and editing of the assessment, including front matters, summary for policymakers, chapters and back matters, in line with relevant IPBES and UNEP rules and procedures.
• Assist experts in delivering their work, including by reviewing literature and compiling and editing material for the assessment drafts, or by responding to their requests (e.g., for literature, data, etc.).
• Support the organization and facilitation of assessment-related meetings, including administrative tasks such as the arrangement of travel, logistical, and financial matters in collaboration with the meeting hosts.
• Support internal and external review processes of the assessment.
• Prepare, in coordination with the IPBES communications team, outreach and other communication materials related to the assessment.

Your profile

• You recently achieved a MSc degree in Environmental Management, Sustainability, Spatial Planning, Ecology or Geography or similar with a maximum of 1 to 2 years of work experience.
• You have good communication skills and willingness to combine research and administrative tasks to support a broad and diverse authorship team.
• You have excellent writing skills as shown by a strong MSc thesis.
• You have planning and management skills to ensure a smooth operation of the assessment.
• You have excellent command of English (essential); Spanish fluency (not required, but would be considered an asset).

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 to apply, even if you do not (fully) 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 € 5.538,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. The position is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• A position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially be 1 year. There is the possibility of extending for another year.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• 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.
• Contribution to commuting expenses.
• A wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge.
• Solid pension scheme (ABP).

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography; Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU). This position is based within the Environmental Geography department. The Environmental Geography department conducts interdisciplinary research on the spatial aspects of environmental and social challenges and the solutions sustainable land use can provide to these.

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programs and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.