Executive Secretary Board of Examiners

Welcome to Maastricht University

The world of education is constantly evolving – and so are we. At Maastricht University, your work behind the scenes makes a real difference. Together, you help create a study environment where integrity, consistency and teamwork truly matter.

Our goal

At the Board of Examiners, we aim to ensure fair, consistent, and transparent procedures for all students.

As Executive Secretary of the Servicedesk Board of Examiners, you help safeguard academic integrity by handling individual requests with care and by clear, well-founded decision-making. Your work ensures that students are treated equally and in line with faculty regulations – creating a reliable and supportive learning environment.

Your colleagues

You’ll be joining a small team of experienced professionals who value open communication and mutual support. You’ll work closely with two fellow executive secretaries, and interact with a variety of stakeholders, particularly students, teaching staff and colleagues from support staff. We maintain strong connections across the faculty and believe that good cooperation is essential to ensuring fair and consistent procedures for our students.

About the role

As Executive Secretary, you are part of the Servicedesk of the Board of Examiners (BoE), within the Office of Student Affairs at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS). You ensure that student requests are handled with care and consistency and contribute to upholding the quality and integrity of our education system. You’ll work closely with the vice-chair of the BoE, the faculty’s Exam Administration, and colleagues across departments.

Together with your team, you handle requests from students regarding the application of the hardship clause, exemptions, flexible bachelor’s programme, graduation postponements, special exam arrangements, and more. Therefore, the role requires a high degree of independence and self-responsibility. You also support the vice-chair in fraud, plagiarism and appeal cases, prepare and attend hearings, draw up advises and draft well-founded decisions. In addition, you’ll advise on the feasibility of the EERs and the annual education plans of the different programmes at FASoS and on attuning procedures and policies with other departments of the faculty and UM level. You will execute and monitor  the Binding Study Advice (BSA) procedure; the Servicedesk decides on the BSA warnings and (intended) BSA decisions, administers these, and supports the BSA committee in their work.

This role offers a dynamic, structured working environment where collaboration and precision go hand in hand. You are part of a team that plays a key role in ensuring academic fairness and consistency – and you’ll help make sure every decision is both clear and carefully considered.

Are you ready to make a difference for our students and academic community? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring

It’s not about ticking boxes – it’s about who you are and what you bring. Do you recognise yourself in the following?

• Analytical and precise – You quickly grasp the core of complex issues and make accurate, well-reasoned decisions.
• Empathetic communicator – You listen with attention, explain clearly, and respond respectfully – even when the situation is sensitive.
• Organisationally strong – You manage time effectively and keep oversight, even when dealing with many cases or tight deadlines.
• Confidential and professional – You handle student information with the utmost care and integrity.
• Naturally collaborative – You enjoy working in a team and actively contribute to shared goals and improvements.
• Resilient and decisive – You remain calm under pressure and take action when needed.
• Aware of your role – You recognise potential conflicts of interest and know how to handle them with care and transparency.
• Proactive by nature – You don’t wait for others to act – you speak up, take initiative, and help move things forward.
• Tech-savvy and efficient – You’re comfortable using systems like SAP and MS Office to streamline your workflow.

In addition, you hold a university of applied sciences degree (HBO) or can demonstrate equivalent experience, and you are fluent in English (C1 level) and have a good command of Dutch (minimum B2 level).

The preferred starting date of this position is 1 March 2026.

What we offer
As a Executive Secretary at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 8 or 9 according to UFO profile Student Affairs Officer, function level 1 or 2 with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3708,00 and €5057,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. If proven suitable, the employment contract will be converted into an indefinite contract.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model. 
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students. 
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'. 
   

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM. 

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.  
 

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.
 

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation. 
 

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction. 
 

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS

Office of Student Affairs

The office is responsible for the main administrative processes in the faculty and has a quality and customer focused culture. The Office of Student Affairs consists of several departments, amongst others the exams office, the international relations office, the student advisers, the Servicedesk BoE and the front office.

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Ruben Janssen at ruben.janssen@maastrichtuniversity.nl or via phone 043 388 3337 for more information. Do you have any questions regarding the procedure, please contact Manon Souren (Recruiter) at manon.souren@maastrichtuniversity.nl or via phone +31 6 34577732. 

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Executive Secretary of the Servicedesk Board of Examiners? Apply now, no later than 30 Septembert 2025, for this position.

The first interviews will be held on October 13th and second interviews on October 23th. 

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.