Participating Team Leader Secretariat Cognitive Neuroscience Department

Due to the departure of a colleague, the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) is looking for a team leader with excellent oversight skills for the secretariat. In this versatile role, you will be responsible for the daily management of the three management assistants within the team.

Responsibilities
The secretariat is the first point of contact for all employees working in the department. Together with the team, you will contribute to further developing and professionalizing internal services within the department. We are looking for a team leader who will take on a guiding and coaching role within the secretariat, with a keen eye for the personal and professional development of the three employees.

In the CN department, there are nine research groups (sections). Like the other members of the team, you will support two or three of these research groups. Additionally, as a team leader, you will be involved in and coordinate all secretarial tasks in the broadest sense so that all processes or procedures run in the same way for the whole department. Moreover, besides leading the team, you will serve as a sparring partner for the department chair on department-wide and overarching topics and themes.

The department fosters an informal, open, and collegial atmosphere, ensuring short communication lines between colleagues in the secretariat and CN staff members. The secretarial team aspires to combine excellent internal dynamics with outstanding service to the department. There is ample room for asking questions, proposing solutions, and collaborating with the department chair and other department members. This provides you with an opportunity to take on responsibilities and further develop your leadership skills.

As a team leader, you will be responsible for:

• The operational management of the three management assistants.
• Ensuring alignment, coordination, and consensus within the team.
• Conducting performance and evaluation interviews with the management assistants.
• Leading and motivating the secretarial staff.
• Helping to create a safe and pleasant working environment within your team.
• Directly supporting the department chair regarding various department-wide HR, administrative, financial, or educational support procedures and activities.
• Identifying departmental and section needs and translating them into appropriate actions together with your team.
• Maintaining connections with various internal stakeholders, such as colleagues from other secretariats within the faculty and staff from the Finance and HR departments.

Job Requirements:

• The ideal candidate has a higher professional education level of thinking and working (HBO-level or beyond)
• Preferably at least a few years of experience in leading a (small) team.
• Excellent skills in coordination, planning, organizing, and delegating.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and adapting administrative processes and procedures.
• Proficiency in working with administrative systems and IT applications, particularly Excel.
• Accuracy and integrity in handling tasks in a busy, high-pressure, international work environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in both Dutch and English (C-level).
• A proactive, independent, and service-oriented attitude.
   

What we offer
As Participating Team Leader Secretariat at Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, 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 9 according to UFO profile Team Leader, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3537,00 and €4860,00 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 0.8-1.0 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to 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 Psychology and Neuroscience
The Department of Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) is part of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN). FPN is an international faculty with students and staff from various cultural backgrounds, who are connected by their shared curiosity about human behaviour and our brains.   

This curiosity inspires us to explore the wide field of psychology from different perspectives (such as a biological and cognitive viewpoint). By using small-scale and student-centred methods, such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, we encourage a similar kind of curiosity in our students, as we provide them with the tools to discover the world of the human brain.  

 
Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact our recruiter Patrick Claus via p.claus@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information. 
 

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Participating Team Leader Secretariat? Apply now, no later than 31 March, for this position.

Please upload your CV and motivation letter. 

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.