Curriculum Officer - NIAS

The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS), based in a quiet nook of the bustling heart of Amsterdam, is looking for a Curriculum Officer (24-32 hours per week) to implement, evaluate and help develop the academic program and services for our fellows, and to help realize our publications and public events. Are you an academic seeking a career in making state-of-the-art research happen, seen and understood? Then we would much like to welcome you to our team.  

NIAS 

The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Annually, it facilitates some 50 researchers ('fellows') from all over the world, allowing them to focus on a subject they are passionately curious about – a curiosity firmly rooted in their knowledge and experience. Our research community has existed for more than 50 years. Producing new knowledge and contributing to a spirit of inquisitiveness, it epitomizes that academic freedoms are one pillar of liberal democracy. 

Approximately 20 dedicated staff work at NIAS to recruit and select fellows, to facilitate their arrival, stay, research and the research community, and to communicate its calls, activities and results via diverse media and events. NIAS is one of the international leaders in our field.

The job 

The NIAS Curriculum Officer is a new position. The officer will be part of the Curriculum team, who plan, prepare and chair the weekly Fellows’ seminars. They also inventory the Fellows’ academic needs and monitor their wellbeing, as well as facilitate their research and advance their professional networks. They assess Fellows’ proposals for expert workshops, acquire and develop volumes in the NIAS Book Series, produce offline and online events and productions, such as the podcast series Room to Explore and the annual NIAS Opening of the Academic Year. They benchmark and improve the NIAS experience among all target publics. Last, but not least, they help develop and manage the institute's library services and its archive of fellows’ publications. 

You 

The NIAS team are seeking a colleague  

• holding a PhD, given the composition of our team preferably in a social-scientific field, with at least 3 years of post-PhD academic work experience; more is welcome; 

• who is a very competent chair of academic sessions and discussions, comfortable in interdisciplinary settings; 

• who is committed to and experienced in research valorization and communication; 

• who has expertise / is dedicated to gaining expertise in contemporary libraries’ and archives’ strategies and infrastructures. 

We also hope that you are:  

• a team-spirited professional, who offers as well as welcomes constructive feedback and collegial support; 

• versed in a small organization, in which all take on the odds and ends that are typical in such a place; 

• happy to work independently while at the same time complying with organigrams, plans, policies and budgets; 

• eager to stay current with international standards and practices of advanced study; 

• experienced in an international and intercultural workplace and solidly mastering English and Dutch (C2 or C1); 

• a person OK with incidental performance outside regular workdays and office hours.

The offer 

NIAS offers: 

• a driven team that understands and seeks the value of diversity of personal and professional backgrounds; 

• a light workplace in a quiet nook of the bustling heart of both academic and touristic Amsterdam; 

• solid secondary labor conditions. Please refer to www.knaw.nl/ 

• A salary in scale 10 of the KNAW collective labor agreement, i.e. amounting to between 2,133 and 3,366 euros gross per month for 24 hours per week and 2,845 and 4,488 euros gross per month for 32 hours per week. The exact salary is dependent on the number of years of experience in the work package described in this vacancy. 

Sounds appealing? 

And does it also fit your profile and ambitions? Then we are very interested in your application! Please note that only applications submitted via this portal can be accepted into the selection procedure. For further information on the position you may write to Merlijn.Olnon@NIAS.KNAW.nl, the NIAS head of Curriculum. He is looking forward to your message. 

Selection planning 

The application deadline is 3 May, 2026. By 7 May you will know whether or not you are invited for a first interview, planned on 12 or 13 May. A second interview will take place on 19 or 22 May. We aim to contract our new Curriculum Officer before 1 June, in order to allow them to start working as such per 1 July, 1 August, or 1 September. A proficiency test in Dutch and/or English may be part of the selection trajectory. Also, you may be asked to prepare for a case to be solved in your second interview. 

Terms of employment
Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is 3.546 and the maximum salary is 5.538 gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 10 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment). 

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.