Lecturer in Academic Skills and Mechanical Engineering

Are you an experienced teacher in mechanical engineering or (applied) physics and an affinity for academic skills? Do you have a master's degree and are interested in further developing your teaching skills or exploring a teaching career in academia? Please apply to the Science Faculty of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) for an exciting opportunity!

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 - 0,8

Start date: June 15th
Contract length: 1 year

We are looking for an energetic, flexible Jack(ie) of all trades who can teach academic skills within a mechanical engineering context. You will join a small team operating from the VU and will need to be able to find your feet quickly in the innovative UT-VU Mechanical Engineering Programme. Your core tasks will be managing the coordination and teaching of integrated academic skills lectures, tutoring project groups in various semesters, and collaborating on the necessary educational innovations. 

Programme Description                                              

The joint-bachelor programme Mechanical Engineering in Amsterdam by the University of Twente (UT) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) begins its fifth year in September 2023. It provides an educational program in engineering in Amsterdam. The bachelor is based on the “Twente Educational Model” in which (design) projects form the program's backbone. During a semester students work collaboratively on this project, where the other courses support the projects. Academic Skills courses are also integrated into the project so that students can focus on developing relevant skills in meaningful contexts. During the project, the students must cooperate with their peers to solve problems like professional engineers. 

Your duties 

• Tutor various project groups across both semesters. As a tutor you will provide students with teamwork- and process-oriented support through weekly meetings and feedback sessions, and you will coordinate with other tutors and the course teachers to moderate progress.
• Coordinate and teach the skills sessions in a second-year semester-long course “Project and Skills: Design for Sustainability” in which students develop design skills related to maintaining product integrity throughout its life cycle.
• Support staff in teaching the course “Experimental Skills” to second year students.
• Support Project and Skills teachers in various (formative) assessment moments such as peer reviews, essay marking and final presentations.
• Assist VU and Twente colleagues in the re-design of the above Project & Skills course for the 2024-2025 academic year.

• You have obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering or (applied) physics, or you are a qualified teacher in physics (eerstegraads bevoegdheid; tweedegraads bevoegheid will also be considered). 
• You have relevant teaching experience, e.g. lecturing or working as a TA. Experience teaching academic skills in any context is a plus.
• You feel comfortable coordinating and teaching sessions on academic skills within mechanical engineering (e.g. writing technical reports or papers, presentations, teamwork and project planning).
• You have affinity or experience with design processes in mechanical engineering.
• You have strong organizational skills and have experience collaborating with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. 
• You can work proficiently the Microsoft Office package, and can work with LaTeX, Matlab, Simulink and Solidworks (or other comparable software).
• You have strong communication skills in English (all educational activities are in English).
• You live in the Netherlands and can be present at the VU in Amsterdam for 60% of your working days for the purpose of the above-mentioned duties.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization! On a full-time basis, the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,960 (scale 10) and a maximum of €4,670 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 0,8 FTE. The employment will be for 12 months. 

If you do not possess a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ), you will be offered this, in addition to alternative options for professional development. As a member of the Mechanical Engineering team, you can also contribute to various existing educational initiatives, for instance decreasing the teacher workload while accommodating growing cohorts, honing the existing teamwork learning progression, and further facilitating (inter-university) communication within project teams.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as: 

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment, 
• 8% holiday allowance 
• 8.3% end-of-year bonus 
• contribution to commuting expenses 

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.

The division Innovations in Human Health & Life Sciences (iH2LS) is a young and dynamic team of lecturers and researchers under prof. dr. Jacqueline van Muijlwijk. This team is involved in the teaching and development of educational programs in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition to teaching, they especially focus on scientific research regarding the implementation and effect of e.g. active learning. You will perform your duties for the faculty within the iH2LS team. 

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your motivation letter (max 1 page) and curriculum vitae no later than 

 The initial interviews will take place at the VU on Wednesday May 24th. Second round interviews will take place in the morning of Thursday June 1st. All interviews will take place in person. Please take this into account when applying for the position. 

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Isabel Braadbaart, M.Ed.
Position: Team leader Academic Skills Team
E-mail: i.t.braadbaart@vu.nl

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.