Faculty: Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Department: Social Sciences Hours per week: 8 to 16 Application deadline: 31 March 2026

Do you have a background in cultural anthropology or a related discipline and experience in project management? Are you enthusiastic about the opportunity to be part of two international teams? Do you prefer to work part-time and flexibly?

Your job

As project manager in our two new European Research Council projects, you will become part of the coordinating team of the INFRAEMPIRE and ARMIES projects and will work in close collaboration with Professor Rebecca Bryant and Dr. Tessa Diphoorn .

You will be responsible for all the core administrative tasks for two large teams, in collaboration with Rebecca Bryant and Tessa Diphoorn. The core duties are:

• Budget support and management, including tracking expenses
• Organising meetings, workshops, and conferences, including participants' travel, booking of accommodation, catering, etc.
• Note-taking for such meetings, where necessary
• Project correspondence, including external project partners
• General communication of project development, such as website maintenance
• Data management tasks and support for ethical review processes
• Assisting with general administrative tasks
• Post-award grant management, including funder report writing, managing policy compliance and recording project alterations.
• Serving as a lynchpin between the projects, the department and faculty support services

INFRAEMPIRE:Rebecca Bryant's project explores the ways that rising economic powers such as Turkey, China, and Brazil rely on building the infrastructure of other states to drive reconstruction in their own capitals and create 'soft power' empires. INFRAEMPIRE will turn an ethnographic lens on the infrastructural imperialism of the Turkish state, a growing power whose construction sector is reshaping the Global South and for almost two decades drove a domestic economic boom. INFRAEMPIRE's five researchers will conduct ethnographic fieldwork in case sites at the seam of Eurasia, a critical geopolitical juncture where former and aspiring empires intersect, compete, and build new worlds through infrastructure.

ARMIES: Tessa Diphoorn's project is an ethnographic study of the everyday deployment of firearms and their societal impact in Brazil, Germany, and South Africa. The project examines and compares the various ways firearms produce communities, and it focuses on groups that are overlooked in the field of gun studies, such as gun owners associations and hunting clubs. The team of four researchers also aims to design a new multisensorial ethnographic toolkit to better understand why firearms are so attractive for certain groups of people.

Your qualities

We are looking for a candidate with:

• a master's degree in cultural/social anthropology or a related discipline. We prefer candidates who have obtained the master's degree by the time of application but will consider those who will have completed by the start date;
• project management experience;
• a professional attitude and conduct that includes pragmatism, excellent communication, and organisational skills;
• independent thinking and a hands-on mentality;
• a collaborative attitude and teamwork orientation;
• high proficiency in English (C2 level). Proficiency in Dutch is also an asset.

We expect you to have a high degree of independence and responsibility. Because you will work with two teams and their larger networks, teamwork and communication are also essential.

Our offer

• A part-time position (0,4 FTE from 1 May 2026 to 1 June 2029; 0,2 FTE from 1 June 2029 to 1 September 2029). You will initially be hired for 12 months with the possibility to extend to 1 September 2029;
• a working week of 15 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,708 and €5,057 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 9 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development , various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities . You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University .

About us

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University , the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes . Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow .

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Almost 7,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 1,100 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.

You will work at the Department of Cultural Anthropology in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The two projects are located in the Cultural Anthropology Department's Sovereignty and Social Contestation Research Programme. The research programme addresses the interaction between power, authority, and legitimacy, which it seeks to connect with social movements, protest, and conflict. Please follow the links to learn more about the Cultural Anthropology Department and the Sovereignty and Social Contestation Research Programme .

The faculty is located at Utrecht Science Park near the historical city centre of Utrecht.

More information

For more information, please contact Rebecca Bryant R.E.Bryant@uu.nl or Tessa Diphoorn T.G.Diphoorn@uu.nl .

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.

Apply now

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

Knowledge security screening can be part of the selection procedures of academic staff. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the 'apply now' button.

The first round of interviews takes place in the week of 13 April 2026. Our preferred start date is 1 May 2026.

The application deadline is 31 March 2026.