Director of Education / Institute Board Member with the education portfolio

Vacancy number:  16624

Job type:  Academic staff

Contract hours min:  19

Contract hours max:  19

Location:  Leiden

Applying is possible up to and including:  21 juni 2026

Do you want to put your governance and leadership skills to work in a three-member collegial board and help shape the education of a leading academic institute? Are you a Professor or Associate Professor with a clear vision on education and a connecting leadership style? Then we invite you to apply for the position of Director of Education / Institute Board Member with the education portfolio.

As Director of Education, you will work in a dynamic, international academic environment in which research, education and operations are governed in an integrated manner. You will contribute to the effective functioning and future development of the institute, as well as to the strategic ambitions of the Faculty.

What you will do

• As Director of Education, you hold the education portfolio within the Institute Board. Together with the other board members, you are responsible for the institute’s integrated governance. From an educational perspective, you make a substantial contribution to the strategic direction, quality and coherence of education, research and organisation.

  You are responsible for overseeing education within the institute and work closely with the Programme Director(s), education coordinators, the Faculty Board and in particular the Vice-Dean, who is also your line manager. You operate within a collegial governance structure in which equality, shared responsibility and mutual trust are central.

  In addition, you will:

  • Jointly lead the institute with your fellow board members and ensure a socially safe, inclusive and professional working environment.
  • Be responsible for education within the institute and safeguard its quality, coherence and future sustainability.
  • Coordinate education policy, innovation and development in consultation with the Programme Directors.
  • Ensure an effective structure and organisation of education, including coordination regarding staff deployment within and beyond the institute.
  • Provide (indirect) leadership to teaching staff and ensure sufficient, well-qualified and sustainably employable educational personnel.
  • Make agreements with Programme Directors on staffing, professional development and talent development.
  • Represent the institute in faculty-level consultations, projects and policy development, and contribute to faculty strategy and planning.
  • Work closely with the Vice-Dean and fellow Institute Board members on shared faculty and university objectives. Key topics for the coming period include education logistics and the implementation of the faculty-wide academic career policy.

Where you will work

Curiosity and passion for science are what connect our people: the desire to know, understand, interpret, explain and create. Our mission is to provide excellent teaching and research across the full breadth of the sciences, contributing to solutions for major societal challenges. Our eight institutes, ranging from mathematics, computer science, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and biopharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences, along with the Lorentz Center and the Hortus botanicus, form the backbone of our faculty and have a strong mutual interconnectedness. 

We work in a safe, stimulating and international environment where people work and study with pleasure and passion, and where building connections and collaboration, both within and beyond the faculty, are a clear choice. The faculty has over 2,700 staff members and more than 6,000 students enrolled in nine bachelor's and fifteen master's programmes. We are located in the heart of the Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s largest science parks, where academia and industry meet.

Research at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) aims to contribute to the scientific foundation of biodiversity and health. This is reflected in our guiding principle: Harnessing Biodiversity for Health. We conduct innovative research to answer fundamental questions as well as solution-driven research to address major societal challenges, such as protecting natural biodiversity, developing sustainable biotechnology and agriculture, and improving human health. Our research focuses on four themes: Bioactive Molecules, Host-Microbe Interactions, Development & Disease, and Evolution & Biodiversity. Situated in a dynamic scientific environment alongside the Faculty of Science, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden University Medical Center, and the Leiden Bio Science Park, IBL offers an engaging, internationally oriented, and inclusive place to work and study.

What you bring

• You are a Professor or Associate Professor within the institute, preferably with experience as a Programme Director.
• You have a clear and inspiring vision on education, in connection with research and societal impact.
• You enjoy working within a collegial board and value shared responsibility and equality.
• You are able to connect people, interests and perspectives, and actively represent the vision and values of the institute, faculty and university.
• You take responsibility, act decisively and make timely decisions while balancing different interests.
• Together with your fellow board members, you formulate a clear ambition for the future and know how to engage others.
• You demonstrate situational leadership, stimulate development and create space for learning and experimentation.
• You promote a working and learning environment in which everyone can be themselves, equality is experienced and people treat each other with respect.
• You have strong communication skills in Dutch and English and the ability to build connections. If you do not (yet) have sufficient command of the Dutch language, you are willing to develop this to C1 level within a reasonable timeframe (6 months to one year).

What we offer

• A meaningful governance role within a dynamic and international academic environment.
• Opportunities for further development as an academic leader and administrator.
• The role of Director of Education is fulfilled within your appointment as Professor or Associate Professor.
• Appointment for four years, with the possibility of one reappointment for a further four-year term.
• A time commitment of 0.5 FTE for the role of Institute Board Member with the education portfolio.
  • In combination with the role of Programme Director, the maximum deployment is 0.7 FTE.
  • Concrete agreements on workload will be made upon appointment.
• A governance allowance in compensation for performing this role.

What we value

Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. We strive to be an open community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to fully develop themselves. We consider an inclusive academic environment, where students and staff can share their experiences and viewpoints, to be essential for the development of talent.

Want to apply or find out more?

If you want to apply straight away, click the application button.

For more information about the content of this governance role, please contact Bart de Smit, Vice-Dean, via +31 6 17 36 07 81 / [email protected].
For more information about the procedure, please contact Elice Schöne, Head of HR, via +31 6 13617283 or [email protected]

When candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to women, candidates with a disability, and candidates with a migration background.
Reference checks may be part of the selection process and a pre-employment screening and an (development) assessment will be part of the selection process.