GREEN HUB COORDINATOR AT THE UT
Engaged, driven, and knowledgeable sustainability professional sought to take the reins of the developing Green Hub Twente within the UT. The UT’s success in sustainability transformation depends on the bottom-up community and knowledge brokerage of Green Hub. You have an exciting and cutting-edge role to ensure the continuity and impact of the Green Hub’s initiatives and projects, holding the responsibility for its smooth and effective functioning.
The University of Twente is the ultimate people-first university of Technology. It empowers society through sustainable solutions, and contributes to the development of a fair, sustainable and digital society. Since 2020, the UT has taken significant strides towards becoming a sustainable university. However, more work needs to be done and a certain transformation is required across the whole institution.
The UT wants to lead by example, adopting an entrepreneurial approach to sustainability, learning and experimenting through doing, building towards the kind of world we want to live in. The sustainability transformation of the UT also requires a core community to make our progress rooted, legitimate and successful. To this end, in 2020, the UT embarked on the start-up of a central point around which to progress its education, research, innovation and organisation in line with planetary boundaries and a safe operating space for humanity. The Green Hub Twente was established for this challenging work to take place. Driven-by students, supported by core staff, the Green Hub is the latest iteration of the UNESCO recognised Green Office Model approach.
In practice, the Green Hub works as a change-agency, with an intra-preneurial function that trains student officers to be sustainability professionals as well as providing in-house services to the rest of the UT. A coordinator is tasked with overseeing that the Student Green Officers get a hands-on traineeship within their own university, whilst together playing a role in shaping, guiding and tracking the UT’s sustainability policy. They organise activities that promote awareness, such as the annual Sustainability Week, which has successfully brought together Saxion and ROC van Twente in partnership and organisation.
Meeting the needs of the blooming sustainability community in Twente is part of the Green Hub’s mission. To this extent, a broad array of stakeholders, often with very different methods, tactics and strategies for creating a more just, equitable and sustainable world, must be held together. As the ‘knowledge broker’ on all matters to do with sustainability, the Green Hub ascertains the needs and wishes of these stakeholders, who range from students, to academic, administrative and support staff, as well as regional actors ranging from business and civil society to (local) government agencies. It also brokers the connection between scientists, students and the SEE programme to apply in-house knowledge to improve the UT’s sustainability performance.
The Green Hub contributes to the strategic goals set out in the UT’s Shaping 2030 strategy: to use challenge-based learning and impactful, use-inspired research as a vehicle for solving sustainability challenges in the UT’s core research and education. In two years of operations, the students and staff of the Green Hub have worked hard to learn and experiment with the best organisation, work structure and support processes to suit its mission. In this role, you therefore enter the scene at a key stage of development where you will take the Green Hub to maturity so that its capacity building and impact can endure.
Tasks:
- Transformative Leadership: You are aware of the situational leadership required to manage, lead, coach and mentor your team of aspiring and talented student young professionals. You are sensitive to their needs, whilst also providing structure, guidance and limits where necessary. Your ultimate responsibility is their wellbeing and the operational performance of the Green Hub in meeting its project goals.
- External relations & representation: The Green Office movement and Green Offices at other Universities and Universities of Applied Science are part of your network to manage, so that solutions and knowledge can be interchanged valuably. You must take care of the partnerships Green Hub forges with existing committees, initiatives, start-ps and networks such as DesignLab, Student Union, Sustain, UIF, Kick-In (introduction committee) and many more.
- Longevity & Continuity: The UT’s success in sustainability transformation fundamentally depends on the bottom-up community function the Green Hub fulfils. Community and culture underpin and drive the success of the UT’s sustainability strategy. You ensure the continuity of the Green Hub’s initiatives and projects and hold responsibility for its smooth and effective functioning.
- Collaboration & Intrapreneurship: Your planning and organisational skills will be put to the task with the implementation of the annual report, annual plan, and the budget. You will work with the Student Green Hub officers in consultation with the SEE-Programme Manager and Sustainability Coordinator to ensure alignment and cohesion. As per the intrapreneurial approach, you are adept at balancing your attention between internal matters to the Green Hub, the wider UT and external task environment.
YOUR PROFILE
- Your interpersonal skills are excellent, and you have a demonstrated track record of leading diverse teams on complex, innovative projects.
- You are enthusiastic, driven and can win others over to your ideas based on the latest science and best practices.
- You are an inspiring person who realises the importance of the process as well as the results; having worked with students, you can manage their expectations, as well as act as their coach and mentor.
- You have experience in project management and community building, as well as developing annual plans and working with concrete, measurable goals.
- You have excellent networking skills and are adept at building and maintaining an internal and external network of stakeholders.
- You have affinity and a broad familiarity with the topic of sustainability, climate change and/or circularity (amongst other related topics).
- Excellent English speaking and writing skills are a necessity and you speak professional-level Dutch or are willing to learn.
OUR OFFER
- Full-time position for 38 hours a week
- Employment for the duration of 1 year, with initial 2 month probation (extension of employment after this period is a possibility)
- Gross monthly salary between € 2.960,- and € 4.670,- (full-time) according to scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, depending on experience and qualifications
- Excellent secondary employment conditions, such as a year-end bonus of 8,3%, facilities for professional and personal development, Optional Model for employment conditions, home working options and a 13th month.
INFORMATION AND APPLICATION
Additional information regarding the position can be obtained from Alex Baker-Friesen, current Green Hub Coordinator, 0634137081. You are also invited to visit our homepage Sustainability and Green Hub Twente.
Please submit your application by filling in the form including a motivation letter addressing how you will meet the tasks required and current CV (choose ‘apply now’).
Screening is part of the application process.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
Green Hub is a part of the Campus Facility Management department of the UT, specifically the Policy and Projects unit (B&P). Within this, there is a growing team of sustainability colleagues of whom you will form a part.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Campus & Facility Management (CFM) Department aims to optimally support, utilise and develop the campus and housing. This involves the following core tasks: ensuring the development and management of the buildings and infrastructure on the campus grounds, supporting education and research processes, facilitating events on campus, and contributing to the academic training of students through sports and culture. Our work covers six separate areas: Facility Services, Maintenance & Real Estate, Purchasing, Sport & Culture and Staff: Policy & Projects and Secretariat.
We actively contribute to the inclusiveness, health and sustainability of UT’s campus. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we are constantly looking for sustainable solutions in the areas of food, water, waste, travel and energy use. Using our state-of-the-art facilities, we also seek to accommodate team-based working, cutting-edge research and healthy lifestyles. Our beautiful, green campus is an ecosystem for experimenting and it is one-of-a-kind in the Netherlands.
As an employer, the CFM Department offers jobs that matter. We equip you as a staff member to shape new opportunities both for yourself and for our society. With us, you will be part of a leading tech university that is changing our world for the better. We offer an open and entrepreneurial climate, in which we encourage you to make healthy choices, for example, with our flexible, customizable conditions.
