Asset Management
32
€ 4.427,64 - € 6.677,44
WO Master
The Asset Management research group is looking for a researcher to help co-lead and drive our contribution to BONSAI, an international Interreg project in which the main working language is English. In this role you will seek solutions to societal challenges, such as making flood defences more resilient to climate change. Curiosity, drive, an interest in the interactions between people, technology and nature, and a commitment to both the field and to students are key qualities. Does conducting practice-oriented research within the BONSAI project appeal to you? If so, apply for the position of Researcher, Asset Management at HZ University of Applied Sciences in Middelburg.
About the Asset Management research group
Within the Asset Management research group, we help future-proof technical assets such as flood defences, bridges and utilities, working at the interface of engineering, data management and ecology. Through our project portfolio, we are building a growing reputation for research on how animal activity affects the safety of flood defences, and we develop lifecycle approaches and decision-support tools that help bring nature-based solutions into asset appraisal. Our work is embedded in the Southwest Delta of the Netherlands and connected to partners across Europe and beyond. Is this also your area of expertise, and are you keen to conduct research within our new project?
Your role as a researcher within the BONSAI project
BONSAI (Boosting Flood Resilience in Estuarine Systems Anticipating Shifting Climate Zones) is an Interreg North-West Europe project in which seventeen organisations from four countries work together to make flood defences more resilient to climate change. Through cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing, BONSAI develops and validates solutions to improve the robustness of flood defences in the short term, increase their resilience in the long term, and enhance disaster management in flood-related emergencies. By the end of the project these solutions will have been implemented by the partners involved in flood risk management and made available to other organisations. The project runs until the end of 2028.
Within BONSAI, HZ leads the field activities at the pilot sites (focused on managing harmful animal activity in dikes and early-stage dike breach interventions) and contributes to training a new generation of water managers and professionals through summer and winter schools, workshops and other educational initiatives. As a researcher, you will co-lead HZ’s contribution to BONSAI and become a driving force across our work in the project.
You will do this by:
• leading the “Animal Burrows Brigade”: coordinating an international team of project partners that investigates how burrowing animals weaken levees and develops practical ways to manage this risk;
• leading and carrying out HZ’s field activities at pilot sites, including managing harmful animal activity in dikes and early-stage dike breach interventions;
• contributing to research on crisis management, including applications of emergency response measures such as mobile barriers and erosion control solutions;
• co-organising the project’s summer schools and workshops with partner universities, and contributing to Interreg reporting and administration;
• translating fieldwork and research results into actionable plans for levee managers and into scientific output (papers, presentations).
It’s in you
With your experience in the field of asset management, you can contribute to research projects straight away while imparting knowledge to students and motivating and inspiring them. Alongside this challenging project, you also keep an eye on the analysis and valorisation of research data. In addition, you have:
• a PhD, or an MSc with a demonstrated aptitude for research, in civil engineering, water management or asset management, with a strong grounding in geotechnical and hydraulic engineering and a good understanding of levee (flood-defence) systems;
• demonstrable fieldwork experience; an affinity with laboratory and field experiments (e.g. large-scale levee stress tests, erosion measurements) and with translating field results into actionable plans is highly valued;
• demonstrable ability in project leadership and associated administration, including Interreg project reporting;
• excellent communication skills in English: a demonstrated ability to write, present and speak in public for academic and professional audiences, evidenced by a track record of publications and presentations;
• a good command of the Dutch language; willingness to improve is highly valued;
• experience in education is a plus, as is affinity with GIS, programming or CFD modelling.
Grow with us
We believe that future-proof education starts with our employees. That is why, in addition to a lively working environment, we offer you a leading role in an ambitious transnational project with strong (inter)national partners and room for your own scientific development and publications. We also offer:
• a one-year appointment as a researcher; renewal depends on individual performance and the availability of funding. The project is initially scheduled to run until the end of 2028;
• a gross monthly salary in scale 11 between €4,427.64 and €6,677.44 for full-time employment (in accordance with the CAO HBO);
• an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, 8% holiday pay and possibly a travel allowance and/or working-from-home allowance;
• approximately 53 days off for full-time employment;
• every opportunity to work on your personal and professional development;
• freedom and independence in your work;
• fun activities organised by HZ Fun, HZ Sport and HZ Cult, as well as free access to the HZ Vitality Centre.
Working at HZ University of Applied Sciences: the personal university of applied sciences
Together with some 600 staff members and 5,000 students, we dedicate ourselves to our mission of contributing to a better world through innovative education and research. Working at HZ means working in a vibrant community where there is plenty of room for unique ideas and the development of your talents so that you can grow. We are a learning community where diversity is seen as a strength and where we promote inclusion together. Everywhere the door is always open, so you can walk right in to colleagues — because ultimately, we do it together.
HZ University of Applied Sciences is a valued knowledge institution in the region and beyond. As a university of applied sciences, it is the partner for practitioners in research and education. In the coming years, HZ wants to strengthen this position by focusing on impact and quality, not necessarily quantity. For example, in 2023 the research laboratory Joint Research Center Zeeland (JRCZ) opened in Middelburg, in the same year the large-scale, multi-year projects Energy Campus and New Waves were launched, and in 2024 the Delta Climate Center was officially launched.
Procedure
You can apply until 17 August 2026. We are planning the job interviews on 24 August.
For questions about the content, please contact Vana Tsimopoulou, Associate Lector Asset Management (v.tsimopoulou@hz.nl). Please note that she is unavailable from 9 July until 12 August; during this period, you can contact Danny Janssen (d.janssen@hz.nl).
At HZ University of Applied Sciences, we recruit our new colleagues ourselves
