SRON Careers

Working at SRON

SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

We marvel at the cosmos and about the earth and its atmosphere. We want to find answers to questions about the earth and the universe that are relevant to mankind, and we do so with the help of our talented employees. We nurture talent and team spirit, and we value a healthy work-life balance.

Employees make our success

About 200 employees are the most important asset for SRON’s successes. We form a melting pot of top (instrument) scientists, engineers, and other professionals of various nationalities and ages.

We inspire each other to realize outstanding performances at a top level. Problems faced by scientists challenge sensor developers to construct increasingly more sensitive technology. Together with mechanical and electronic engineers they ultimately develop a scientific space instrument. An instrument with an exceptional level of performance under the extreme conditions of space.

The scientific breakthroughs made with our devices in turn inspire us to new research and new technology. This approach has enabled us to develop into a national expertise institute of international repute.

Employed at NWO-I

When you start working at SRON, you will formally be employed at NWO-I, the Institutes Organisation of NWO and fully named the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes. NWO-I is an independent foundation, that belongs to the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The office of NWO-I is located in Utrecht. NWO-I consists of the following nine NWO Institutes: AMOLF, ARCNL, ASTRON, CWI, DIFFER, Nikhef, NIOZ, NSCR and SRON. The conditions of employment of NWO-I are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres (Cao-Onderzoekinstellingen).

More than 2/3 of us has a scientific degree. We have tenured or temporary contracts or work on a project basis. We combine a professional approach with an informal culture in an inspiring international context. We offer excellent terms of employment.

We want to treat each other respectfully at SRON. How we do this, and how we recognize and address undesirable behavior, is set out in our Code of Conduct for Desirable Behavior. This also applies at other NWO institutes.

Why work at SRON?

  • We work together on socially and scientifically relevant revelations at a high level in an international and innovative environment.
  • You will be offered extensive development opportunities and working conditions. We offer a lot of freedom and opportunities to harmonise your private and professional life.
  • You will work in an organisation with respectful and passionate colleagues of all nationalities in well-equipped and modern labs and offices in lively locations in Leiden and Groningen.

 

We offer

  • personal development and training
  • 42 vacation days
  • homeworking opportunities
  • good parental leave scheme
  • good work-life balance
  • good pension provision
  • year-end bonus

Working at NWO-I

What SRON employees like best about their work:

‘We contribute to imaginative and socially relevant scientific questions with the help of cool technology.’

‘I do the kind of work I used to dream of and I work with colleagues (inside and outside SRON) whom I admire and who I feel privileged to be able to work with.’

‘The extent to which I can organise my work myself, the challenge to perform at a high level, the opportunities I am offered to develop myself.’

  • Challenging work
  • Interesting scientific projects
  • Nice, motivated and energetic colleagues
  • Contributing to a better society
  • Diverse work
  • Lots of freedom and autonomy
  • Achieving groundbreaking results
  • Unique topics and work content
  • Working towards a common goal
  • Learning a lot

 

Taken from the Employee Survey 2020

People & Projects