Afdelingshoofd Immunologie

Job description

The Executive Board of the Erasmus MC is seeking a Head of the Department of Immunology, who will also be appointed as Professor to the department’s Key Domain Chair (provided all academic criteria are met).

The Head of Department is responsible for the overall leadership of the department and its financial, strategic, and scientific performance. You will guide and inspire the department faculty towards excellence in research, teaching and care/diagnostic support. The role calls for inspiring leadership: an essential strength for guiding the department toward its full potential.

You are expected to develop and stimulate a recognizable and successful research profile of the department, resulting in PhD promotions, publications in top international peer-reviewed journals, recruitment of competitive external research funding, and most importantly, research that is eventually translated into daily clinical practice.  

The following areas fall within your scope of responsibility:

• Provide connecting leadership and guidance to faculty aligned with Erasmus MC’s strategic direction (Koers28).
• Further develop the long-term departmental vision and actively drive new developments and innovations aligned with Erasmus MC's strategy.
• Manage the department and ensure effective daily operations.
• Maintain an active personal research program
• Coordinate research development and teaching contributions
• Strengthen existent collaborations with other departments and external key partners.
• Maximize the potential in the future new shared research building for focusing on immunological research Erasmus MC-wide.
• Oversee diagnostic support activities in collaboration with the Laboratory of Medical Immunology (LMI).
• Ensure regulatory compliance, safety and quality standards.
• Participate in the Diagnostics & Advice Theme Board.
• Report directly to the Executive Board of Erasmus MC.

Work environment

Erasmus MC is a dynamic academic medical center committed to improving population health and delivering excellent care through cutting-edge research and high-quality education. As part of the institutional strategy Koers28, Erasmus MC aims for healthcare transformation that is accessible, sustainable, and balanced. Digitalization and technological innovation play an essential role in achieving these goals. Erasmus MC invests in research by building a new research tower in 2032, providing an excellent opportunity for fostering fundamental and translational research across the silos.

To meet growing societal and medical challenges, Erasmus MC focuses on three core ambitions:

• strengthening tertiary, digital and appropriate patient care
• addressing societal issues through scientific research
• investing in learning and development for the future of healthcare.

The organization fosters a collaborative, responsible, and entrepreneurial culture, offering a safe, inclusive, and inspiring work environment.

Erasmus MC

Erasmus MC is located in the heart of Rotterdam, a vibrant, super-diverse city with more than 170 nationalities. As one of Europe’s leading academic medical centers, it spans the full spectrum of medical specialties. Its research ranges from molecular and cellular studies to clinical research and large population-based cohorts. Erasmus MC continually strengthens the link between research, patient care, and education. Because of this full spectrum, the Erasmus MC can be seen as an ideal ecosystem for the field of Immunology.

Diagnostics & Advice Theme

The Department of Immunology is part of the Diagnostics & Advice theme, alongside the departments of Pharmacy, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Viroscience, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, and Clinical Chemistry.

Department of Immunology

The department of Immunology, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, combines fundamental and translational research, education, diagnostics and clinical services. The department is currently employing about 130 staff members, divided over offices and lab facilities. The department is subdivided into 13 workgroups, all headed by independent group leaders. The combination of cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical immunological research with immunodiagnostics and clinical care, is a rather unique feature in the Netherlands and has led to major contributions to the understanding of immunological responses and disease mechanisms, implementation of innovative diagnostic assays, and the introduction of improved therapies in the clinics.

The organizational structure of the Department of Immunology is based upon three major activities in the Department:

1. Research and education.
2. Diagnostics (Laboratory of Medical Immunology).
3. Clinical Immunology.

Qualifications and skills

The ideal candidate has a strong scientific track record in the broader field of immunology and preferably expertise in the management of large and diverse teams. You have earned your scientific merits, are no longer primarily dependent on scientific performance, and have demonstrated leadership qualifications and skills preferably in the setting of an academic medical center.

The new head of the department is an enthusiastic (clinician-)scientist, strategic thinker and leader, who can connect the dynamics of Immunology within Erasmus MC, but also nationally and internationally. International candidates are willing to learn the language within a reasonable time frame.

Requirements

• Scientific background with substantial experience in at least one immunology-related research domain.
• Experience in academic teaching and commitment to strengthening Erasmus MC’s educational programs.
• Affinity with organizational and financial management, capable of achieving departmental goals within financial boundaries.
• Commitment to sustainability in healthcare, workforce well-being, and environmental impact reduction.

Competencies

• Excellent leadership qualities according to the Erasmus MC core value-based leadership vision
• A collaborative, connecting leadership style with a business-aware mindset.
• Ability to build and maintain national and international networks.
• Awareness of immunological developments nationally and internationally.
• Motivated to create an environment where people can learn, grow, and thrive.

Core value based leadership

Managers act as inspiring role models for our employees and as representatives of Erasmus MC. They play a crucial role in fostering a culture driven by our core values (responsible, connecting, enterprising). Managers demonstrate this in a way that characterizes Erasmus MC: visible in our words and actions, by thinking and, above all, by doing together.

As a manager at Erasmus MC, you actively contribute to the transformation of healthcare. You inspire others to collaborate on the three ambitions of Koers28, where technological innovations and teamwork are essential. In this role, you are not only the leader of your department but also a key ambassador of the culture that supports our mission: creating a future-proof healthcare system in which we work together to make care more accessible, sustainable, and balanced.

Before you apply please check our conditions for employment.

Terms of employment

Erasmus MC offers a challenging role within one of the largest university medical center (umc) in the Netherlands, with high ambitions in care, research, and education. The position includes:

• a permanent contract.
• a competitive salary.
• a five-year appointment as Head of Department, a second term may follow after a mutually positive evaluation.
• Pension contributions are provided through ABP, with Erasmus MC covering 70% of the monthly contribution.

More information

• An assessment may be part of the recruitment process.
• The interviews will take place on April 13th 2026.
• Erasmus MC strives to build a workforce whose composition reflects the diversity of the Dutch population. In cases where candidates are equally qualified, this is taken into consideration.

For more information about this position, please contact prof. dr. F.J. van Kemenade, Head of Pathology and Secretary of the Vacancy Committee: f.vankemenade@erasmusmc.nl   or +31 10 704 4395.

For questions regarding the application procedure, please contact Miranda Kila, Management Development Advisor, via hr.topkader@erasmusmc.nl. 

No agencies please.