Research Internship Water and Space

24-40 hours per week | Utrecht | Hybrid | € 600,- internship allowance | Wed-bachelor/-master

Water management has made living, working, and residing in the Netherlands possible. That system has been built over hundreds of years and designed for a temperate climate. With rising sea levels, drought, and heavy precipitation, we are now reaching the limits. Drinking water companies are sounding the alarm regarding security of supply, and peak rainfall alternates with extreme drought. Water is decisive for where we can build, work, and live. To become resilient, we must make different choices regarding the design and use of our living environment, in which functions align better with the capacity of the water and soil system.

Every day, new spatial choices are made, for example regarding housing construction, business expansion, or the energy system. To take more account of water and soil in this, the world of water and soil and the world of spatial planning must collaborate better and learn to speak each other's language. Instruments, methods, and ways of working already exist for this, such as Environment Tables, the Water Assessment (Watertoets), blue environmental visions, and water and soil system analyses. But do those instruments truly work, and what is needed to make them align better with practice? That is what we are investigating.

Do you want to contribute directly to research that shapes the course of the Netherlands at the start of your career? At Berenschot, you will work in a dynamic team of advisors in the field of water and space. You will get the chance to develop yourself and simultaneously make a social impact.

Your research:

You will create an inventory of existing and new, innovative instruments and methods, and/or you will formulate success factors for one specific instrument (a best practice). Together with you and your supervisors, we will determine the precise scope.

Your research is part of the project "Pioneer for water and soil system analyses" (Interprovincial Consultation and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management). Possible results include a contribution to the analysis and toolbox of the pioneering work, a publication on best practices, or an instrument kit for water boards, provinces, and the Ministry of IenW.

You will thus be part of the pioneer story, but you will not remain with just one project. For your research, you can also draw from other ongoing trajectories within our team, such as the Delta Programme on Spatial Adaptation (DPRA). Similar questions are played out there regarding how to make cooperation between governments and regions truly work. This allows you to gather extra insights and practical examples and see how different dossiers reinforce each other.

In addition to your own research, you will work together with a team of experienced advisors on social dossiers for ministries, provinces, water boards, and drinking water companies:

• Participating in work sessions and the reflection circle: you will see how meetings with administrators, policymakers, and scientists are structured and work the outcomes out into clear syntheses.

• Analyzing and writing: you will conduct interviews, analyze policy documents, and contribute to reports and publications.

• Taking initiative: you will contribute to substantive knowledge sessions and networking events to put Berenschot's water cluster on the map.

Berenschot is an independent and autonomous Dutch organizational consultancy firm in Utrecht, where more than 500 driven colleagues work on sustainable solutions for the challenges of our clients. We contribute to progress in organizations and society with our advice and solutions. Our organization has a flat structure without partners, which gives you influence over the projects you execute. We always strive for surprising and innovative solutions, which makes us unique. With an open and informal culture, collaboration between different disciplines, and plenty of freedom and responsibility from day one, you get the chance to discover what is important to you, where your strength lies, and what you want to develop in.

You will be part of the Sustainable Living Environment team; a group of 22 passionate advisors with specializations in spatial planning, urban planning, and public administration. This team is part of the Energy and Living Environment advisory group, in which seventy advisors work together on various issues in the physical living environment. You will work in varying project teams to staff every assignment optimally, whereby we include not only the substantive issue but also governance, organizational design, change challenges, and regional cooperation in our advice.

You are a curious and analytically strong student who knows how to connect social issues with research and practice.

Additionally:

• you are pursuing a master's degree in the direction of urban planning, water management, environmental sciences, or a similar field of study

• you have an affinity with issues surrounding water, climate adaptation, spatial planning, or public cooperation

• you possess strong analytical and communicative skills

• you work independently, but actively seek out collaboration

• you have a good command of the Dutch language, both orally and in writing

To be able to do an internship at Berenschot, you must be enrolled at a university educational institution throughout the entire internship period. Students from Wageningen University & Research, University of Groningen, University of Amsterdam, TU Delft, and Radboud University are explicitly invited to apply.

• A challenging research internship for 5 to 6 months.

• A market-conform internship allowance of € 600,- per month (on a full-time basis).

• Intensive guidance by experienced advisors and substantive experts.

• The possibility to make a direct contribution to current social challenges.

• A valuable professional network within ministries, provinces, water boards, and knowledge institutions.

• An internship in which research and practice are closely connected.

• The chance to gain experience in a dynamic advisory environment and further develop yourself as a researcher and advisor.

In addition to your internship, you can participate in Berenschot's internship plus program: a training program of approximately 3.5 months that offers training in the areas of advisory knowledge, skills, and personal development. This requires an average of one half-day every two weeks. You can read more about the program via this link. Everything about our internship plus program | Berenschot

Does this internship appeal to you? Don't wait any longer and apply! Contact Oumnia Makrani via WhatsApp (06 13 33 87 70) or by email (o.makrani@berenschot.nl) for information about the procedure. Oumnia is available on Fridays. Do you have an urgent question? Then email recruitment@berenschot.nl.

In your motivation, please do not forget to mention for which period you are looking for an internship and how many hours per week you are available. This allows us to assess your application as effectively as possible.

After your application, you will receive a response within one working week. If there is a positive first impression, we will invite you for an introduction with fellow consultants and your future manager. If that aligns well, you will receive a concrete offer.