Team Manager Water and Food Security

We are looking for

Are you an enterprising and connecting team manager who wants to work on the most important themes, such as water and food security, and climate change? Are you able to continue to grow our team and further increase its impact nationally and internationally? Be sure to read on!

The Water & Food Team (W&F) develops innovations and strategies to address the challenges of water and food security worldwide. We provide core expertise to help governments, businesses, and NGOs with solutions in smart water management, freshwater ecology, water- and nutrient-efficient food-production systems, optimizing water resources, water conservation methods, and evaluating security risks related to water and food to contribute to regional political stability.

As a team manager you will understand the topic and be externally visible. You will have strong acquisition power, and you and your team will contribute to the strategy of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG), especially the Sustainable Land Use and Sustainable Water Management programs. As a team manager you will focus on the sustainable employability of the employees in the team, the scientific quality and relevance of our research, and the financial results of the team. You will promote the collaboration of researchers within the team, and you will be focused on collaboration with project leaders, other teams, relevant chair groups of Wageningen University and other groups (national and international).

Over the years to come, the W&F team will focus on supplying high-quality products together and further expanding the portfolio on the national and international level within the strategic themes (“Water & nutrient security for food production”, “Water & food in urbanising Deltas”, and “Ecology of inland waters”). Furthermore, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, the further development of personal leadership, working on an optimal and future-proof mix of assignments and clients, strengthening the scientific knowledge base, and expanding the team in a balanced way with new colleagues on strategic themes and disciplines are also important points of attention. The team currently consists of 28 people.

We ask

• An inspiring connector with a coaching style of leadership who can connect people and ideas, based on a thorough understanding of the Water & Food domain;
• Has the ability to translate the ESG strategy into specific team goals and is able to motivate and support people in achieving these goals;
• Experience in team- and strategy building with experts from various disciplines;
• Someone with a  talent for strategically responding to developments within the professional field and the market, both nationally and internationally;
• Experience in acquisition and its management;
• Someone with a good understanding of potential (inter)national clients within these themes. Having a strong network with clients in this domain is an advantage;
• Academically trained and with thorough knowledge of a field relevant to this team (e.g. land and water management, aquatic ecology and water quality management, environmental sciences);
• Able to communicate in Dutch, or the willingness and ability to learn Dutch in a few months through an intensive program;
• Possessing at least five years of relevant experience in managing professionals and extensive research projects.

We offer

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 4%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between €4.465,- and €6.710,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 13). Additionally, a contract for 0,8 FTE can be discussed.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a multi-faceted position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Bram de Vos, general manager ESG, bram.devos@wur.nl 

For more information about the procedure, please contact Edgar Tijhuis, corporate recruiter, edgar.tijhuis@wur.nl

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including January 10th 2022. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on the morning of January 17th 2022.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page.

We are

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University and Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With its roughly 30 branches, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR) is the research institute for our green living environment. WENR offers a combination of applied and academic research in a multitude of fields of expertise related to our living environment and its sustainable use, including water, nature, forest, environment, soil, landscape, climate, land use, and recreation. There is a clear focus on the applicability of this knowledge in practice. There are a total of 11 WENR research teams.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleaugues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Information

• Location: Netherlands

Industry experience

Education: Masters

Seniority: Manager, Director, Professor

Taxonomy

• Sustainability
• Sustainability
• Sustainability