You will be embedded fully in the Plant Ecophysiology group, and will have two core tasks: managing the Utrecht University Plant Growth facility (phytotron), and organizing some of the lab procedures in the Plant Ecophysiology lab. We are looking for a technician with very strong communication and organisation skills and an open mind to flexible solutions. Ideally, you have proven affinity with both physiological-molecular lab work with plants and technical equipment. You will coordinate between scientists at the lab bench, supervisors and external parties. In addition to creating set-ups and maintaining equipment, you will manage certain workflows in the lab. We distinguish the following tasks:

• daily maintenance and management of a large Plant Growth facility (growth chambers, growth cabinets, greenhouses);
• leading the user committee of the Plant Growth facility;
• interaction with internal and external technicians involved in the maintenance of the Plant Growth facility;
• maintenance and ordering of materials required for the Plant Growth facility;
• maintenance of equipment used in the Plant Ecophysiology research unit;
• ordering of equipment, chemicals and materials for the Plant Ecophysiology research unit;
• a diversity of management tasks for the Plant Ecophysiology research unit;
• assisting during experiments.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Lab Manager:

• with a hbo education or higher;
• with some years of experience with lab management;
• with knowledge of or strong affinity with technical equipment and set-ups;
• with knowledge or affinity with plant growth protocols and plant diseases;
• with excellent communication skills and a very good ability to communicate in English;
• with an independent work attitude and strong time management skills.

We offer a variegated function in a dynamic university environment. It starts with an appointment for 1 year and upon good evaluation a permanent contract is possible within the Department of Biology. Salary ranges between €2,161 and €3,292 (scale 7/8 Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment.

Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is available at: working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Science consists of six Departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Faculty is home to 5,600 students and nearly 1,500 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The Faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society. Read the overall impression 2016 of the Faculty of Science.

The Plant Ecophysiology group is a dynamic, ambitious team of international researchers. We study how plants respond to environmental stresses, such as flooding and shading, at the physiological and molecular level. We approach our research questions through a very wide palette of techniques and are therefore looking for a technician with a very broad interest in analytical equipment and experiments. The group currently has 4 permanent scientific staff members, 3 technicians and 15 temporary scientific staff.

The Plant Growth facility supports the plant science-oriented research groups, mostly within the Institute of Environmental Biology.