Are you an experienced researcher who will deepen understandings about sustainable food systems and support public policy makers, sustainable businesses and impact investors on how to contribute to sustainable food system transitions, notably in low- and medium income countries?

We are looking for a colleague with a market- and customer-oriented attitude and a great affinity for applied scientific research. Experience in conducting research projects on food system transitions, including enhancing food- and nutrition security, improving access to healthy diets and advancing the inclusion of women and youth is a must. You should have the capability and the ambition to identify, formulate, execute and lead projects in that field. Your most important activities in doing so will be:

• identifying and designing - with international partners and customers - relevant applied research projects that have the potential to generate positive impacts for society;
• conducting research activities, including qualitative and quantitative applied research, on various challenges of food systems (such as equal benefits, gender, access to healthy diets, environmental sustainability and climate resilience);
• working in project teams that vary in size and complexity. These may vary from a few colleagues at Wageningen Economic Research to larger, international teams consisting of researchers from different disciplines, science groups and international organisations;
• maintaining regular contact with your clients and partners, whereby you proactively take into account their expectations and needs. Clients and partners include the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and LNV, CGIAR, the European Commission (incl. H2020), internationally operating businesses aspiring to impact on SDGs and international organisations;
• fund raising and acquisition of new research projects, including from your active network in food systems research as well as actively contributing to knowledge development and method/product innovation.

We have seven expertise groups at Wageningen Economic Research. You will be working in the expertise group International Policy. The expertise group is committed to contributing to a more sustainable world by doing applied socio-economic research for food business, governments and NGOs. The group is specialised in conducting impact research on commodity value chains.

To strengthen our team, we ask you to have:

• completed a university degree programme in agricultural, business or environmental economics, animal or plant sciences with a strong focus on economics, plus eight to ten years of research experience (including PhD research and experience with leading international project teams);
• experience in conducting and leading applied food system research with international partners, notably with CGIAR institutes in related programs;
• highly developed analytical skills and knowledge of mixed method - qualitative and quantitative research methods, particularly food system analysis, multi-stakeholder analysis and political economy analysis;
• a client-driven interest in applying food system and economic research in public and private domains;
• an interest in and ability to network in research, government, business and civil society communities;
• the ability and experience to work as a team-player in international, multidisciplinary teams in complex project environments;
• insight into the domain and the entrepreneurial capacity to transform innovative ideas into concrete projects and products;
• the capacity to communicate and collaborate engagingly, as well as spoken and written communication skills in Dutch and English; mastering French is considered an advantage;
• experience in publishing research results in reports, media and peer-reviewed journals.

We offer you a meaningful job with, depending on your experience, a competitive salary from a minimum of €3.829,- to a maximum of €5.748,- for a full working week of 36 hours in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for the Wageningen Research (scale 12). In addition, an employment contract of 0.8 FTE is negotiable.
In addition, we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance;
• a structural end-of-year bonus of 3%;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary employment conditions;
• flexible working hours and holidays can possibly be determined in consultation so that an optimal balance between work and private life is possible;
• excellent pension plan through ABP;
• 171 vacation hours, the possibility to purchase extra and good supplementary leave schemes;
• the possibility to work a maximum of 40 hours per week and in this way build up a maximum of 204 compensation hours per year;
• a flexible model to put together part of your employment conditions yourself, such as a bicycle plan.

The location is in consultation and can be both, Wageningen and The Hague.
Wageningen University & Research stimulates internal career opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for own initiative in a learning environment.
We offer a versatile job in an international environment with varied activities in a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of our University is to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With approximately 30 locations, 5,000 employees, and 10,000 students, it is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen.

Equal opportunities employer
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

Wageningen Economic Research is an independent and internationally leading socio-economic research institute. We offer governments and companies innovative (socio)economic insights and integral advice for sound policies and better decision-making. We have been an expert in the field of sustainable agriculture & food, healthy nutrition, lifestyle and the living environment for over 75 years, and are known as a knowledge institute that provides insight into the capacity of our planet on the one hand, and human actions on the other. For this we make use of and develop, among others, policy analysis, future studies, chain and consumer research, evaluations and monitoring systems, based upon our data, models and knowledge.

Within Wageningen UR and together with the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) and the University's Department of Social Sciences (DMW), Wageningen Economic Research is part of the Social Sciences Group. DMW, Wageningen Economic Research and WCDI comprise the entire knowledge chain of fundamental scientific research (DMW), applied scientific research (Wageningen Economic Research) and consultancy and capacity building (WCDI).

www.wur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/Economic-Research.htm