Do you want to use your expertise as a Business Unit Manager and a strategic leader to inspire others? Are you interested in managing teams in scientific and applied research environments and do you have good understanding of political relations? If so, the Greenhouse Horticulture & Flower Bulbs Business Unit at Wageningen Plant Research has the perfect position for you!
The challenges and dynamics of this Greenhouse sector call for a modern leadership approach. As Business Unit Manager, you and your management team and employees are responsible for the substantive profiling of the business unit and its research and business results. You have a clear vision of the field and an eye for current and future developments in the greenhouse horticulture sector, both nationally and internationally. You are capable of honing the choices that the organisation constantly faces with regard to acquisition, research policy, national and international collaboration, and internal operational management. You have commercial insight and are willing to become the face of BU for stakeholders and potential clients and win their loyalty.

You have extensive experience in market development and innovation. You have demonstrable experience in building bridges between policy, the market (private sector) and research. You ensure that the organisation works in a science and fact-based way, with an eye towards its independent position. You maintain a strong relationship with governments, the business community, NGOs and knowledge partners. In doing so, you will regularly engage in dialogue with stakeholders, so that you set a course based on supported decision-making and careful consideration. As Business Unit Manager, you set the course and the responsibilities of your MT and employees.

As a person, you have strong analytic and communicative skills and are committed, flexible and stress-resistant. Your leadership style is collaborative, compassionate, precise and allows you to change course quickly and get people on board. You seek active collaboration within Wageningen Plant Research (other WUR business units and chair groups), WUR and external parties. You encourage your employees to do the same. You are accessible and open to your employees, who perceive you as a collaborative leader who motivates and encourages them from a position of considerate authority, but with a clear goal in mind. You also show ambition and can communicate clearly with all levels of the organisation. You are able to carry out public and private contracts as independent projects while making sure that the expertise obtained from both processes benefits the whole organisation.

You understand the complexity of an organisation that combines practical research and production, and can ensure that things run smoothly. You take initiative and identify opportunities that arise on a regional, national and international level. With the WUR strategy, you collaborate with others to find solutions to the social and economic challenges facing the national and international greenhouse horticulture sector.
You will be part of the Wageningen Plant Research management team. In addition to being capable of operating independently, you are a valuable sparring partner for the board of directors and management team of the Plant Sciences Group. Together, you form a dedicated and amicable team. This also includes developing and maintaining good relationships with other science groups. The working atmosphere at Wageningen University & Research is pleasant, personal and no-nonsense.

The following criteria are important to the success of the Business Unit Manager position:

• Capable of working and thinking at an academic level.
• Five to ten years of experience managing teams in a scientific/research environment and a good understanding of political relations.
• Relevant experience with (applied) research in the field of greenhouse horticulture and flower bulbs. You are familiar with relevant industry themes and know how to connect with stakeholders (representatives of businesses, governments, NGOs and research institutes).
• You have experience working for an organisation with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. The social developments in the fields of food production, energy and climate make this a dynamic and highly relevant position in which change and modern leadership play a crucial role.
• You are resolute, where you carefully weigh your interests, deliberately distance yourself and determine the best course of action in consultation with stakeholders.
• You are accessible to both internal and external contacts. You have an open-door policy, a good and inviting relationship with the organisation and you always know what's going on. You are open to questions and advice.
• You are conceptually strong, creative and perfectly capable of converting strategy and vision into actions and results. You have a hands-on mentality and sharp analytic skills, and you are decisive, transparent and reliable. You give your MT and the organisation the freedom to propose initiatives.
• From your integrated responsibility, you have a clear focus on the internal operational management.
• You are fluent in Dutch and English (or you are willing to learn quickly).

As a future Business Unit Manager, you are prepared to work at both business unit locations and you possess the following skills: the ability to develop a vision, a strong sense of environmental awareness, organisational sensitivity, a collaborative mentality, customer focus, a unifying leadership style and the ability to self-reflect.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent employment conditions. Some highlights from our CLA include:

• 8% holiday allowance
• 4% fixed year-end bonus
• excellent training opportunities and fringe benefits, including a lease car
• flexible working hours and holiday planning for an optimal work-life balance
• excellent ABP pension scheme
• 171 holiday hours, extra buy-in hours and a great supplemental leave scheme
• a flexible work week for a healthy work-life balance
• a choice model to help you choose some of your own employment conditions (e.g. a bicycle scheme)
• a vibrant workplace in Bleiswijk and Wageningen where you can easily make new contacts Wageningen Campus is a dynamic environment where education, research and business are all represented.

In addition to excellent fringe benefits, we also offer a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive minimum salary of € 5,989 (starting scale) to a maximum of € 8.871 for a full 36-hour work week, in accordance with Wageningen Research CLA (scale 16).
This is a permanent position but we offer you a contract for two years at first and evaluate this together.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal growth and mobility through its internal recruitment policy. Our learning environment and training programmes offer ample opportunities to take personal initiative. We guarantee a versatile job 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.

Wageningen University & Research

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 13.000 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.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: WUR is een inclusieve werkgever - WUR

De Plant Sciences Group
(PSG) is een samenwerkingsverband van Wageningen Plant Research en het departement Plantenwetenschappen van Wageningen Universiteit. PSG ondersteunt de maatschappij en het bedrijfsleven bij innovaties op het gebied van de groene productiesystemen voor een duurzame samenleving door kennis te ontwikkelen, over te dragen en tot waarde te brengen in een samenwerking van universitaire en toepassingsgerichte onderzoeksgroepen.

Wageningen University & Research, Business unit Glastuinbouw en Bloembollen is het internationaal toonaangevende contract research instituut voor de glastuinbouw en bloembollen. We richten ons op innovaties in de glastuinbouwsector. In opdracht van en samen met het bedrijfsleven, wetenschap en de overheid worden vragen over bedrijfsvoering en teelt geanalyseerd en vertaald in toepassingsgericht onderzoek en innovatietrajecten.

The Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector plays a valuable role in food production and is of great import to the Dutch economy in terms of both food production and floriculture. The sector is facing considerable challenges in areas such as energy, water, resources and cost-efficient production, but it also offers many opportunities, both nationally and internationally.

The Greenhouse Horticulture & Flower Bulbs Business Unit at Wageningen Plant Research (WPR) contributes to innovation and knowledge development in this dynamic sector on a national and international level. On behalf of private parties and governments, practical innovations are being developed based on independent and scientifically sound methods.

WUR Glastuinbouw heeft ruim 130 medewerkers en vier onderzoekteams op twee locaties (Wageningen en Bleiswijk).The Greenhouse Horticulture & Flower Bulbs Business Unit is located in Wageningen and Bleiswijk. The business unit has approximately 120 employees and a yearly turnover of €18 million.
For more information check our site.

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