Are you an enthusiastic researcher with strong analytical skills and knowledge of soils, soil fertility and soil management? Are you passionate about improving soil management in Africa? Perhaps this position can be the job for you!

In this ambitious role you will contribute to the development of information products that support decision making in sustainable land management.

To strengthen our team, we are hiring a Senior Soil Scientist. We are looking for an ambitious colleague because of the increasing demand for our products and services. You will contribute to the development and implementation of methods and tools to provide advice for sustainable land management based on digital soil information. Your initial focus will be on high impact projects that develop spatial information products for various countries in Africa in support of soil fertility management. You will work in a team of specialists that develops soil maps, applies crop growth- and soil chemistry models, and serves resulting information products to a wide range of users. We expect the focus to broaden to land suitability assessment, land use planning and soil and water conservation. These projects (see for example the LSC-IS project or the Soils4Africa project) are funded by different institutions and companies, such as the European Commission, international donors and companies.

Because of the highly inter-disciplinary nature of the projects, effective interpersonal skills are required, and you should have a good international network. Do you want to have impact? This job offers possibilities to apply scientific knowledge in development projects.

The most important tasks in this role are:

• Contribute to the development of scientifically sound approaches to develop spatial information products for soil fertility management, such as nutrient gap maps at (sub) national level.
• Work with specialists from partner institutions in the field of soil fertility and soil and water conservation to derive relevant information products using digital soil maps.
• Lead the integration of models such as QUEFTS, WOFOST, and DSSAT in spatial decision support tools.
• Roll out the developed products in Africa by providing training and capacity building to co-developers and users
• Publish scientific publications and present in international fora and conferences.
• Contribute to acquisition and proposal writing.

• Academic degree (MSc or PhD) in soil science or environmental science with a strong focus on soil science.
• Substantial working experience in sustainable soil management with proven field experience in Africa, Asia or Latin America.
• Solid working knowledge of GIS and remote sensing, and affinity with developing spatial information products.
• Knowledge of the role of soils in sustainable intensification of agriculture as well as an understanding of main drivers of change
• Experience with quantitative modeling (soil fertility models, crop production) and / or probabilistic modelling
• Proven training and capacity building skills
• Have an analytical mindset
• Excellent knowledge of the English language (C1 level). Good knowledge of the French language (or the willingness to improve basic knowledge of French) is an asset.

ISRIC staff is employed by Wageningen University according to the Collective Labour Agreement. This agreement offers excellent terms of employment, such as:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave
• 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 / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week
• 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 8.3%
• excellent pension scheme

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a gross monthly salary of between € 3.974,- and € 6.181,- based on a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 11-12). 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 unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the "Best University" in the Netherlands for the 17th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
ISRIC and Wageningen University & Research have 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 housing, schooling, and other issues. Furthermore, WUR offers a dual career program for groups of partners and has a specialized organization that will assist your partner to find a job or start a business in the Netherlands.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & 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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR's Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues 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.