Do you want to contribute to strengthening the number one position of the Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture & Flower Bulbs as an international leader in the field of sustainable greenhouse production? Do you want to empower people? Here is your chance!

As leader of one of the research teams at the business unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs, the world's leading research institution in the field of sustainable greenhouse horticulture, you have a position in a dynamic, international environment at the interface between science and application. You are responsible for developing and strengthening the newly formed Greenhouse Automation & Robotics team based in Wageningen. The team consists of 15 people and is one of the 6 teams of the business unit (BU).

The Greenhouse Automation & Robotics team was recently created by splitting the team Greenhouse Technology due to strong expansion in recent years. As a team leader you are primarily responsible for the optimal functioning of the team, the strategy and vision of the team, social team building and further expanding and strengthening the team in its area of expertise: robotics, image processing and automation. You ensure that your employees can do their job well in a pleasant and safe working environment and you facilitate personal development of team members, their well-being and the development of the entire team. You are also responsible for the scientific quality and track record of the team, you are yourself active in an area of expertise relevant to the team and the BU. You act as a point of contact for the research field within the BU.

You are responsible for the acquisition, turnover and financial result of the team. To this end, you maintain intensive contacts with clients from both the government and the business community and you coach the project leaders in the implementation of project management and the setting up of large (including PPP) research projects.

Multidisciplinary collaboration is the strength of our business unit. You will actively seek cooperation with other teams in the business unit and in the wider WUR organisation.

You report directly to the BU manager and are part of the management team of the business unit. In this role you contribute to the long-term strategy of the BU, the strategic personnel planning and its translation into the strategy of the research team.

• Team player with vision, courage, entrepreneurship, good social skills and team-oriented management qualities with an eye for the individual needs and motivations of the team members, but also for the interests of the team as a whole and the organization.
• Demonstrated experience in managing research professionals.
• Scientific background in a field relevant to the research scope (robotics, image processing, spectral image analysis and automation) and knowledge of the greenhouse horticulture sector.
• Demonstrable experience with national and international acquisition and project management.
• A broad (inter)national network that is relevant to the research area of the team
• Well-developed ability and experience to deal with commercial parties from a research organization and to set up new bilateral and cooperative research projects.
• Fluent in Dutch and English language.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center Wageningen in'to Language.

Your Qualities
For this role we are looking for a person with the following competences: coaching, situational and binding leadership, entrepreneurship, persuasiveness, organizational sensitivity and planning & organizing.

You also have:

• MSc or PhD in a relevant research field
• At least 5 years of work experience in a research organization

You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So if you do not yet have the track-record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply.

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 € 4.149,- and € 6.978,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 12 or 13). You will initially receive a one-year contract, which will be extended to an open-ended contract upon in mutual enthusiasm.

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.

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 18th consecutive time.

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.
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. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

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!

You will work here
Wageningen University & Research, business unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs, is the leading international contract research institute for the greenhouse horticulture and bulb sector.

Commissioned by and in collaboration with industry, science and government, questions about greenhouse operations and crop cultivation are analyzed and translated into application-oriented research and innovation processes. Our research is strongly focused on making the sector more sustainable by reducing fossil energy and plant protection products and closing material flows. The Business Unit has approximately 160 employees at two locations (Wageningen and Bleiswijk). In addition to the greenhouse facility team, which is responsible for all research facilities, and the management office, we work in six research teams work:

• Crop health
• Root zone dynamics
• Crop management and flower bulbs
• Crop physiology and product quality
• Greenhouse Technology
• Greenhouse Automation & Robotics

The BU has expanded in recent years, and it was recently decided to restructure it ino the above described teams. With this vacancy we are looking for a new team leader for the Greenhouse Automation & Robotics team.
The position described here is based in Wageningen and you are also expected to be regularly present at the other location.


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