Are you an experienced and passionate leader active in the field of sustainable and innovative value chains? Do you have a relevant international network in the agrifood domain? If so, this is an exciting role for you!

About Us:
Wageningen University & Research combines the strengths of Wageningen University and specialised research institutes to find solutions to critical issues in the domains of healthy food and living environment.
The new social sciences research institute is a contract research organisation and is the result of a merger of two existing institutes, Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) and Wageningen Economic Research (WEcR). It is a social and economic research institute that supports sustainable, inclusive and just food and eco systems transformations, contributing to socioeconomic equity and planetary health, around the world. Together with the Wageningen University Department of Social Sciences, it forms the Social Sciences Group (SSG), one of Wageningen University & Research’s five science groups.

Job Description:
As the Institute Manager Sustainable & Innovative Value Chains, you will play a crucial role in steering the institute towards strategic goals. In collaboration with two other Institute Managers, you will lead a globally influential institute, ensuring optimal performance and financial stability. Your responsibilities include developing and implementing the strategy, external representation and achieving results together with the team leaders.

As the Institute Manager Sustainable & Innovative Value Chains, you will be exposed to emergent questions in the food system that relate to the need for safe and just food production and consumption systems. You will focus on building strong international networks and work on the challenges posed by food system transformations in close collaboration with European governments and the private sector. More explicitly, you will focus on the European research environment in relation to national and international developments in retail and the food industry.
Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy development and realisation.
• Inclusive thought leadership and management, with a focus on collaboration and coaching.
• External representation and collaboration to enhance the institute’s visibility.
• Achieving collaborative results and financial stability.
• Research-oriented acquisition and portfolio management in European and international contexts.

A strategic management team (SMT) will manage the institute. The team will consist of the SSG Managing Director, the SSG Director of Operations and three Institute Managers, each with a focus on a specific domain: (1) Global Food System Transformations, (2) Agricultural Policy and Data Management, and (3) Sustainable and Innovative Value Chains.

Your Profile:

• Substantive and relevant leadership experience in a managerial position (50+ FTE).
• Experience with managing a knowledge organisation and collaborating with academic, governmental and industry stakeholders.
• Expert in value chains, preferably in the agrifood domain.
• PhD in socioeconomic or life sciences.
• Relevant international network and active involvement in national and international debates.
• Fluent in both Dutch and English.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic thinking
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership
• Decisiveness
• Effective communication
• Networking
• Entrepreneurship
• Result-oriented

Shape the future of global food systems with us!

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, 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 8.3%;
• 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 € 6.260,- and € 8.880,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 15). You will initially receive a one-year contract, which can be extended to an open-ended contract.

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.

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 for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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.