Are you an organizational talent with an interest in animal health and welfare? Do you like working with financial and technical data and do you think good management is vital for the success of any project? Then this position of Project Office Manager suits you perfectly!

In this role you will be able to develop your project management skills to the next level. As Project Office Manager you will organize the technical and administrative support of one or more large international projects. You will be (1) the central contact person for the partners in the project, (2) organize and (if necessary) chair meetings, (3) coordinate the production and submission of financial and technical reports to the European Commission, and (4) occasionally represent the project consortium, should the coordinator be unable to do so.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• swupport the internal management of the project in a highly pro-active manner, so that the project goals are achieved within the agreed frameworks (quality, budget, time). This involves regular (at least weekly) meetings with the project coordinator;
• initiate meeting agenda’s, produce minutes and monitor the follow-up of action points of the project’s Core Team;
• guide the process of periodic technical and financial reporting to the European Commission, in liaison with project partners, the project coordinator(s) and WUR legal and financial officers;
• organise events to support project internal communication, or the dissemination of results outside the project consortium. These events can either be held in The Netherlands, or abroad in collaboration with local organisers;
• organise and manage a digital document and data repository for partners of the consortium;
• implement and monitor the internal Quality Assurance procedures.

Team
You will be working in the Department Animal Health and Welfare which is an enthusiastic team of about 45 employees working on innovation, research and knowledge exchange. Many research challenges have an interdisciplinary character and concern major themes like reduction of antibiotic usages, one health, animal welfare, transport, responsible livestock farming and animal health. The department works on welfare and health of cattle, swine, poultry and fish, and on smart livestock farming with sensor technology and big data analyses.

You are a result-oriented and enthusiastic organizer with a strong affiliation to animal welfare science.

You possess:

• a master degree in animal welfare, veterinary medicine or related field;
• a pro-active, enthusiastic and self-motivated attitude;
• relevant experience with project digital accounting systems and/or financial automation processes;
• the ability to provide project management in a motivating and coaching manner, and you can work well with different personalities;
• a customer and results-oriented attitude, you are enterprising and do your work accurately;
• excellent social and communication skills and a very good command of English (at least C1);

Don’t meet every single requirement? At WUR we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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;
• 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 €3.088,- and €5.035,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. You will initially receive a one-year contract, which will be extended 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.

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.