Strategic Policy Advisor

The Corporate Strategy & Accounts (CSA) division combines the knowledge and expertise to develop the WUR-wide strategy and its translation into policy for education and research, nationally and internationally. Within the division, knowledge of strategy and policy is linked with knowledge about international developments and partners. We actively follow the external developments in these domains ("continuous context analysis") and translate them into recommendations on changes in course, new policy, partner selection, and setting and influencing the agenda for the Executive Board, sciences groups, and staff departments. CSA also coordinates key WUR-wide strategic initiatives, such as drafting and monitoring the implementation of the Strategic Plan and developing internationalisation policies. Furthermore, CSA is responsible for the WUR-wide relationship management with leading national and international partners.

Job description
CSA is looking for a highly adaptable senior strategic policy advisor. This is a versatile position in which you will come into contact with a variety of themes in the area of strategy and policy development. You will be responsible for the coordination of institution-wide initiatives by the Executive Board and the Management Board . In terms of content, they will mostly be projects of a complex, strategic level and a multidisciplinary character across the domains of education, research, valorisation, and operational management.
You will be advising the Executive Board on current issues in the field of the broad institutional strategy as requested and at your own initiative. Your duties will include following and analysing new national and international developments in the field of university education and research, leading - mostly multidisciplinary - project groups, and representing WUR with respect to our relations in the education and research domain such as the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and organisations like UNL and 4TU. You will report to the director of Corporate Strategy & Accounts.

We are looking for an experienced professional who

• has completed a university education;
• has several years of relevant work experience in strategy and policy development in a complex administrative organisation. Experience in higher education and research is a plus;
• has experience in leading complex multidisciplinary projects;
• is analytically strong and able to make connections quickly on the basis of complex information and can therefore think strategically, but also sets to work to ensure matters are addressed and completed;
• who can operate in an administratively complex organisational context with drive, flexibility, resilience, and perseverance - in short, a flexible, incisive, positive personality with whom people enjoy working and communicating;
• is focused on collaboration, broadly skilled, and persuasive;
• has a good sense for political and governing relationships;
• has good oral and written communication skills (Dutch and English).

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• 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 competitive gross salary of between €4.814,- and €6.181,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 12). Additionally, a contract for 0,8 FTE can be discussed. You will receive a contract of employment for one year with the prospect of an indefinite employment contract based on good performance and full job performance.

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. 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.

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.