Laboratory coordinator and principal technician luminescence dating laboratory

Do you like coordinating a specialized laboratory in a research environment? Are you interested in working with environmental scientists, archaeologists, and geologists? And are you not afraid of working in a darkroom? Then we are looking for you!

As laboratory coordinator and principal technician of the luminescence dating laboratory of Wageningen University and Research, you are responsible for everyday lab functioning, lab safety and efficient lab use. Supervised by the laboratory director, you coordinate the lab activities of technicians, students and researchers. You organize throughput of projects and act as contact point for clients. In addition, you develop lab protocols, maintain and trouble-shoot laboratory equipment, and train students and PhD candidates who make use of the facility. Furthermore, you work as a lab technician: preparing sediment samples for luminescence dating analysis, performing measurements with dedicated instruments, analyzing data with dedicated software packages and the R programming language for statistical computing and visualization. Finally, you contribute to reports for clients and occasionally to scientific papers. All in all, this is a highly diverse and dynamic job with a wide range of responsibilities. Every day is different.

You will work here
At the Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating, we develop and improve luminescence dating & tracing methods and we apply luminescence dating in collaboration with NCL partners and external users. The NCL is hosted by Wageningen University, and closely affiliated with the Soil Geography and Landscape group. The NCL facility is unique for the Netherlands; it consists of two spacious darkroom labs equipped with amber safelights. One lab is dedicated for sample preparation, while the other houses state-of-the-art instrumentation, including five Risoe TL/OSL readers of which two can perform single-grain analyses. Sample handling takes place in these darkrooms, while many of the coordination activities and the analyses of data are performed in an office environment.

You are a pro-active and responsible team player, and thrive in a research environment where flexibility is the norm.

You also possess:

• The skills to coordinate activities and people in a research laboratory;
• A completed education or proven competency as laboratory technician;
• Experience with analyzing and visualizing data, preferably with R or similar tools;
• Several years of relevant work experience, preferably in a research or academic setting;
• Affinity with environmental and/or archaeological research;
• Prior experience with luminescence dating is preferred, but not required.

Given the international working environment, a substantial portion of the communication is in English. For this position, a C1 equivalent level of English proficiency is required. Might you not yet master this level, support is available, on the job or via our language center Wageningen in’to Language. As many of our clients are from the Netherlands, you should also master Dutch or be willing to learn Dutch within a few years.

WUR welcomes applications from international candidates. However, for applicants for this specific position from outside the EU/EFTA zone, immigration restrictions may apply based on Dutch and EU immigration laws. Such candidates may be eligible for an “orientation year” in the Netherlands or a visa as a “knowledge migrant”.

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;
• 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 year-end 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 €3.537 and €4.860 for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 9). This position is in principal for 0.8-0.9 FTE, although other arrangements can be discussed.

We initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. If you come with a partner, we offer a Dual Career group program organized by our Welcome Center. This program helps your partner to get familiar with the Dutch culture, labour market and assists your partner to find a job.

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 coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account 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.

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 the video below 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.

For more information about this position, please contact Jakob Wallinga, director of the Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating, via +31 (0)317 484040 or by e-mail: jakob.wallinga@wur.nl .

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, noorien.abbas@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until Monday March 3, 2025. The first interviews are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday March 12, 2025.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

For more information about this position, please contact Jakob Wallinga, director of the Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating, via +31 (0)317 484040 or by e-mail: jakob.wallinga@wur.nl .

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, noorien.abbas@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until Monday March 3, 2025. The first interviews are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday March 12, 2025.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.