Programme Assistant

Do you enjoy organizing, bringing structure, and being in contact with people? Are you eager to contribute to change? Do you like to learn more about the organization within WUR? Then this position might be for you!

Wageningen Academy is looking for support with the implementation of a programme to Accelerate Continuing Education (“CE”). This programme assistant position is required for approximately 2 days a week until November 2026.

WUR has been providing trainings for professionals for years, so we are not starting from scratch. With the programme "Accelerating Continuing Education," we work on realizing our ambitions in making a breakthrough from focused, small-scale CE activities to organization-wide adaptation of CE as a core activity, by making our CE services scalable and future-proof and by ensuring our programmes support professionals in societal transitions. To do this, Wageningen Academy works closely with all Science Departments. This position offers the opportunity to meet many different people within WUR.

As a programme assistant, you will provide support with:

• Organizing interviews and appointments for the programme team
• Preparing meetings, taking minutes, and ensuring that actions are followed up
• Setting up and maintaining a logical structure for all programme documents
• Initiating workflows, time tracking, financial processing, expense declarations, and planning in administrative systems
• Keeping track of important deadlines and milestones for the team, ensuring nothing is overlooked
• Organizing workshops, retreats, and other events
• Building connections within the organization
• Supporting communication activities

If you are skilled in communication, have an eye for detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to effectively juggle multiple tasks, this role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the success of our team. Apply now and become part of a pleasant work environment with a large societal impact.

Your Team
You will work closely with the management team for Accelerating Continuing Education at Wageningen Academy, which consists of Geurt Heimensen (Manager Wageningen Academy), Lisanne Teunissen (Team Leader Support Services), and Annemieke van Barneveld (Manager CE Partnerships). In this role, you will also frequently come into contact with the nine sub-project leaders within the programme.

• Strong communication skills, collaborative attitude and representativeness
• Accurate, proactive, and organizationally sensitive
• Proficient with digital tools for managing agendas, meetings, and taking minutes
• Able to create visuals and contribute to designing templates/covers for (PowerPoint) presentations
• Good command of the Dutch language

In our international work environment, communication in English is frequent. For this position, the required language level is A2. If you don't yet have this level, we will, of course, help you, and you can take advantage of our language center, Wageningen in’to Language.

You will see that there are plenty of challenges ahead for you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So, even if you don't yet have the track record requested in the job description, but you do have solid work experience, we would still invite you to apply.

Where You Will Work
Wageningen Academy develops and organizes trainings and courses for professionals from the business world, education, research, and the public sector. "Continuing Education" is a core activity within WUR. The courses and trainings organized by Wageningen Academy are based on the latest knowledge and expertise from WUR research.

The programs we develop align with the investment themes of Wageningen University & Research. Each program is unique and offers professionals a link between research and their own field of work. We pay a great deal of attention to choosing the most appropriate form of education. An integrated approach is central to this, in which we collaborate with experts from education, research, and practice.

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 € 2.899,- and € 3.809,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 7). The position is for 15.2 to 22.8 hours per week. We offer you a temporary contract until November 2026.

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.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’.

We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society.

With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

For more information about the position, please contact Annemieke van Barnveld-Biesma, programma manager Accelerating Continuing Education via annemieke.vanbarneveld-biesma@wur.nl of 06 275 23 990.

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with met Edvard Jongschaap, Sr. Corporate recruiter, via edvard.jongschaap@wur.nl. Or by phone: 0317 - 489 178

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. You can apply up to and including Monday the 21st of April 2025. The first interviews are scheduled as soon as possible after closing date.

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.