Head of Quality & Strategic Information - ESA

Do you get energized by strategically steering educational quality? Do you have a vision for (the future of) educational logistics? And would you like to contribute to the quality and future-proofing of education at Wageningen University & Research? We are looking for a connecting Head for our Quality & Strategic Information (QSI) department.

Within Wageningen University, Education & Student Affairs (ESA) is the central department in the field of education. ESA matches supply and demand in education, is responsible for quality assurance, and develops and implements educational policy. In addition to accredited degree programs, the department develops online education and education for professionals. ESA provides services to (prospective) students and lecturers at WU and supports the execution of education. ESA is headed by the Dean of Education.

The Quality & Strategic Information (QSI) department within ESA (approx. 20 FTE) is responsible for collecting, managing, and analyzing information to support quality assurance, strategy development and decision-making. Broadly, the department’s work is divided into two core tasks: (1) Quality Assurance & Student Forecasts and (2) Educational Logistics (management of the financial education database, timetabling, and functional management of the student administration system).

The Education & Modification Cycle (the EMC) is the common thread in this work. The EMC connects the various tasks within QSI and ensures intensive contact with lecturers and other education professionals at WUR.
Additionally, support for the examination boards (administrative) also falls under this department as a separate team.

As Head of Quality & Strategic Information (QSI)

• You hold integral responsibility for the overall functioning of this broad department, including team development and creating a pleasant and safe working environment, and you are an active member of the ESA management team.
• You connect people and ideas through active collaboration within the department and beyond—with program directors, lecturers, and ESA units such as the Student Service Centre and the Policy section—and you represent WUR in national consultations on strategic (data) themes.
• Together with the team, you develop a vision on data-driven working and on quality assurance within WUR education, supporting WUR’s education policy and strategy. From this vision, you direct the effective use of educational data: from collection and management to analysis and translation into usable strategic information for advising and supporting policy and decision-making for the Executive Board, the Board of Education, the ESA MT, programs, and other stakeholders.
• You ensure, together with your team and from a shared vision, the coordination and continuous improvement of educational logistics processes, such as timetabling, study guide production, and management of student information systems.

You remain up to date with developments in legislation and regulations, technology, and (international) trends that may impact the department’s processes. You enjoy translating these developments—together with your staff—into improvements in WUR’s educational logistics.

• An academic level of working and thinking.
• Excellent communication and connecting skills: you know how to bring people, departments, and external partners together.
• Experience in a leadership role, preferably in higher education.
• Demonstrable experience with data analysis and preparing financial reports and forecasts.
• Strong strategic and analytical ability: you can connect data and processes with policy and strategy.
• Affinity with finance, quality assurance, and information management in an educational context, and a sharp eye for the integrality of these processes.
• Vision, result orientation, and proactivity.
• Good to excellent command of the Dutch language, both spoken and written.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C2.

CAO WU
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 € 6.512 and € 7.904 for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 13 ). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed

As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract with the intention to convert it into a permanent contract. 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’.

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.