Program Developer Climate Resilient Cities

As Program Developer Climate Resilient Cities (CRC) you will jointly shape and implement the strategic research and innovation programme on urban climate adaptation at AMS Institute. Together with fellow Program Developers, Project Managers, Research Fellows and Principal Investigators, you work on the development and execution of the CRC programme and contribute to the broader Research & Innovation portfolio of AMS Institute.

The Climate Resilient Cities programme focuses on strengthening the adaptive capacity and resilience of Amsterdam’s urban system in the face of climate change. We work on improving the understanding of urban weather and climate, on greening strategies that contribute both to climate adaptation and urban biodiversity, and on the role of water and the subsurface in the city. Our work results in concrete solutions that directly contribute to a future-proof, inclusive and liveable city. We collaborate closely with asset managers and other stakeholders across different city districts.

In practice, we observe that the main bottleneck for accelerating climate adaptation is not a lack of technical or nature-based solutions, but rather a need for innovation in governance and financial-economic arrangements. A key question in the programme therefore is: how do we turn climate-adaptive solutions into the new normal for cities?

Together with your fellow Program Developers, you are responsible for the vision and strategic direction of the programme. You develop and coordinate a broad portfolio of research and innovation projects and connect the CRC programme with the other AMS Institute programmes.

Your duties and responsibilities include
As Program Developer Climate Resilient Cities, you will:

• Co-create the strategic research and innovation agenda on urban climate adaptation together with public, private and academic stakeholders;
• Maintain and further expand the partner network and ecosystem active in climate adaptation;
• Develop and coordinate a diverse portfolio of research and innovation projects, safeguarding synergy and coherence within the programme;
• Acquire and manage funding for projects, for example through companies, public authorities and research and innovation funding schemes such as NWO, RVO and Horizon Europe;
• Translate and valorise project results into usable product or process innovations that can be applied or commercialised by public or private parties;
• Actively contribute to the further development and international positioning of AMS Institute as a leading institute in urban innovation.

Your team
You will be part of the Research & Innovation team at AMS Institute and work closely with Programme Developers, Project Managers, researchers and municipal colleagues. To bridge scientific research and urban practice, you will maintain intensive contact within a broad triple-helix network of municipalities, partner universities (Wageningen University & Research and TU Delft), other knowledge institutions and innovative companies.

You will also collaborate closely with students from the MSc programme Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering (MADE) at AMS Institute.

Connection with Wageningen University & Research
While being seconded to AMS Institute, you remain firmly connected to Wageningen University & Research. This combination offers the best of both worlds: close engagement with urban practice in Amsterdam, and a strong home in applied scientific research.

You are a connector with a strong drive to create positive and lasting impact on urban development in Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region. You are comfortable working across disciplinary, organisational and political boundaries, and you are able to translate complex research insights into actionable strategies.

You have knowledge and professional experience in urban climate adaptation (such as heat stress, flooding, greening or drought). In particular, you bring insight into successful implementation of measures and into their governance and/or financial-economic embedding. You are motivated to strengthen the impact of research by improving the effectiveness of public organisations.

You think in opportunities, adapt quickly to new developments and are able to work outside your own comfort zone. You are sensitive to political and institutional contexts and capable of bringing together parties with diverse interests and perspectives.

You also possess

• An academic level of thinking and working, with 5–10 years of experience in R&D or a knowledge-intensive environment (such as a university, research institute, or an innovation or advisory department of a company or public authority);
• Demonstrated experience with governance innovation, preferably related to climate change, and the ability to think integrally across different sustainability transitions; an active network in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region is an advantage;
• At least 5 years of experience in developing, initiating and managing R&D and innovation projects and/or programmes;
• Experience with acquiring or managing research and innovation projects within frameworks such as Horizon Europe, NWO or RVO;
• Proven ability to work in complex multi-stakeholder collaborations and to connect organisations across institutional boundaries;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Dutch and English.

Do you not meet all qualifications but recognise yourself strongly in this profile? We warmly invite you to apply.

You will work here
Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) is the joint research institute of Wageningen University & Research, TU Delft and MIT. In close collaboration with the City of Amsterdam, we develop solutions for urgent urban challenges through scientific research and innovation, education and entrepreneurship.

Our team consists of engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, programme developers and municipal professionals. Together, we bridge the gap between science and society with an open and impact-driven mindset.

AMS Institute is located at the vibrant Marineterrein in Amsterdam, where we apply a living lab approach to test and implement innovations in a real urban context. The Marineterrein community also offers plenty of opportunities to connect informally – including the occasional swim in the inner harbour.

You will be formally employed by Wageningen University & Research and seconded to AMS Institute. You will be embedded within Wageningen Social & Economic Research (WSER) and are expected to work on average one day per week in one of WSERs locations in Wageningen or The Hague, ensuring a strong connection to academic research and the wider WUR network

An appointment at Wageningen University & Research with secondment to AMS Institute for 32–36 hours per week. The intention is a longer-term collaboration; after one year the appointment will be evaluated.

You will receive a competitive salary depending on experience, within scale 11 - 12 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Wageningen Research (full-time gross salary range approx. €4.045 – €7.068,-). In addition, Wageningen University & Research offers excellent secondary employment conditions, including:

• Flexible working hours to support a healthy work–life balance;
• Sabbatical leave, study leave and partially paid parental leave;
• Strong attention to vitality and access to campus sports facilities at a reduced rate;
• A structural year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• An excellent pension scheme through ABP;
• An NS business card for commuting by public transport.

You will work in an international, open and inspiring environment at one of the most innovative universities 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.