Facility (Location) Manager

Do you want to make impact in a complex organisation?
Do you get energy from taking the lead, balancing different interests and continuously improving services? Are you ready for the next step in your career, where you can influence facility policy and service levels? Then this role at the Facilities Department of Wageningen University & Research might be just right for you.

What will you do?
As a Facility Manager, you are responsible for directing and coordinating facility services within one or more large and dynamic buildings, some of which include research laboratories. You ensure that staff, researchers and students can rely on a well-functioning, professional and future-proof working and/or study environment.

You act as the connecting link between users, internal specialists and external suppliers. You manage quality, costs and agreements from a functional perspective, maintain oversight and ensure continuous improvement of services.

Your role in practice

• You act as a sparring partner and advisor for the client at your location.
• You manage the performance of suppliers and internal parties based on SLAs and agreed arrangements.
• You translate requests and developments into clear assignments and improvement initiatives.
• You monitor budgets and progress and report accordingly.
• You coordinate collaboration in housing and technical changes, working within a multidisciplinary network of facility colleagues, technical building managers, project managers, real estate management and external suppliers.
• You identify trends and translate them into future-oriented facility solutions.
• You are responsible for stakeholder management at your location (including the Director of Operations, professors, business unit managers and lab managers).

We are looking for two new colleagues for location management within two different organisational units.

You are an experienced facility professional who enjoys taking the lead in a complex environment. You combine strong analytical skills with decisiveness and know how to engage people without relying on formal authority.

You bring:

• A relevant Bachelor’s+ or Master’s level qualification;
• At least 5 years of experience in facility services, preferably in a coordinating or tactical role;
• Experience with project-based working and stakeholder management;
• Strong analytical and strategic skills, combined with sufficiënt practical skills to get things moving;
• The ability to set priorities and maintain overview in a dynamic environment;
• Good command of both Dutch and English.

What makes this position attractive?

• A high level of autonomy and influence within your location;
• A clear coordinating role with ample room for improvement and development;
• Working in a socially relevant organisation with international impact;
• A role that is substantively complex, where you can truly make a difference;
• Opportunities to further develop towards senior coordinating, policy or real estate roles.

When it comes to employment conditions, Wageningen University & Research has a lot to offer. Highlights from our collective labour agreement include:

• Working hours that can be agreed upon in consultation, enabling a healthy work–life balance;
• Sabbatical leave, study leave and partially paid parental leave;
• Strong focus on vitality, with access to on-campus sports facilities at an attractive rate;
• A structural end-of-year bonus of 8.3%;
• An excellent pension scheme via ABP.

Alongside these strong secondary benefits, we of course offer a competitive salary. Depending on your experience, the salary ranges from a minimum of €3,482 to a maximum of €6,228 gross per month for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CAO Wageningen Research (salary scale 10–11). For this role, a contract of 24–36 hours per week is negotiable.

Initially, we offer a one-year contract, which may be extended—subject to organisational and financial circumstances—if performance is satisfactory. Naturally, we are happy to discuss any questions you may have about this.

Wageningen University & Research offers ample opportunities for growth and development, supported by a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training opportunities.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, within an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the “best university” in the Netherlands—something to be proud of.

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.

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.