Food processing technologist

Are you an enthusiastic and entrepreneurial food processing technologist, who contributes to the development of new processing technologies for the food industry?

Do you want to be part of an exciting research environment which is dedicated to solving the greatest challenges we are facing in the food system with regards to sustainability, food quality and nutrition? Then Wageningen University & Research is the place for you!

What will you do?
As food processing technologist you will contribute to the further scientific development of this research area by:

• Working in multidisciplinary applied-scientific research projects to develop, improve, and ensure the safety, quality, and sustainability of food products and manufacturing processes, working on innovative processing technologies e.g. 3D printing, extrusion, shear cell technology;
• Executing processing/structuring/ingredient-process-functionality research (such as rheology and other physico-chemical methods) together with other technical research assistants and scientists;
• Analysing, interpreting and reporting the findings internally and to our customers;
• Executing the daily technical facility management of the food hall and specific processing equipment, and act as QA gatekeeper.

We seek a candidate who demonstrates enthusiasm and innovative thinking, with the proven ability to translate complex ideas into actionable project plans in collaboration with colleagues and industrial partners.

You are a colleague with data quality awareness and an inquisitive mind, who is able to carry out and report experiments, both autonomously and in collaboration with a project team.

You have;

• a BSc (HBO) degree in Food Sciences, preferably specialized in food process engineering;
• subject knowledge on physical-chemical and rheological properties of food products and their ingredients. Specific knowledge on alternative proteins and food structuring is required;
• affinity with software and innovative technology is an advantage;
• quality and hygiene mindset in accordance with GMP and HACCP;
• Excellent communication skills and good verbal and written command of English. Command of the Dutch language (or the willingness to achieve this) is a plus.

Your technical knowledge combined with your passion in supporting the implementation of fundamental scientific knowledge into industrial applications will set you apart from the other candidates.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• 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. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between €3231,- and €4929,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 8 - 9). Additionally, For this role a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, 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.

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”.

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.