Would you like to plan and co-design Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for addressing urban heat, droughts and floods? Do you have experience with the integration of NbS in urban and regional/national plans and governance? Can you build evidence based knowledge on NbS for adaptation? And are you trained in environmental studies, spatial planning, land and water management or climate change studies? Then you may be the ideal candidate to join Team Climate Resilience at Wageningen Environmental Research!

In January 2020 WUR published a nature-based vision for The Netherlands in 2120. Not to predict the future but to fuel our thinking we presented a map of what The Netherlands and other deltas may look like in 2120: ample space for rivers, food from the sea, circular agriculture, nature in flood plains and greener, climate resilient cities. We are looking for researchers who want to understand and develop Nbs to address the impact of climate in urban environments in the Netherlands.

As a nature-based adaptation specialist you will work mainly in the Netherlands and other European countries. You address topics such as:

• planning and co-design innovative NbS for urban landscapes and surroundings in close collaboration with local and regional authorities;
• planning and co-design of NbS by integrating biophysical, social and cultural aspects of urban landscapes and surroundings;
• climate change impacts on urban landscapes and surroundings;
• co-creation of evidence based knowledge on NbS for mitigation and adaptation (living labs);
• assessment of environmental, social and economic costs and benefits of NbS;
• analysis of the market potential for NbS solutions and the development of business models.

You will primarily work with Dutch municipalities, provinces, water boards and land owners on NbS to address climate change impacts such as heat stress, drought and floods. The work process will be science-based and user driven, and integrates biophysical, social, climate change and governance knowledge. You will make use of different quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness and robustness of NbS. You will assess opportunities for scaling NbS and address barriers and enablers. You will apply different decision support tools to encourage active involvement of partners.

You will actively contribute to the strategic programme Green Climate Solutions and you will be member of a larger team of scientists within and outside WUR working on this topic. You will participate and contribute to national and European. You will actively engage with various partners and clients from governments, NGOs, commercial enterprises, etc., and contribute to acquisition of a sustainable project portfolio. Your project results will be disseminated through client oriented reports and possibly papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings; using popular media is encouraged.

• a university degree (MSc) in environmental sciences, climate sciences, landscape planning or land and water management (A PhD is preferable);
• proven experience in co-designing nature-based adaptation strategies in collaboration with municipalities and regional authorities;
• at least three years of proven experience in the integration of biophysical, social and cultural aspects of urban landscapes and surroundings;
• demonstrated experience in analysing the effectiveness and robustness of NbS;
• demonstrated experience with developing business models for NbS;
• demonstrated experience in project acquisition - having a customer-oriented attitude;
• excellent writing and oral communication skills in Dutch and English for diverse audiences; ambition to publish future work;
• a great teammate who can work independently and who also communicates well with colleagues, partners and (potential) clients and research funding agencies.

Desirable requirements include:

• experience with mainstreaming NbS;
• experience in working in energy transition projects.

We offer 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;
• the option to accrue additional holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and 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 December bonus of 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 €3.336,- and € 5.183,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11). The appointment is for minimally 32 and maximally 36 hours per week, for a period of 24 months. In case of good functioning and if future research financing allows, there is a possibility for a permanent position after 2 years.

WUR encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a multi-faceted position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to find solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With its roughly 30 branches, 6.500 employees and 12.500 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. A coordinated approach to problems and the cooperation between various subject areas are at the heart of Wageningen's outstanding approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: read the 5 reasons to come work at WUR

Team Climate Resilience
Climate change will impact every aspect of society and nature. Analysing present and future trends to assess impacts on all sectors of society is essential for the development of solution-oriented management and policy options. Policy makers at every governmental level as well as managers in both small and large private companies seek solutions to protect their assets from the adverse effects of climate. Beyond that, they often also seek to gain from the opportunities offered by climate change and to connect any interventions with non-climate issues to seek synergies and efficiency improvements. The Climate Resilience team has built up a considerable track record in this complex field, studying interactions between hydrology, land cover and land use (including urban environments) and climate (change) in the Netherlands and worldwide. Our main areas of interest are climate resilient cities, climate information services and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.