Are you interested in strengthening capacities of local cities to accelerate the circular economy? Do you like the combination of research and action-oriented consultancy? And do you want to take part in a transnational and transdisciplinary project? Then, read on because this vacancy might be the perfect fit for you!

The CREATE project, that stands for 'embedding advanced urban material stock methods within governance processes to enable circular economy and cities resilience' focuses on the built environment and infrastructure (the largest urban infrastructures and communal assets, namely buildings, municipal roads, water, and wastewater pipes). Within the project, this postdoc position will focus on testing and designing new governance solutions for facilitating and accelerating the transition to the circular economy within concrete renovation and building projects at the local level. Other work packages of the project will explore and visualize existing and future material stocks within urban buildings and infrastructure to facilitate the reuse of materials.

The project is included in the chair group Public Administration and Policy within the Department of Social Sciences of Wageningen University. This project is part of the European program JPI Urban Europe, funded by ERA-NET together with NWO, and offers a great network of cities and researchers across European Union member states.
For further information please refer to: jpi-urbaneurope.eu/calls/enutc. In this project you will work in particular with the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, France and Romania.

In your position as a Post-doc you will:

• perform a quick scan of the governance context of the participating European cities to reveal and share best practices;
• identify and share decision-support methods and tools used by local governments;
• conduct experiments with new governance interventions to upscale, broaden, and deepen innovative pilots and practices;
• make use of a living lab approach to improve and co-create governance arrangements;
• organize international workshops and practitioner-oriented webinars to co-disseminate findings.

Your work will be embedded in an existing living lab in the region Arnhem-Nijmegen, called Lifeport Circular Lab. Within this living lab, you will further theorize co-creation processes for the circular economy and experiment with governance interventions that stimulate the uptake of state-of-the-art methods enabling the re-use of existing materials in the build environment. Because you are likely to focus on the case of the renovation of railway station Nijmegen, you will work closely together with the municipality of Nijmegen, the Economic Board of Gelderland, infrastructure operators, citizens and other stakeholders.

The project will produce:

• recommendations on best practices for embedding decision support methods within decision-making processes;
• concrete proposals of tailored governance arrangements for the participating cities including novel decision-support methods and tools that facilitate the re-use of existing materials within the built environment;
• yearly webinars and conference sessions as part of European Green Capital and ICLEI networks;
• international publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Our Post-doc:

• has a PhD in the field of Public Administration, Political Sciences, Environmental Governance, or another relevant field;
• can demonstrate project management or consultancy skills gained during studies, PhD or through other work experience;
• has excellent understanding of public policy and governance and, preferably, action research or co-creation approaches;
• is eager to contribute to sustainability transitions;
• has affinity with infrastructure and/or the built environment;
• is able to perform tasks independently, has good organization and writing skills, and has affinity with working in transdisciplinary and multi-cultural consortia;
• is fluent in English and Dutch.

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 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 € 2.846 and €4.490 for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 or 1.0 FTE can be discussed.

Wageningen University & Research 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 unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the "Best University" in the Netherlands for the 17th consecutive time.

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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research

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, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen's unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

Read the 5 reasons why your future collaegues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video 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.