Are you well organised and a good communicator, and do you enjoy providing support in logistics and communication of project activities and events? Are you interested in themes such as sustainable agriculture, international cooperation and development?

The Learning & Project Support Group of Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, an institute of Wageningen University & Research, is looking for an enthusiastic and pro-active project officer. The project officer will primarily provide support to the DeSIRA-LIFT project.

DeSIRA-LIFT is a service facility to the DeSIRA Initiative of the European Commission (EC). DeSIRA-LIFT has three streams of support activities: Service Area 1 supports DeSIRA research projects through courses, coaching, learning and a Community of Practice. Service Area 2 supports African network organizations (AFAAS, FARA, ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF), for example with the co-organisations of events. Service Area 3 supports policy makers (mainly the EC and the African Union) on themes related to sustainable climate-resilient agriculture. DeSIRA-LIFT is implemented by a consortium of European research institutes (CIRAD, COLEAD, ISA, NRI, SLU, WUR), and led by WCDI (WUR).
You will support the project activities and events in the three Service Areas, as well as the project management and coordination of DeSIRA-LIFT. You will be responsible for the logistics of international (online and offline) events (before, during and after the event), manage contracts with third-party service providers to DeSIRA-LIFT, and coordinate and improve program workflow processes such as the recruitment of experts and project documentation. You may also need to support the other project officers in the financial administration and external communication of DeSIRA-LIFT. In this role:

• You have a pro-active and hands-on mentality, and can handle a variety of tasks.
• You have good administrative, organisational and digital skills and are willing to take responsibility in project management tasks and the organisation of online and offline events.
• You give logistical support in before, during and after online and offline events (for example, courses, webinars, conferences)
• You are a good communicator and support the internal and external project communication.
• You take actively part in project meetings and contribute to improving the efficiency of workflows.
• You have an interest in topics related to sustainable agriculture, international development and the Global South.
• You are comfortable working in a research and policy setting in an international context.

You will work closely with the project management team of DeSIRA-LIFT, under guidance of the Project Director. In addition, you will be member of the Learning and Project Support Group team of WCDI.

• At least master's degree of relevant education or, in its absence, equivalent professional experience;
• At least 6 years' (FTE) professional experience in areas directly relevant to international development, innovation with a social science perspective, knowledge and innovation systems, or likewise
• At least 5 years' experience of working in a research environment
• Experience in project management (including coordination, planning, liaising with experts and stakeholder groups, drafting terms of reference for the provision of short-term expertise and organising the selection of experts).
• Experience in practical organisation of workshops and international travel arrangements.
• Experience in the financial & administrative requirements of EU contracts is an advantage.
• Ability to work effectively in a team of people with different educational and cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent writing and oral presentation skills in English. Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be an advantage.
• Resilient, resistant to stress and a service-oriented attitude.
• Accuracy, good and proven organizational skills in complex situations.
• Independent, shows initiative and responsibility. You can estimate the urgency and priority of the assigned tasks yourself.

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December bonus of 4%;
• 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 €2.800,- and €3.821,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 8). Additionally, a contract for 0.6-0.8 FTE can be discussed. You will initially receive a one-year contract, which can be extended for the duration of the rest of the project. The total duration of the project is two years.

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 multi-faceted 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 18th consecutive time.

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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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 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.