We are looking for a Sr. Product Owner for the Multidisciplinary Teams Acquisition & Contracting (A&C) and Finance, Projects & Procurement (FP&I). The processes of these two teams together form the chain process Contact to Contract to Cash; from the first contact with the client of research assignments up to and including invoicing.

The A&C team aims to manage, improve and unify the processes and systems that support both the research acquisition process and the contract creation and management process. Currently, four applications are used for this, namely Microsoft Dynamics CRM, WeAgree, UPD (a Sharepoint application) and DocuSign.

The FP&I team supports the Procurement and Finance departments in managing, continuously improving and standardizing the processes and systems in the areas of Projects, Procurement and Finance. This includes three large applications (MyProjects for Projects, Unit4 Business World for Finance, and ProQme for Procurement) and some smaller applications.

Both teams have recently started working in an Agile way (Scrum and Kanban).
As a Product Owner, you work a lot with other WUR departments. Acquisitors, project leaders, buyers, finance and legal are the ones who are actively involved in the processes of your teams. In addition, you will participate in the Operations Portfolio Board (BPB). This will introduce you to all of WUR's work areas and the different market segments in which WUR researchers collaborate. So plenty of development and career opportunities for specialists at different levels.

What are you going to do?
As a Product Owner, these are your activities:

• You develop an integral vision of the team's services and think along with other Product Owners about improvement and renewal of current services, within the frameworks set by the BPB and the process owners;
• You map out the value streams / chain processes within the framework of this vision and set up and implement continuous improvement on these chain processes;
• Stakeholder management in a complex stakeholder field;
• You will have financial responsibility for the team, including monitoring costs, monitoring existing SLAs and aligning new SLAs;
• You manage on value by prioritizing the backlog;

Our building is modern, light, green, and is located on a lively green campus where students, teachers, researchers and all other residents cycle, walk, work and study criss-crossed. The campus is spacious with good parking space. You will work with the latest technology and work in an enthusiastic team of colleagues with a passion for their field.

We ask:

• You have at least HBO working and thinking level;
• \You have several years of experience in the position of Product Owner;
• You have demonstrable knowledge of and experience with Business Process Management;
• You have substantive knowledge of the fields of acquisition, contracting, project administration, finance and procurement.

With a clear focus on results, you use your drive to define and implement a valuable service together with the team. You have the insight to embrace the implementation of an Agile way of working, understanding that growth comes with challenges. As an enterprising professional, you know how to inspire and involve not only the team, but also the stakeholders in your ambitious goals. You use data and facts to prioritize and maximize value in a thoughtful way.

Do you have a lot of knowledge of and/or experience with the processes described, but do you not have the described job requirements? Then you can also contact us for an exploratory meeting.

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, 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 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 € 4.001 and € 6.522 for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11-12). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed. You will initially receive a one-year contract, which will be extended to an open-ended contract upon in mutual enthusiasm.
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 19th consecutive time.

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.
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 for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, 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.

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, 7,600 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 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.

If you would like more information about this position, please contact Ellen van der Heiden – Wamelink, Department Manager Design, phone: 06-38073019 or by e-mail: ellen.vanderheiden-wamelink@wur.nl
For more information about the procedure, please contact Edvard Jongschaap, telephone: 06-48427688 or by e-mail: edvard.jongschaap@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?
This can be done directly via the application button next to the vacancy on our website so that we can process personal data with your permission.
This vacancy is open until Monday, June 17, 2024.
We want to schedule the first job interviews in the week of Monday 24 June.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.