Policy and Governance Researcher Regional Development & Land Use Team

Are you an experienced policy researcher or public administration expert who wants to contribute to research on complex issues that enable the spatial transitions the Netherlands is facing? Do you have strong project leadership skills and a broad, integrated perspective? Then apply now!

As a Policy and Governance Researcher within the Regional Development & Land Use Team, you will work on the major challenges and transitions that come together in regional development, with a particular focus on rural areas in the Netherlands. These include the restoration of nature and improving biodiversity, the agricultural transition, the energy transition, climate adaptation, and the spatial and social issues that come with these developments. Addressing these challenges requires sound policies and effective collaboration between government, knowledge partners, social organizations, entrepreneurs, and society as a whole.

The challenges of today call for solidpolicy research in the form of policy analyses and evaluations with concrete recommendations, as well as interactive research developed together with the various actors involved in the field and within ongoing processes. How effective is current policy, and how can it be improved? How do processes unfold, and how can we guide or adjust them during implementation — in other words, how can we learn through evaluation?

With your fresh perspective and expertise, you contribute to both short- and long-term solutions. You will work in a team on policy-oriented approaches that support a systemic change, collaborating with regional partners and engaging in dialogue with society. You are able to translate research results into practical policy recommendations in collaboration with policy actors. You have an open and flexible attitude, can navigate easily through (regional) processes, and have an eye for innovative research methods.
You will work as part of a team on various projects, such as evaluations of integrated regional processes, sectoral or integrated policy programs, or the design of new policies. While the current focus is strongly on rural policy, there are opportunities to expand towards urban environments. Our clients include the national government, provinces, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), and local governments. Although the primary focus is on Dutch governance and policy, there are also opportunities to work in an international context.

As a project leader, you will manage mono- and multidisciplinary research projects, ensuring the quality, policy relevance, and scientific integrity of the work, as well as delivering constructive recommendations. You will also contribute to the integration of policy sciences with other social, natural, and spatial disciplines.

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 €4.045,- and €6.228,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11). 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. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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.