Senior HR Business Partner

As a Senior HR Business Partner within the Agrotechnology & Food Science Group (AFSG) at Wageningen University & Research, you are a key interlocutor for managers. You work proactively, build connections with ease and are energised by initiating and guiding organisational change. You also actively contribute to the further development of HR services. In this role, you make an impact, think ahead and collaborate towards a future-proof organisation.

In this position you contribute to the development of teams and the organisation as a whole. You play an active part in shaping integrated HR policy and advise and support various education and research groups in its implementation. You also build professional working relationships with managers and, together with the Centre of Expertise (CoE), you contribute to Recruitment, Vitality & Health, and Learning & Development.

Your tasks and responsibilities as Senior HR Business Partner include:

• Acting as a sparring partner and adviser to managers and directors on organisational development and individual and team-related cases.
• Contributing substantively to the development and implementation of strategic workforce planning and organisational issues;
• Shaping the HR agenda and (co-)being responsible for the successful AFSG-wide implementation of HR policy; over the coming years the focus will be on leadership, social safety, organisational development, culture change and talent development.
• Participating in various HR domains and taking the lead in one HR domain as well as several projects. The five domains are: Talent Attraction, People Growth, People Services, Organisational Development and Culture.

Your team
You will work directly with a driven HR team of approximately 12 colleagues, including five HR Business Partners and other HR specialists such as a recruiter, a Vitality & Health adviser and HR Service Officers. Together we strive for a culture in which collegiality, authenticity and collaboration are central. We value an informal working atmosphere and a sense of humour. We also attach great importance to an open and transparent working environment, where we work together and continue to professionalise our HR services.

You are innovative and curious, which keeps you well informed about new developments. We expect you to provide data-driven advice and proactively come up with solutions. With your strong advisory skills, courage, empathy, organisational awareness and powers of persuasion, you are able to create support and initiate organisational change.

You also have:

• Higher professional or academic working and thinking level (Bachelor’s or Master’s degree).
• Extensive experience as an HR Business Partner or HR adviser.
• Experience in a complex project-based organisation is an advantage.
• Good command of Dutch and English.

In our international working environment, communication increasingly takes place in English. For this role, the required level is B2.

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, a contract for 24 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended. 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.

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.

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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. If you come with a partner, we offer a Dual Career group program organized by our Welcome Center. This program helps your partner to get familiar with the Dutch culture, labour market and assists your partner to find a job.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Communitypage contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account 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.