Junior project assistant regenerative agriculture

Are you interested to work with 100 pioneering farmers in the Netherlands, and do you have affinity with data collection tools? Within the ReGeNL project, we are looking for a junior project assistant to support the organisation and execution of innovation projects with pioneering farmers within ReGeNL.

There is a steadily growing pressure on agriculture and the entire food system to increase global production while promoting sustainability in terms of farmers' incomes, soil health, input use, and environmental and climate impact. Regenerative agriculture is a promising avenue to support a healthy, multi-functional and future-proof soil and farming system. Together with regenerative Dutch farmers, ReGeNL is developing a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health and nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will start the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040. For more information see our website www.regenl.nl.

In this role you are member of and support the project manager and his team of action line 1 with the organisation and execution of innovation projects that are carried out together with 100 pioneer regenerative farmers, and regional and food chain initiatives within the ReGeNL program. Wageningen University, together with partners, has the responsibility to support and enable these partners in the further development of regenerative farming practices and food chains.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• regularly update the CRM system, manage and archive documents;
• maintain contacts and pro-actively communicate within WUR, ReGeNL and with partners;
• support in making project plans and budget overviews, and organisation of meetings;
• overview finances, budget expenses, and changes, and support reporting hereof;
• collect and prepare news items for external communication.

You will work here
You will be member of the chair group Agricultural Biosystems Engineering, part of the Plant Sciences Group. Our mission is to generate and transfer cutting-edge engineering science and technology for sustainable agriculture. We design and improve agricultural biosystems by means of state-of-the-art technology. We educate future agricultural biosystem scientists and engineers and conduct research aimed at designing and operating sustainable agricultural biosystems. The synergy of excellent research and education provides the knowledge, expertise, and technology to solve a broad range of challenges in divers agricultural biosystems. Our challenges condense to understanding the variation, uncertainty, dynamics and the multi-scale nature of agricultural biosystems for the purpose of developing technology for the future. Our work comprises sensing, modelling, controlling and acting on agricultural biosystems, as well as design of these systems.

You work in a structured way and are able to deal effectively with a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. You enjoy supporting others with your organisational skills; you can bring structure to complex matters and explain this clearly. You ask the necessary questions to ensure strong project outcomes.

You also possess:

• a background in agriculture and affinity with regenerative farming (BSc or MSc level);
• good communication skills and can easily connect to Dutch farmers and companies;
• are a team player and like to be an in-between person;
• fluency in Dutch, both in speaking and in writing.

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;
• 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. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €3708,- and €5.538,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 9 - 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance.

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.

WUR welcomes applications from international candidates. However, for applicants for this specific position from outside the EU/EFTA zone, immigration restrictions may apply based on Dutch and EU immigration laws. Such candidates may be eligible for an “orientation year” in the Netherlands or a visa as a “knowledge migrant”.

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.