QHSE Coördinator

Ben jij een professional op het gebied van kwaliteit, arbeidsomstandigheden, milieu en veiligheid – en wil je je hierin verder ontwikkelen? Wil je werken in een onderzoeksomgeving waar veiligheid, compliance en maatschappelijke impact samenkomen? De Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) van Wageningen University & Research is op zoek naar een QHSE-coördinator die bijdraagt aan een veilige en verantwoorde onderzoeksomgeving.

De functie
Als QHSE-coördinator werk je op het snijvlak van wet- en regelgeving, onderzoek en praktijk. Je vertaalt complexe regelgeving naar werkbare oplossingen en ondersteunt onderzoekers en collega’s bij het veilig uitvoeren van hun werk. Binnen deze functie vervul je (na aanwijzing) tevens de rol van preventiemedewerker, zoals bedoeld in de Arbowet.

Je maakt onderdeel uit van het team Risk & Compliance en rapporteert aan het stafhoofd. Samen met je collega’s ben je verantwoordelijk voor het verder professionaliseren van het KAM-domein binnen ESG.

De functie is voor 0,6–1,0 fte (in overleg).

Wat ga je doen?

• je bent (mede) aanspreekpunt voor Kwaliteits-, Arbo-, milieu- en veiligheidsvraagstukken, zoals BHV, vergunningen en gevaarlijke stoffen;
• je adviseert onderzoekers en staf over wet- en regelgeving en helpt in de vertaling naar de praktijk;
• Je draagt bij aan het opstellen, implementeren en borgen van beleid, rapportages, procedures en werkinstructies en hebt een eigenstandige verantwoordelijkheid op enkele QHSE-thema's;
• je bent betrokken bij het uitvoeren van Risico Inventarisaties & Evaluaties en het actueel houden van het plan van aanpak;
• je vervult (na aanwijzing) de rol van preventiemedewerker.

Conform de Arbowet ben je verantwoordelijk voor:

• het (mede) opstellen en uitvoeren van de RI&E;
• het adviseren van en nauw samenwerken met arbodeskundigen en de OR;
• de maatregelen (mede) uitvoeren;
• het bijhouden van en registreren in de incidentenmonitor;
• het organiseren van samenwerking met de bedrijfshulpverlening (BHV).

Conform het ESG beleid ben je tevens verantwoordelijk voor:

• je speelt een rol bij incidentonderzoek en het verbeteren van veiligheidsprocessen;
• je ondersteunt bij interne en externe audits en het onderhoud van kwaliteitssystemen;
• je coördineert (mede) processen rondom o.a. import van onderzoeksmateriaal en werken met Zeer Zorgwekkende Stoffen (ZZS). Kennis van biologische agentia en chemicaliën is een pré;
• je werkt samen met collega’s binnen WUR en externe partijen.

QHSE Coordinator

Are you a professional in the field of quality, working conditions, environment and safety – and do you want to further develop your expertise? Would you like to work in a research environment where safety, compliance and societal impact come together?
The Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) of Wageningen University & Research is looking for a QHSE Coordinator who will contribute to a safe and responsible research environment.

The role
As QHSE Coordinator, you will work at the interface of legislation and regulations, research and practice. You will translate complex legislation and regulations into workable solutions and support colleagues in carrying out their work safely. Within this role, you will also, after appointment, fulfil the role of prevention officer, as referred to in the Dutch Working Conditions Act.

You will be part of the Risk & Compliance team and report to the Chief of Staff. Together with your colleagues, you will be responsible for further professionalising the QHSE domain within ESG.
The position is for 0.6–1.0 FTE, to be agreed.

What will you do?

• you will act as a point of contact, together with others, for quality, occupational health and safety, environmental and safety-related matters, such as biological safety, permits and hazardous substances;
• you will advise researchers and staff on legislation and regulations and help translate these into day-to-day practice;
• you will contribute to drafting, implementing and safeguarding policies, reports, procedures and work instructions, and will take personal responsibility for specific QHSE themes;
• you will be involved in carrying out Risk Inventories and Evaluations and keeping the plan of action up to date;
• you will, after appointment, fulfil the role of prevention officer.

In accordance with the Dutch Working Conditions Act, you will be responsible for:

• helping to prepare and carry out the RI&E;
• advising and working together with occupational health and safety experts and the Works Council;
• helping to implement the measures.

In accordance with ESG policy, you will also be responsible for:

• monitoring and recording incidents in the incident monitor;
• organising cooperation with the emergency response service coordinator;
• you will play a role in incident investigation and in improving safety processes;
• you will support internal and external audits and the maintenance of quality systems;
• you will coordinate, together with colleagues, matters relating to research material and working with Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs). Knowledge of biological agents and chemicals is an advantage;
• you will work together with colleagues within WUR and with external parties.

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”

PhD position: Genetic basis of yield stability in barley under drought

Interested in how crops maintain stable yields under both optimal and drought conditions? A PhD position within the Allrounder project - Dissecting the genetic basis of natural variation in root and shoot architecture as basis for breeding climate-resilient barley - might be suited for you!

In a collaborative project between Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) we are looking for two enthusiastic PhD candidates to investigate how wild barley, the wild relative of cultivated barley, can maintain stable yield across both optimal and drought conditions. The projects focus on (PhD1) below-ground development (WUR), and (PhD2) above-ground growth and yield responses to water limitation (NIOO-KNAW/WUR).

Using a high-throughput root phenotyping facility and a diverse panel of wild barley accessions, you will study how root architecture and shoot traits influence plant performance under different water conditions. By combining phenotyping with genetic approaches such as GWAS and candidate gene analysis, the project aims to identify what makes the wild progenitor of barley resilient: what traits and alleles support stable yield across environments? Ultimately, this research will contribute to the development of barley varieties that perform reliably under both optimal and water-limited conditions - true “allrounder” crops for future climates.

Your role
PhD1 (WUR):

• Together with other project members, you will design and execute controlled-environment experiments, including root phenotyping in barley diversity panels under different water regimes, and perform GWAS analyses to identify loci associated with root development and architecture.
• You will investigate the developmental genetic basis of root architecture using molecular and cellular analyses, including histology, microscopy, transcriptomics, and mutant analysis. You will also generate CRISPR/Cas mutants and use transformation approaches to validate candidate genes.
• You will analyze and integrate multi-modal datasets using quantitative/statistical and bioinformatics approaches.
• You will coordinate collaboration by managing cross-team experiments.
• You will write and publish your research in leading scientific journals and communicate your findings through your PhD thesis and via broader societal outreach.

PhD2 (NIOO-KNAW/WUR) go to:

You will work here
This research is embedded in three collaborating research groups at Wageningen University and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen (NIOO-KNAW). PhD1 will be appointed at WUR and will be based in the Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology (Wageningen University; Prof. Viola Willemsen and Dr. Anneke Horstman). (PhD2 will be appointed at NIOO-KNAW and will be jointly supervised by the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Wageningen University; Dr. Wilma van Esse) and NIOO-KNAW (Prof. Koen Verhoeven)).The two PhD candidates will work closely together within this interdisciplinary project.

Junior Liaison Officer

As a Junior Liaison Officer, you support researchers and project leaders in national and international subsidy and tender processes. You assist them in preparing proposals in a well-structured manner—organizationally, financially, and procedurally—ensuring they meet the requirements of funding bodies. You operate at the intersection of content, finance, and regulations. In this role, you work independently on multiple files, but you also collaborate closely with colleagues within the Liaison Office and regularly coordinate with Finance & Control and Legal Affairs. Within a short period, you develop into a fully-fledged discussion partner for researchers in the field of grants and project applications. Fixed office days on Thursdays and Fridays are required, while the remaining days can be arranged in consultation, with the option to work remotely for part of the week.

Your tasks and responsibilities include:

• Advising researchers and project leaders on the preparation and submission of grant and tender applications (organizational, financial, and procedural aspects).
• Acting as a liaison between researchers, Finance & Control, Legal Affairs, and external funding providers.
• Analyzing funding schemes and assessing their applicability to research projects and collaborative partnerships.
• Supporting the drafting and submission of project proposals, including all required documentation.
• Monitoring deadlines and ensuring a careful and timely submission process.
• Collaborating with colleagues within the Liaison Office and coordinating with relevant internal stakeholders.

Your team
You will be part of the Liaison Office & Legal Affairs team within the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). We support researchers and project leaders in realizing impactful, internationally oriented research. Our team combines legal expertise with support in grants and collaborative partnerships. We operate in a compact, professionally structured environment with short lines of communication, where independence and teamwork go hand in hand. Within the Liaison Office, you will work closely with colleagues from Legal Affairs, Finance & Control, and the research community.

Paralegal

As a paralegal, you provide broad support to colleagues within the organization in the drafting of agreements and other documents. In doing so, you contribute to preventing (legal) questions and issues. In addition, you carry out diverse tasks within the field of self-management and maintain your own case portfolio. You act as the connecting factor between internal stakeholders and Legal Affairs, and you know how to find your way within a complex organization.

Your tasks and responsibilities include:

• Drafting and reviewing legal (standard/template) agreements and handling them, potentially in collaboration with the lawyer(s);
• Advising colleagues in advance;
• Managing correspondence with various (internal) clients;
• Handling legal files, both simple and administrative;
• Contributing to the translation of various developments within the organization;
• Taking over the duties of our administrative staff member during their absence.

Your team
You will be part of the Legal Affairs & Liaison Office team within the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). A driven, ambitious team with a strong growth mindset, a passion for law, and a pragmatic approach to solutions.

Here you will work
We challenge you to deliver for inspiring stakeholders at both national and international levels. We strive to provide an informal atmosphere and give everyone the space to grow, both professionally and personally. We believe that an open environment and direct communication bring out the best in everyone.