Program leader Contaminants

Do you see yourself as a food safety expert and do you want to make an impact on food safety in the Netherlands and Europe through your strategic insight and helicopter view? Are you skilled at connecting science and policy and are you fluent in Dutch and English? Would you like to help shape our research into contaminants in food products? We, Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), have a vacancy for a Programme Leader “Contaminants”!

Together with three other programmes, we carry out our Statutory Research Tasks (WOT). Within WFSR, these are referred to as sub-programmes and sub-programme leaders. As Sub-programme Leader Contaminants at WFSR, you will be responsible for a portfolio of approximately 50 projects. You will be the face of the sub-programme. We therefore expect you to be customer-oriented (internally and externally), capable of strategic thinking, and to act as a leading figure within the contaminants field — or to be able to develop into one.

The Contaminants sub-programme focuses on substances that are intentionally applied (including plant protection products in agriculture and horticulture), substances that unintentionally enter food products (including environmental contaminants such as PFAS and process contaminants formed during food production), and natural toxins produced by fungi, plants, and algae. The sub-programme deals both with substances that have long been known and for which legal limits have been established, as well as with new substances, mixtures of contaminants, or contaminants not initially expected to occur in food products.

The programme contains a wide variety of projects, including:

• routine and ad hoc analytical projects for which sampling plans and related activities are coordinated with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA);
• development and validation of analytical-chemical tests, bioassays, and biosensors across the full breadth of the programme;
• applied research into topics such as exposure to and transfer of contaminants, early detection of new chemical hazards before they lead to consumer health issues, and the phase-out of laboratory animal testing for risk assessment purposes;
• crisis networks (environment and drinking water, radiation and nuclear safety, terrorist attacks) and ad hoc projects resulting from food safety incidents.

In this role, you will collaborate with WFSR project leaders and experts in analytical chemistry, bioassays, toxicology, and food supply chains. You will ensure alignment between project leaders and coordinate and programme project activities. You will do this in close cooperation with the WOT programme leaders and our external partners: the NVWA and the Dutch Ministries of LVVN and VWS.

What will you do?

• you will liaise with various clients and stakeholders (primarily the Dutch Ministries of LVVN and VWS, and the NVWA), identify priorities and new research needs, and provide advice to these parties;
• together with the programme leaders, you will develop the strategic direction of your sub-programme and steer towards the defined objectives to maximise the impact of your sub-programme;
• you will shape the projects within your sub-programme in line with the strategy, monitor progress (together with project leaders and team leaders), and be responsible for the quality of the overall programme outcomes;
• you will lead and coach project leaders and, together with them, oversee the scientific and financial results of the projects. Part of this responsibility includes reviewing all project outputs;
• you will be a member of the management team of one of WFSR’s business units.

Program leader Contaminants

Zie jij jezelf als voedselveiligheidsexpert en wil jij met jouw strategisch inzicht en helicopterview impact maken op voedselveiligheid in Nederland en Europa? Ben jij sterk in het verbinden van wetenschap en beleid? Wil jij richting geven aan ons onderzoek naar contaminanten in voedselproducten? Wij, Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), hebben een vacature voor een programmaleider “Contaminanten”!

Samen met drie andere programma’s wordt uitvoering gegeven aan onze Wettelijke Onderzoekstaken (WOT). Zodoende spreken we binnen WFSR van deelprogramma’s en deelprogrammaleiders. Als deelprogrammaleider Contaminanten bij WFSR ben je verantwoordelijk voor een portfolio van circa 50 projecten. Je bent het gezicht van het deelprogramma. We verwachten daarom dat je klantgericht bent (intern en extern), strategisch kunt denken én in de breedte een boegbeeld bent in het werkveld van contaminanten of je daartoe kunt ontwikkelen.

Het deelprogramma Contaminanten gaat over stoffen die bewust worden toegepast (o.a. gewasbeschermingsmiddelen in de land- en tuinbouw), stoffen die onbedoeld in levensmiddelen komen (o.a. milieucontaminanten zoals PFAS en procescontaminanten die gevormd worden in de fabriek) en over natuurlijke gifstoffen die gevormd worden door schimmels, planten en algen. Het deelprogramma houdt zich bezig met stoffen die al langer bekend zijn en waarvoor wettelijke grenswaarden zijn vastgelegd en daarnaast nieuwe stoffen, mengsels van contaminanten of contaminanten die in eerste instantie niet in levensmiddelen verwacht worden.

Het programma bevat een grote diversiteit aan projecten. Het betreft o.a.:

• routinematige en ad-hoc analyseprojecten waarvoor monsterplannen en alles daaromheen worden afgestemd met de Nederlandse Voedsel en Warenautoriteit (NVWA);
• methodeontwikkeling en validatie van analytisch-chemische testen en bioassays en biosensoren binnen de gehele breedte van het programma;
• toegepast onderzoek naar bijvoorbeeld blootstelling aan en overdracht van contaminanten, vroegtijdige opsporing van nieuwe chemische gevaren voordat dit leidt tot gezondheidsproblemen bij consumenten en t.b.v. uitfasering van proefdieren t.b.v. risicobeoordeling;
• crisisnetwerken (milieu en drinkwater, straling en nucleair, terreuraanslagen) en ad-hoc projecten op basis van een voedselveiligheidsincident.

Hierin werk je samen met WFSR-projectleiders en -experts op het gebied van analytische chemie, bioassays, toxicologie en voedselketens. Jij zorgt voor de verbinding tussen de projectleiders en de afstemming en programmering van de projectactiviteiten. Dit laatste doe je in nauwe afstemming met de WOT-programmaleiders en onze externe partners: de NVWA en de ministeries van LVVN en VWS.

Wat ga je doen?

• je hebt contact met verschillende opdrachtgevers (met name de ministeries van LVVN en VWS, NVWA,) en inventariseert prioriteiten en nieuwe onderzoekswensen of je geeft advies aan deze partijen;
• je ontwikkelt samen met de programmaleiders de strategische richting van jouw deelprogramma en stuurt op de geformuleerde doelen om de impact van jouw deelprogramma te optimaliseren;
• je geeft de projecten in je deelprogramma vorm, passend bij de strategie, bewaakt ze (samen met de projectleiders en teamleiders) en bent verantwoordelijk voor de kwaliteit van de outcome van het deelprogramma als geheel;
• je stuurt en coacht de projectleiders en samen met hen stuur je op de inhoudelijke en financiële resultaten van de projecten. Onderdeel van deze activiteit is het reviewen van alle projectoutput;
• je bent lid van het managementteam van één van de business units van WFSR.

Product Owner online core team

Does online technology and strategy make your heart beat faster? Are you customer-oriented and proactive, and do you enjoy collaborating with colleagues from many different departments? Then we are looking for you as a Product Owner in WUR’s online core team.

Within Corporate Communications and Marketing, we work together with IT on a modern online environment for employees and external target groups. In multidisciplinary teams, we work on themes such as CRM, marketing automation, digitalization, self-service, security, and data management.

We are looking for a Product Owner for our online core team. This team manages and develops the online channels that support our external communications, with the corporate website wur.nl as the primary platform. The website runs on Drupal.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues from across the entire organization, including marketing, communications, data, and security. This will give you a good overview of the various areas of work within WUR as well as the target groups we serve.

This is what you will do

You set the online course
You translate WUR’s online ambitions into a clear product vision, roadmap, and priorities. Together with the core team and the channel owners, you ensure that online channels, platforms, and digital customer journeys align well.

You manage the backlog
You gather requests from the organization and translate them into epics, features, and user stories. Based on data, user insights, and organizational goals, you determine the priorities. You guide improvements and new functionalities from development to release.

You connect and prioritize
You bring various interests together and make clear choices. Additionally, you advise colleagues on online developments and digital possibilities. You ensure clear communication regarding priorities, progress, and changes.

You maintain control
You manage suppliers and technical partners and monitor the coherence between the CMS, online tools, and digital standards. In doing so, you keep an eye on accessibility, privacy, security, and developments such as AI.

You continuously improve
You analyze user behavior, feedback, and platform performance in collaboration with the team. Based on this, you initiate improvements in usability, content structure, performance, and online service delivery. You promote an agile way of working, in which development and improvement are continuous.

Executive secretary, central employee and student participation

Would you like to work part-time as an executive secretary advising and supporting the WUR Council? The executive secretariat is a permanent point of contact for WUR Council members and an indispensable link in ensuring a well-functioning system of employee and student participation. You will carry out this work together with your colleague executive secretary and work closely with the Daily Board of the WUR Council.

This is where you will be working
The Central Works Council (COR) and the Student Staff Council (SSC) are central employee and student participatory councils of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The COR and SSC work together as the WUR Council. The WUR Council, a group of approximately 28 members (staff and students), represents 7,700 employees, 2,500 PhD candidates and over 13,000 students, and is an important partner for the Executive Board in the development of policy. The working language of the WUR Council is English. Documents are in most cases drawn up in both Dutch and English.

You will form a team with your fellow executive secretary, jointly responsible for a range of tasks, including:

• organising, preparing and taking minutes of internal WUR Council meetings, consultation meetings with the Executive Board, and meetings of the Daily Board of the WUR Council;
• monitoring processes, (statutory) procedures and deadlines, keeping up to date with relevant developments in legislation and regulations, and safeguarding relationships and working arrangements within the WUR Council and with the Executive Board; in this role, you advise and coach the WUR Council and its members and contribute to updating the regulations of the WUR Council, the COR and the SSC;
• handling correspondence and organising information provision, including as the proactively management of the WUR Council’s SharePoint, and coordinating and co-drafting the annual report;
• co-organising the annual PhD elections and the triennial general employee participation elections; supporting the onboarding of new WUR Council members; initiating and organising training for WUR Council members; and managing the budget of the COR and the SSC.

You will work closely with your fellow executive secretary. There is a clear division of responsibilities, with your focus on administrative processes. In this role, you support both the WUR Council and your colleague. Your fellow executive secretary focusses primarily on coaching and advising WUR Council members and on keeping track of relevant legislation and regulations.

Additionally, you will have regular contact with the executive secretary of the Student Council. Together, you form a team of three executive secretaries who facilitate WUR’s central participatory councils.

Paralegal

Are you an energetic and well-organized Paralegal who enjoys working in an international environment where scientific research, research funding, and data-related matters come together? If so, we may be looking for you!

Our researchers independently acquire research projects funded by organizations such as the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN), the European Union, and private-sector clients. These projects focus on themes such as sustainability, food safety, and the relationship between people and their environment.

As a Paralegal, you will support our organization and legal team in the preparation and management of a wide variety of agreements and legal documents. You will also contribute to addressing day-to-day legal questions and requests. While working partly independently and managing your own portfolio of tasks, you will act as the connecting link between internal stakeholders and the legal team, navigating a complex organization with ease.

Your responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing, and processing legal standard/template agreements, where necessary in consultation with the legal team;
• Advising on general terms and conditions;
• Managing correspondence with various internal clients and stakeholders;
• Handling legal files and dossiers, both from a substantive and administrative perspective;
• Maintaining contact with project leaders and project management support staff;
• Contributing to the translation of organizational developments into practical procedures, working agreements, and contract templates.

Your team
You will become part of the Liaison Office team within Wageningen Social & Economic Research, one of the research institutes of the Social Sciences Group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The team is close-knit, collaborative, and known for its careful yet pragmatic approach.

Within Wageningen University & Research, there is also a similar vacancy called Contact Management Officer.