Project Manager Maintenance

Are you an independent technician with a heart for sustainable technology and the ambition to grow? In this varied position as Project Leader Maintenance (Mechanical Engineering) at Wageningen University & Research, you will have the space and the confidence to make mechanical installations in complex buildings — from laboratories to teaching spaces — future-proof. Curious? Read on!

No day is the samein this versatile position as Project Manager Maintenance. You pick up replacements and expansions and actively contribute to sustainable improvements. You also contribute to the multi-year maintenance plan (MJOP) and ensure that the plans you draw up are actually implemented later. You independently plan your projects, request quotes and manage contractors during implementation. In doing so, you keep an eye on safety and smooth cooperation with colleagues, such as technical administrators and location managers.

You will work in a friendly and expert team within the Facilities and Services department, where everyone helps each other and works together on smart, sustainable solutions.

Your most important tasks:

• You ensure that maintenance and replacement of installations are properly prepared, planned and carried out;
• You keep in touch with contractors and advisors and make sure everyone knows what needs to be done;
• You pay attention to safety and prevent nuisance during the work;
• You check reports of inspections and ensure that errors are resolved;
• You contribute to the maintenance planning and the budget for the coming years (MJOP);
• For buildings outside the campus, you are the point of contact for maintenance and malfunctions.

Your team
You will be working in the Construction & Housing Management team of Wageningen University & Research. Together we take care of the buildings and installations, such as laboratories, heat pumps and smart technology. Everything has to be sustainable and future-proof – we even want to get rid of gas completely within two years!

You will join a nice and friendly team of about 20 colleagues. We work together with experts in engineering and construction. The atmosphere is informal, there is time for a joke and we occasionally organize a drink or outing. You work on a modern campus, with nice workplaces, good coffee and green spaces to consult or relax.

Watch an impressionof our last Meet-Up here. This will give you an even better picture.

Junior Lecturer Water Resources Management 0,8 FTE

As part of the ESG, the Water Resources Management (WRM) group is seeking to recruit a Junior Lecturer (Docent 4) in the field of the socio-technical aspects of water management for two years.

The department of Environmental Sciences (ESG) of Wageningen University provides fundamental research and academic education on our living environment: nature, landscape, land usage, adaptation to climate change, water and ocean management, and the various competing claims on space. This also includes biodiversity and the sustainability of management and production. Wageningen University is part of the Wageningen University and Research Centre concern.

The Water Resources Management (WRM) group is engaged in interdisciplinary research and education at the intersection of water, technology and society. We study integrated water resource management and governance questions in both the global South and North. Central in our study are questions as to how patterns of allocation and use of water can be explained as the combined outcome of technological choices, socio-ecological dynamics and cultural-political negotiation processes and other forms of socio-political interaction.

Job description:

The Junior Lecturer will have the following education responsibilities, to be further developed based on experience and interest:

• Inputs to the Bachelor International Land and Water Management courses
• Supervise BSc internship and thesis students in the field of water resources management (4-5 students per year);

2. Education development and innovation (10% time allocation)

• Education innovation tasks, such as Design 2;

3. Academic services and outreach (10% time allocation)
The Junior Lecturer will work partly on tasks that link research and education and support the chair group, such as organizing education seminars.

PhD in climate information services for salinity management and sustainable adaptation strategies in Bangladesh Delta

Are you passionate about facilitating agricultural adaptation strategies and improve the livelihood of farmers living in the saline regions of the Bangladesh Delta? Do you want to pursue an interdisciplinary PhD research project about climate services to support salinity management and sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh? If so, an exciting job opportunity is waiting for you!

The Earth Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University, is looking for a motivated doctoral (PhD) candidate to join an interdisciplinary research project focused on “Adaptive delta management for climate resilient agriculture and food security in Bangladesh”. This PhD project will co-create and co-design climate information services for short-to-long-term adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers to tackle weather and salinity problems in Bangladesh via living lab approach.

As part of this project, you will be involved in the following key objectives:

• Needs assessment – Through living labs, you will identify gaps, needs, local and scientific local weather forecast knowledge required for small-scale, saline cropping systems in the study area.
• Co-design climate information services for salinity management in the DROPapp by integrating local and scientific knowledge. In this project, you will integrate the local forecasts based on observed local ecological indicators and scientific forecasts based on numerical weather prediction using Machine Learning approach (hybrid forecast). The app is also expected to be equipped with seasonal forecast for agricultural planning. You will co-design the short-, medium-, and long-term adaptation strategies based on both the salinity information and weather forecasts.
• Co-production of adaptation strategies – You will co-develop short- to long-term strategies with smallholder farmers to address weather variability and salinity intrusion. Building on challenges identified through living labs and in collaboration with local stakeholders, you will design adaptation strategies that respond to climate change impacts on agriculture and aquaculture. Using the DROPapp, you will support decisions on crop calendars, salt-tolerant varieties, water management, and early warning-based actions.
• Evaluate the benefit of adaptation strategies and climate information services - You will perform a comprehensive evaluation of the technical, socio-economic, and environmental benefits of adaptation strategies and climate information services implemented in the farmers’ communities compared with control communities. We expect that the updated climate services used by farmers will improve farmers’ livelihood.

Your duties and responsibilities in this role will include:

• Conducting research and analysis within the framework of the project
• Improving climate information services, DROP app, by incorporating hybrid forecast and agricultural advice based on seasonal forecast
• Contributing to designing adaptation strategies including Nature-Based Solutions to cope with climate change-induced salinity issues at the delta regions
• Publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute to teaching activities (total teaching activities, incl. student supervision represent up to 10% of total working time)

Full Professor and Chair of the Soil Physics and Land Management group

The Soil Physics and Land Management chair group of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has an outstanding international reputation in scientific research and education and develops fundamental and applied knowledge of soil physical processes in relation to soil and land management, while also contributing to the academic training of future scientists and other professionals. A vacancy has become available for a full professor and chair of the Soil Physics and Land Management (SLM) chair group.

The SLM group advances understanding of soil physical processes and their role in supporting soil functions and addresses sustainable soil and land management to support global societal challenges of climate, water and food security. SLM’s research focuses on soil physical processes including distribution and transport of particles, heat, water and solutes over the soil surface and through soils and groundwater, in interaction with soil management and land restoration across various spatio-temporal scales.

Together with fellow staff members, you will be responsible for the academic and operational management, including education and research quality, finances and HR, of this chair group. In collaboration, you will define the research strategy and lead the team of academic and support staff in an inclusive and motivating way. You will use your scientific expertise and network to support and strengthen academic development, to maintain the international visibility of the group’s research and its societal impact, (co)create new research directions, collaborate with other disciplines and develop externally funded research programs. You will also contribute to the development, innovation and execution of education in BSc, MSc and PhD courses and programs, to maintain and strengthen the excellent reputation and position of WUR in national, European and international higher education.

PhD student: Institutional Approaches to Managing Public Space

Are you intrigued by how our streets, parks, squares and landscapes are managed—and how institutions shape those spaces? Do you want to explore new governance solutions that ensure public spaces are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable? Then you might be the ideal PhD candidate to join our interdisciplinary team at Wageningen University & Research!

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD researcher to investigate the institutional dimensions of managing public space — a crucial but often overlooked area in urban and regional development. While much attention goes to the design and planning of public spaces, their long-term management is just as important. Most of a public space’s life happens after it's built—and the quality of that life depends heavily on how it is governed.

This PhD project will explore how institutions — formal rules, informal norms, and governance mechanisms — can better support the maintenance, adaptation, and transformation of public space. You’ll study how these institutional arrangements influence public space outcomes such as accessibility, safety, social value, and sustainability.

Key questions include:

• How can governance structures better coordinate the multiple actors involved in managing public space?
• How can they adapt to dynamic societal needs and increasing spatial interdependencies?
• What institutional models promote more efficient, equitable and resilient management?

Your work will combine theoretical analysis with real-world case studies to identify promising institutional approaches. You’ll evaluate current governance mechanisms, financial instruments, and participatory practices—and contribute to actionable strategies for improving how public spaces are managed in complex and changing environments.

Ready to challenge existing paradigms and shape the future of public space governance? We’d love to hear from you!

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Publishing a PhD thesis based on the project work.
• Teaching (10% of time) through contributions to the group’s courses in WUR’s teaching programs.
• Organisation of, and participating in, events and feedback sessions with the foundation Managing Public Space

You will work here
The research is embedded within two complementary research groups: the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning group. The Land Use Planning chair group (LUP) focuses on the planning of sustainable landscapes that address urgent environmental issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. We aim to understand the interactions within social-physical systems, considering land uses and diverse stakeholders. The chair group has a young and dynamic team with many other PhD candidates to connect to. We provide an inclusive and diverse working environment. You will be co-supervised by dr. ir. Arjan Hijdra, dr. Barbara Tempels and prof. Martha Bakker.