Are you seeking a position where you can continue developing your leadership skills? A role where you can help prevent the spread of animal diseases and promote animal health? Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) is looking for a Head of Department for Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostics at our Lelystad location! Could you be our new colleague?

What will you do?
As the Head of Department, you will:

• Lead a team of skilled and dedicated of project leaders, researchers, and lab technicians who contribute to multidisciplinary research and consulting within the fields of bacteriology, host-pathogen interaction, and diagnostics.
• Work in an integrated manner. You are both a people manager and a connector, leading approximately 40 project leaders, researchers, and lab technicians , supporting their professional and personal development.
• Be a member of the WBVR Management Team, reporting directly to the Business Unit Manager.
• Take responsibility for shaping the department’s vision within the annual WBVR and departmental plan, ensuring the scientific quality of the department’s research, managing team scheduling and resource allocation. Further developing and maintaining expertise to support promising product-market combinations.
• Be accountable for the department’s budget and foster close collaboration with other departments within WBVR and Wageningen University & Research.

You have:

• Proven experience in leadership of teams or a department of similar size, demonstrating excellent management skills;
• An entrepreneurial mind set and the ability to bridge departments and areas of expertise;
• An academic degree in life sciences or veterinary medicine, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in scientific research;
• A minimum of 5 years of leadership/managerial experience in a research organisation;
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills; you have the ability to strongly motivate department staff, foster internal collaboration, and initiate new partnerships both internally and externally;
• Vision, decisiveness, and proactivity.

In our international working environment there is communication in English. For this position it is about language level proficiency at C1 is required. If you have not yet reached this level, we will gladly support you through our language center, Wageningen in'to Language.

You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. If you do not yet have the track-record required for this position, but do have solid work experience, we still encourage you to apply.

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;
• a fixed December 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 € 5042,- and € 8390,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale13-14). Additionally, a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a multi-faceted position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland and with your work you have a clear and positive impact on society. At WUR we work on the most pressing challenges of our time, like climate change and feeding the world in a sustainable way.

Coming from abroad
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 Community page 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.

Wageningen University & Research

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.
Where you will work:
In our department of bacteriology, host-pathogen interaction, and diagnostics, we work in a project-based manner across various research disciplines. The Bacteriology group investigate and develops expertise in bacterial pathogens of veterinary importance. The group includes the National Reference Laboratory for Bovine Tuberculosis and the National Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis. Research focuses on pathogens , host-pathogen interactions and associated diseases, diagnostic methods, and their technical characteristics.

The Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) group represents the National Reference Laboratory for AMR in animals in the Netherlands and, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries, and Nature (LVVN), monitors antibiotic resistance in livestock. Additionally, research is conducted to expand knowledge on the (prevention of) the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The Aquaculture Laboratory conducts diagnostics of fish diseases for the aquaculture sector and private clients and serves as the National Reference Laboratory for fish, shellfish, and crustacean diseases in the Netherlands.

The Pathology/Immunology group focuses on studying clinical, immunological, and pathological processes to contribute to the prevention and understanding of infectious diseases, with an emphasis on host-related infection/inflammation biology. Research is aimed, at developing and utilizing animal models for (contracted) vaccine studies in (pre)clinical trials, as well as establishing and testing animal-free alternatives. Within this group, we combine knowledge of pathogens with veterinary, pathological, and immunological expertise, often working in complience to Veterinary Good Clinical Practice (VICH GCP).

A significant part of our work involves research projects for both government and veterinary and biomedical companies.

Watch the video to learn more about our work at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR)

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.