Managementassistent

Are you an organizational talent who gets energy from coordinating, structuring, and thinking ahead? Do you enjoy a role where you are close to the content, connect processes, and support a director who can rely on you? Then this is your opportunity to take on a key position as Management Assistant within our Corporate Finance & Control department.

Your role

As Management Assistant, you are the right hand of the Director of Finance & Control. You support him on an operational level, both administratively and substantively, enabling him to focus on strategic and financial matters. You act as a sparring partner for ongoing processes, monitor progress, and ensure that agreements, information, and priorities remain clear and well-organized.

You are also the central point of contact within the department, playing an important social role. You maintain contact with colleagues from various institutes, staff departments, and decentralized Finance Managers. Thanks to your overview, communication skills, and proactive attitude, our department continues to run smoothly.

What you will do

Secretarial & Administrative

• Manage complex calendars and planning for the director and possibly other MT members.
• Prepare meetings (including MT-F and Finance Manager meetings), take minutes, and follow up on action points.
• Monitor deadlines, project milestones, and internal processes.
• Support financial and administrative tasks within the department.

Information & Communication

• Serve as the first point of contact for colleagues, guest employees, and external partners.
• Ensure clear communication and information flow within the department.
• Identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

Process & System Organization

• Ensure processes align logically and run efficiently.
• Coordinate with HR, IT, and other support departments.
• Work smartly and efficiently with digital systems and AI tools.

If there is room and interest, you can expand your role with project-based tasks, data analyses, and visualizing information in tools such as PowerPoint. In this way, you contribute to WUR-wide projects in the areas of organization, communication, and process improvement.

Your team

You will work closely with the management team of the Corporate Finance & Control staff department, which reports directly to the Executive Board. The department consists of approximately 22 FTE of highly educated, driven, and enthusiastic professionals, divided into two teams: Project Control and Business Control. The position is based in Wageningen.

You excel at planning, structuring, and setting priorities, and you effortlessly maintain oversight in a dynamic environment with many parallel processes. You communicate clearly and professionally. You switch smoothly between different levels and stakeholders, and you are approachable, proactive, and focused on relieving others. In addition, you work confidently with administrative systems and quickly master new digital tools.

You also bring:

• Higher professional education (HBO) level of working and thinking (a diploma is an advantage).
• Excellent command of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint) and an interest in or experience with AI applications.
• Experience in organizing, preparing, and coordinating activities or projects.
• Resilience, independence, and the confidence to ask questions.
• Experience in a similar role and familiarity with financial terminology is a plus.
• For this position is a a level of C1 Dutch mandatory.

In our international working environment, English is increasingly used. For this position, a B2 language level is required. If you do not yet meet this level, we will of course support you, and you can make use of our language centre, Wageningen in’to Language.

As you can see, there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So even if you do not yet have the full track record described in the vacancy but do have solid work experience, we warmly 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;
• 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. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between €2.979,- and €3.893,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 7). Additionally, For this role a contract for 0,6-0,8 fte can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within organizational circumstances - on good performance.  Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

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. 

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.

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 “orientationyear” in the Netherlands or a visa as a “knowledge migrant”.

For more information about the position, please contact Bas Wessels Managing Director Finance & Control , per e-mail; Bas.wessels@wur.nl. 

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jeanine van ’t Veer, corporate recruiter via jeanine.vantveer-drost@wur.nl

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until 19th of March 2026. 

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

​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.

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