Occupational Social Worker

Are you looking for meaningful work where you can make a real impact on the wellbeing of employees and help create a healthy, positive working culture? Do you thrive in a dynamic environment and enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures? Then the role of Occupational Social Worker at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) could be exactly what you’re looking for. Discover more below.

As an occupational social worker, you play a key role in strengthening the wellbeing and resilience of our employees. 

Your responsibilitiesinclude:

• Supporting and guiding employees facing psychosocial challenges, and advising on issues that influence job satisfaction, work–life balance, and overall functioning.
• Identifying structural concerns and reporting them to management, while advising supervisors and HR on sick leave, organizational change, and work-related stress.
• Working closely with occupational health physicians, confidential counsellors, and other specialists, and offering expert consultation on complex cases.
• Translating social and organizational developments into practical insights that strengthen sustainable employability and vitality across the organization by providing inspiring sessions, presentations, and workshops on stress (prevention), work–life balance and reintegration.
• You also contribute to the ongoing professionalization and growth of the occupational social work team, helping shape the future of employee wellbeing at WUR.

Your team

The Occupational Social Work (OCW) team consists of five professionals (4 FTE), each responsible for their own area within the organization. Due to the departure of one of our colleagues, we now have an opportunity to welcome a new team member.

You will work here 

OCW is part of the Corporate HR department. This department is responsible for developing and implementing the HR function across the entire organization and plays an initiating and advisory role to the Executive Board in shaping HR strategy and policy. OCW reports directly to the Corporate Director of HR.

For this role, independence, organizational awareness, integrity and a results‑oriented mindset are essential.

You also bring:

• A completed bachelor’s degree in social work.
• At least three years of relevant work experience.
• Good command of both Dutch and English.
• Strong skills and experience in working with complex cases and dealing with multilateral partiality.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level: B2.

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 € 3,399,- and € 5,478.- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10). We offer you a contract based on 32 hours a week for one year with the intention to adjust it to a permanent contract. If you are an internal candidate your current contract will be the basis. If you have any questions we are happy to help you.

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. 

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 Communitypage 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.

For more information about the position, please contact Irene de Jong, via 0317 – 483 685 or email: bedrijfsmaatschappelijkwerk@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Edvard Jongschaap, Corporate Recruiter, via Edvard.jongschaap@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 up to and including Monday March 23, 2026

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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