Senior Research Engineer - Application Lifecycle and Research IT

Build it. Keep it running. Make research possible.

Research applications do more than support scientific work. They help researchers test ideas, work with data and make new discoveries. But delivering an application is only the beginning. Keeping it secure, reliable and maintainable throughout its useful life takes thoughtful engineering.

At Wageningen University & Research (WUR), research increasingly relies on advanced IT, from AI and IoT to high-performance computing, cloud platforms and large-scale data processing. Our Research Engineering team develops and supports solutions for research groups across WUR. We also increasingly run research applications on our Kubernetes-based container infrastructure.

As our Senior Research Engineer, you take the lead in application lifecycle management. You help research applications move from onboarding and deployment to monitoring, maintenance, upgrades and eventual retirement. Your challenge is to build reliable ways of working without taking away the flexibility researchers need as their work evolves.

What you’ll do

You combine hands-on engineering with clear processes and collaboration. You help researchers and IT colleagues keep applications working well - not just at launch, but over time.

Research engineering

• Work directly with researchers to understand their workflows and technical challenges and help turn their needs into practical IT solutions.
• Design and implement secure, scalable and maintainable solutions using software, databases, cloud, Kubernetes and other computing infrastructure. Projects may involve AI, IoT, scientific computing or data-intensive research.
• Coordinate implementation with platform teams, architects and security specialists, ensuring solutions align with WUR requirements for architecture, security, privacy and maintainability.

Application lifecycle management

• Develop and improve how research applications are managed throughout their lifecycle, from onboarding and deployment to monitoring, maintenance, upgrades and retirement. Establish practical approaches to configuration, versioning, patching, dependencies, logging, alerting, backup and recovery.
• Help research teams and developers prepare applications for reliable operation on Kubernetes, while addressing technical debt and outdated components.
• Clarify responsibilities between researchers, developers, Research Engineering and platform teams. Create practical documentation and coach colleagues so application management becomes clearer and easier to sustain.

Your team

You’ll join DIAS (Digitalisation, Information and Archiving Services), a department of more than 300 professionals. The Research Engineering team currently has five members and is growing.

Our work connects research with technology in many ways. We integrate sensors and measuring devices with WUR infrastructure, connect scientific tools to shared platforms, process large volumes of research data, build infrastructure for AI and scientific computing, and deploy and operate research applications.

You’ll work with colleagues across research and IT, bringing together different perspectives to solve technical challenges and improve how research applications are managed.

You’re an experienced engineer who enjoys making complex IT solutions work reliably in practice. You combine technical insight with a pragmatic approach to processes, and you understand that research needs room to evolve.

You bring:

• A relevant technical background: a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or another technical or scientific discipline.
• Practical lifecycle experience: several years of experience as a research engineer, DevOps engineer, application engineer, platform engineer or similar IT professional, including demonstrable experience managing applications throughout their lifecycle.
• Container and infrastructure expertise: experience operating or supporting applications on Kubernetes or another container orchestration platform, alongside cloud infrastructure, clusters or other large-scale computing environments.
• Modern development and deployment practices: experience with CI/CD, version control, automated testing and infrastructure or configuration management.
• Operational and security skills: experience with monitoring, logging, alerting, troubleshooting, patching, dependency management and application security.
• Engineering and collaboration skills: an understanding of software architecture and the integration of applications, databases and infrastructure, ideally gained in Agile, multidisciplinary teams. Experience with scientific research processes is a strong advantage.

You’re a pragmatic communicator who can work comfortably with researchers and IT specialists. You bring structure to application management without turning research into enterprise bureaucracy. You understand that research applications have different needs and that requirements can change as new insights emerge.

Above all, you’re curious about both technology and research. You take responsibility for making solutions work today and keeping them useful, secure and maintainable over time.

You don’t need to be an expert in every corner of Kubernetes or application management. What matters most is substantial hands-on experience managing applications throughout their lifecycle—and the judgement to know what each application needs to keep supporting research.

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 € 3,554.- and € 6,471.- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10/11). Additionally, for this role a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract with the intention of converting it to a contract for an indefinite period.

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

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”.

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.

Please note

• This is not a position that can be performed on a 100% remote basis.
• Only applications submitted through our website will be considered. This is to ensure compliance with privacy and data protection legislation, as well as a fair and consistent recruitment process for all candidates.

For more information about the position, please contact Diana Hoogeveen, IT Manager Development, via phonenumber: +31 6-81182860 or via email: diana.hoogeveen@wur.nl.

Questions about the procedure? Please contact Edvard Jongschaap, Senior Corporate Recruiter, via phonenumber: +31 317 – 489 178 or via email: 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 November 23, 2026. Internal candidates are preferred to apply before October 30, 2026.

Applications are reviewed regularly. Therefore, the position may be filled before the stated closing date.

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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