Team leader International Policy

You will join Wageningen Social and Economic research (WSER)- part of Wageningen University & Research-a leading institute for applied socioeconomic research in agriculture and food systems. Our International Policy group, of 26 highly motivated professionals with various nationalities works on high- impact studies for Dutch government, the European Commission, and other public international institutions and governments. Together, we  contribute to global challenges like climate change, food security, economic sustainability, circularity, biodiversity, nutrition and health.

Core fields of expertise are the CGE model MAGNET, the partial equilibrium model AGMEMOD, Input/Output modelling, and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as well as trade policies. Within Wageningen Social and Economic Research researchers work across all teams and WUR divisions in multidisciplinary project teams and with experts from other Dutch and international research institutes.

JOB DESCRIPTION
As Team Leader, you’ll bridge research and strategy — connecting researchers with the broader institute and aligning our work with WSER’s long-term vision. You will coach and empower a diverse team of experts, fostering collaboration, innovation, and professional growth. You play an important role in creating team spirit, job satisfaction, and collegiality. You take care of a professional and well-organised group and are responsible for the group’s operational management. Your most important tasks are:

• Motivating and encouraging your team in their responsibility for results-oriented and high-quality research, products, and policy advice through collaboration and development. You set an example in this regard in terms of attitude and behavior, in collaboration with the other team leaders;
• Based on sufficient domain knowledge and knowledge/experience in conducting research team, you are a sparring partner for your team in the field of strategic research questions and communication;
• Linking the team with the rest of the institute and vice versa. Translate and communicate developments in the institute to your team. Represent the team in the rest of the organization and advocate for the team if needed;
• Connecting research capacities and qualities with customer needs. This sometimes requires active participation in the network and activities in the market, like taking on an account management role towards DG EU;
• Overseeing the research capacity within the team and maintaining the quality of our products;
• Sharpening professional competencies within the team through coaching, lifelong learning and developing composition of the team;
• Developing and sharing a vision on client-oriented research, together with the other team leaders.

The position offers flexibility and room for manoeuvre in shaping your job and day-to-day activities.

We are looking for a people oriented, inspirational manager with a taste for quality, impact, development of people and experience in management of professionals.

We ask you to have:

• An MSc or PhD in economics, social or other relevant sciences;
• proven experience leading a team of highly educated professionals;
• excellent competencies in project and people management;
• affinity and/or experience with economic modelling;
• experience with policy-making processes in national and international contexts is a plus;
• natural competency to connect, inspire and motivate your team;
• excellent communicative competencies in English and Dutch (both C1 level).

You will be based in our office in either Wageningen or The Hague. We expect you to be present at the other location at least 1 day per week. Working from home is possible to a limited extend.

A challenging position in an (inter)national context, with an open and pleasant work culture and excellent opportunities for personal development.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 you, depending on your experience, a market-based salary of up to €7,068 for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the Wageningen Research CLA (scale 12). Additionally, a contract of 0.8 fte can be discussed.  As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) 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. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

For more information about this position, please contact Olaf Hietbrink (+31 70 3358301; olaf.hietbrink@wur.nl) or Titia Leutscher (+31 70 3358398; titia1.leutscher@wur.nl).
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For information about the application procedure, please contact Jeanine van 't Veer – Drost, Corporate Recruiter, via recruitment.ssg@wur.nl.

DO YOU WANT TO APPLY?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 5 January 2026. We hope to schedule the first job interviews as soon as posible.

The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled. If you come across this vacancy after 5th of January, please contact us to check the current status.

An assessment is part of the selection process.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs many people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information, please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

​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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