Senior Research Engineer

You bring research questions and technology together. Working directly with researchers and IT specialists, you explore what is needed, identify the right technical approach and turn it into a working solution. You combine broad technical expertise with a practical mindset, taking ownership from the first conversation to implementation and delivery.

Your work spans software engineering, infrastructure, data platforms and architecture. You make thoughtful technical choices and ensure that solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable and aligned with WUR’s wider IT landscape. You also help researchers understand what technology can do for their work and where its limitations lie.

It is an opportunity to make a direct technical contribution to research while helping build the IT capabilities that enable new discoveries.

Your team

You will join the Research Engineering team within WUR’s Digitalisation, Information and Archiving Services Department, which brings together more than 300 professionals. Our team currently consists of five professionals and is growing. We work closely with research groups and projects across WUR, tackling a wide variety of technical challenges.

One project might involve connecting sensors and measuring devices to WUR infrastructure. Another might require integrating scientific applications with shared platforms, processing large volumes of research data or developing infrastructure for AI and scientific computing.

To make this happen, we work across cloud environments, Kubernetes clusters, high-performance computing, software, databases and data platforms. You will collaborate with researchers and specialists from across IT, contribute your own expertise and help colleagues find solutions to complex technical problems.

What you will do

You turn research needs into reliable, practical IT solutions. You combine hands-on engineering with technical leadership and act as a trusted partner to researchers and IT colleagues.

• Lead complex research IT assignments: take ownership from the initial research question through technical design, implementation and delivery.
• Explore and translate research needs: work with researchers to understand their processes and challenges, then identify opportunities for integration, automation and improvement.
• Design and build robust solutions: develop applications, databases, infrastructure and integrations that are secure, scalable and maintainable.
• Guide technical decisions: assess architectural options, explain trade-offs and align solutions with WUR requirements for architecture, security, privacy and data management.
• Connect technologies and capabilities: integrate scientific applications, sensors and research tools with WUR infrastructure, and help enable data-intensive research, AI, IoT and scientific computing.
• Strengthen the team and the wider IT landscape: act as a technical sparring partner, coordinate with relevant specialists, share knowledge and identify opportunities to reuse and standardise solutions.

You will help researchers make better use of technology while ensuring that individual solutions contribute to a reliable, sustainable IT landscape across WUR. By combining curiosity, technical expertise and collaboration, you help create the conditions for research to go further.

Requirements

What we are looking for

You are an experienced engineer who enjoys solving complex technical problems and applying technology to real-world research challenges. You are comfortable working independently, taking ownership of solutions and operating across the boundaries of software, infrastructure and research.

What you bring

You are an experienced engineer who enjoys tackling complex technical challenges and turning research needs into practical IT solutions. You take ownership, work independently and connect the worlds of software, infrastructure and research.

You bring:

• A relevant technical background: a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a related technical or scientific discipline, combined with several years of experience in software engineering, infrastructure engineering, research engineering, technical consulting or a similar role. Experience in a research environment is an advantage.
• Broad technical expertise: strong software engineering skills, experience with programming and scientific software, and a good understanding of software architecture, infrastructure, security, privacy and data management.
• Experience with modern infrastructure: knowledge of large-scale computing environments, such as HPC, clusters and cloud platforms, as well as experience with Kubernetes and modern infrastructure and deployment practices.
• A practical, analytical mindset: the ability to untangle complex technical challenges, make sound technical choices and develop secure, sustainable solutions. You can explain your approach and its trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• A collaborative approach: experience working in Agile environments and multidisciplinary teams, with strong communication and consulting skills. You enjoy working with researchers, engineers, architects and IT specialists to find solutions together.
• Curiosity and adaptability: an interest in new technologies and the drive to keep learning. You are comfortable working with evolving requirements and finding a way forward when research questions are not yet fully defined.

Experience with scientific research processes is highly valuable. You understand that research evolves as new insights emerge, and you can adapt your approach without losing sight of technical quality and long-term maintainability.

Above all, you are curious about both technology and research. You enjoy exploring possibilities, tackling difficult problems and working closely with researchers to turn their ideas into reality.

Conditions of employment

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 mobility within our organization. In our recruitment and selection policy you can read which conditions apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions about this, we are happy to help you.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working atmosphere.

Employer

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.

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.

Additional information

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.

Join us and come work at WUR

At Wageningen University & Research, you work at improving the quality of life. Together with your colleagues, you seek to answer the challenges within our domain 'healthy food and living environment.'