Researcher Sustainability metrics and Life Cycle Assessment Agri-Food

We are looking for

Are you an expert in Sustainability metrics and Life Cycle Assessment in the domain of agri-food? Do you want to contribute to a future proof and sustainable world by reducing the environmental and social footprint of agricultural and food products and advising on sustainable policy development?

This vacancy is part of the expertise group Performance & Impact Agri sectors, one of the seven groups within Wageningen Economic Research. This group consists of 45 enthusiastic professionals who are dedicated to help solving challenges such as how we can produce enough healthy and safe food in a sustainable and fair way, reducing climate change, preserving biodiversity and natural resources. We conduct socio-economic studies (e.g., monitoring projects, scenario studies, ex-ante evaluations) and policy research (policy analyses, evaluations, foresights) for national and international governments, NGOs and businesses, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work often has direct impact on decisions of governments and businesses.  

We find the dissemination of our research results very important, for example through client presentations, workshops, (interactive) reports and scientific publications. In addition, we communicate actively about our research and participate in the social debate.

Your role
As a researcher, you will work in alternating interdisciplinary project teams on research projects in the field of sustainability metrics and life cycle assessment (LCA). You help to define and implement measurement systems, develop LCA methodologies and tools, interpret and report the results. You will present the research results and advice in a clear manner and, based on that, provide independent advice to our clients.

You are a sparring partner for our clients and able to translate their knowledge questions into clear research and project proposals.
Examples of challenges that you may work on include:

• Create LCA guidelines (like EU Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules) for a specific product category
• Support policy development in a harmonized approach to environmental foot printing of food products, targeting mitigation options and consumer labelling
• A Life Cycle Analysis on a new vegan food product to advise a company on sourcing strategies
• Develop new LCA-related approaches to societal issues (e.g. sustainable nutrition, social life cycle assessment)
• Develop sustainability dashboards helping industry make sustainable decisions

We ask

• master degree in a subject with a strong sustainability component (e.g. industrial ecology, environmental science; agricultural science; sustainable energy);
• advanced knowledge of sustainability metrics and life cycle assessment guidelines (e.g., PEF(CRs), LEAP), life cycle inventory databases (e.g., Ecoinvent, Agri-footprint, Agribalyse), emission models (e.g. IPCC, EMEP/EEA) and tools (Simapro);
• knowledge of the agri-food sector;
• experience with quantitative data analysis;
• excellent analytical skills;
• a committed personality who enjoys working in a team, has a customer and result-oriented attitude, has good presentation and writing skills and the ability to perform under pressure;
• excellent communication skills in Dutch and English, both oral and written. Given the intensive interaction with Dutch clients, excellent command of Dutch is obligatory.
• 3-5 years of experience in a project-led organisation.
• experience in leading projects in a commercial setting.

Bonus

• experience in consulting
• experienced in programming languages (e.g. Python) to develop methods, models or tools;

We offer

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December bonus of 4%;
• 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 maximum € 5.892,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the 

CLA Wageningen Research

 (scale 12). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a multi-faceted position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief , known as the 30% ruling.Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Bert van der Scheer, Head of Performance and Impact Agrisectors via +31(0)6- 2852 1646 of [email protected] .

For more information about the procedure, please contact Jeanine van ‘t Veer - Drost, Corporate recruiter, Recruitment support via [email protected] .  

Would you like to get an impression of working at Wageningen Economic Research? Then take a look at this link: https://youtu.be/s3Ymarxh8BA

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 the 20th October 2022. We will schedule the first job interviews as soon as possible after closing date.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of 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

We are
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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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 this video 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.