Software Developer

Are you a software developer who likes to build, is curious about AI and wants to contribute to a safe and responsible way in which our university uses this technology? Help us build the way our university uses AI

Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we learn, do research and work. As a university, we want to give our students, lecturers and researchers the space to discover and use these opportunities. At the same time, we think it is important that this is done in a safe, responsible and transparent manner.

That is why we are building our own GenAI platform, including the WUR AI Chat and the WUR LLM Hub: a secure environment in which users can access modern AI capabilities, within clear frameworks and with attention to privacy, security, academic integrity and responsible use.

For the team that develops this environment, we are looking for a Medior Software Developer who enjoys building software at the intersection of technology, education, research and Artificial Intelligence. The multidisciplinary team consists of software developers, AI specialists and other colleagues. We work closely with students, lecturers, researchers and colleagues within the university.

We believe in technical craftsmanship, open collaboration and room to experiment. Not every question has a clear answer in advance. We therefore expect you not only to implement what is on the backlog, but also to ask questions, investigate alternatives and come up with ideas.

As a Medior Developer, you will be given room to develop further. You will work together with more experienced colleagues on complex issues and gradually take on more responsibility for technical choices and parts of the environment.

What you will do

• As a Software Developer, you will contribute to the further development of our chatAI environment and to applications that are built on top of it.
• You will be involved in, among other things:
• developing and maintaining reliable and user-friendly software;
• building new functionalities within our AI environment;
• developing user applications that help students, teachers and researchers to apply AI in a practical way;
• linking AI models and third-party services to our software;
• developing APIs, integrations, and backend and frontend components;
• writing automated tests and ensuring proper documentation;
• thinking along about software architecture, security, privacy and scalability;
• research and application of new technologies and development methods;
• experimenting with AI-assisted software development and critically assessing its results;
• collaborate with colleagues from IT, education, research and other disciplines and institutions/universities to translate technical solutions into concrete user needs.

You don’t just work on the technology itself. You will also help determine how we make AI available to our university community in a responsible way.

The reason why you want to work with us You will work in a professional IT organization with more than 200 IT specialists where you can learn a lot and develop yourself well. We have two of our own data centers on our beautiful, green and spacious campus and we are committed to digital sovereignty, the use of open source solutions and a sustainable use of our environment. You will work with state-of-the-art technology in the field of Artificial Intelligence and the infrastructure used for this.

• You will be working on technology that will play a major role in education and research in the coming years.
• You build software that is actually used by students, teachers and researchers.
• You work with modern AI technology and are given the space to experiment with it.
• You will work on interesting issues in the field of software engineering, AI, security, privacy and user experience.
• You will have the opportunity to further develop yourself both technically and substantively.
• You will work in an environment where knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration are central., You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working atmosphere.

You don’t have to be an AI expert. Experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, AI agents, RAG or other AI technologies is a plus, but not a requirement. We think it’s more important that you are a good software developer who is curious about what makes AI possible Curiosity, a good software engineering foundation and the willingness to learn new technology are more important to us., * HBO working and thinking level, preferably through a completed HBO ICT education.

• several years of professional experience in software development, or comparable demonstrable experience;
• a good foundation in software engineering, including testing, version control, code quality, and software design;
• experience with a modern technology stack such as TypeScript, React and Next.js, Docker, GitHub Actions, and Azure
• experience with APIs, databases, and software integrations;
• the ability to independently develop functionality within an existing architecture;
• interest in Artificial Intelligence and the developments surrounding generative AI;
• the ability to quickly master and critically assess new technology;
• attention to security, privacy, reliability and maintainability;
• Good communication skills and pleasure in working with people from different backgrounds.
• A good command of Dutch and English.
• We are looking for a developer who can work independently, but also actively seeks cooperation when a question is complex.

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.

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.

Of course, these excellent fringe benefits also include an appropriate salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a salary of at least € 3,554 to a maximum of € 5,698 for a full working week of 36 hours according to the Collective Labor Agreement Wageningen Research (scale 10). An appointment of 32 hours is negotiable for this role. When it comes to your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract with the intention of converting it to an indefinite contract.

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.

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.’