Key Skills

Job Description

Your job We are looking for a versatile Backup & Restore Engineer to manage our data centers and develop and maintain a stable and secure backup & restore infrastructure that will allow us to secure and restore all our business data. Together with your colleagues, you make a good plan for the selection of new hardware to be used that meets our requirements so that written-off hardware can be replaced in a timely manner. As a backup & restore specialist, you are primarily responsible for securing, restoring and optimizing all business data within our enterprise environment. You manage a fully redundant backup platform based on VEEAM, spread over two of your own data centers. You ensure that our data is always available, protected and compliant — even in the most critical situations. You have a strong sense of security, because our data must be protected to the maximum and must be safe and recoverable even in the most extreme situations (hacking attacks, natural disasters, data center down). Your tasks and responsibilities as a Backup & Restore Engineer are: managing and maintaining our backup & restore environment; ensuring a correct backup of our data within WUR; monitoring the performance and capacity of the backup environment; devising and maintaining our disaster recovery scenarios; establishing a roadmap for timely replacement and expansion to stay ahead of increasing demand. You can look far ahead to properly incorporate developments in technology into our data center design; regular management such as incident handling, troubleshooting, monitoring and maintenance; lifecycle management and patching, upgrading and migrating hardware and software, both on Linux and Windows; automating tasks and activities; providing consultancy and advice; documenting technical architecture, management procedures and runbooks. Your team We are the Multidisciplinary Team Datacenter Management & Storage Services, part of DIAS (Digitalisation, Information & Archiving Services). With 10 employees, we are responsible for setting up and managing our data centers, installing and managing rackmount servers, storage environments and managing the backup infrastructure. You will work closely with users, Security and IT teams to ensure the continuity of our business processes. With your experience, you know how to identify risks at an early stage and implement improvements in processes, tooling and architecture. You create IT infrastructure designs that allow the team to offer Infrastructure-as-a-Service to its users. You think about ways to automate services and management where possible and you analyze existing vulnerabilities to solve them as quickly as possible where necessary. Together with our suppliers, you will look at which hardware we use, and which firmware versions are needed to ensure mutual compatibility, stability and security. You are also adept at creating cases with our suppliers, you can quickly find and deliver the necessary information, and you know how to put pressure where necessary. You give directions to our suppliers with your vision on the use of our infrastructure. The work is very diverse: both management and development and both tactical and operational. You will work here 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 work with state-of-the-art technology and get a lot of room to innovate. The work will mainly take place during office hours, but you will also be asked to participate in maintenance outside office hours (evenings or weekends) where necessary. In addition, you and your colleagues will be on standby 7x24 for security incidents according to an agreed schedule (maximum one week per month). In consultation, you can work from home part of the time. Your qualities You are an independent and inquisitive IT professional. You like to work together with other professionals and different stakeholders in an agile environment. You connect with people and dare to speak out and ask questions. You are a real go-getter, have strong communication skills and have a warm heart for education and research. In addition, you are analytically minded but also solution- and customer-oriented. You are enterprising and have the drive and organizational talent to get things done as a driving force. You take initiative and always look for new solutions to make existing environments more effective and new functionalities possible. You also have a good eye for the availability, stability, scalability and user-friendliness of the infrastructure provided. You Also Have HBO working and thinking level, preferably through a completed HBO ICT education; experience with backup & restore in an enterprise environment; knowledge and experience with VEEAM. Possess or be willing to obtain the relevant VEEAM certification; experience in creating scripts in Powershell and Python; experience with Linux (Ubuntu / Rocky); experience in the field of server and storage products; knowledge of and experience with the use of IT hardware in your own data center; knowledge of network and SAN concepts; knowledge of data resiliency concepts and security guidelines. a good command of Dutch and English. The working language within the IT organization is Dutch, but in our international working environment, increased communication is in English. You can see that there are plenty of challenges for you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So, if you do not yet have the track record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply. We offer Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment (https://www.wur.nl/en/jobs/conditions-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 € 5,698.- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10). Additionally, for this role a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. We initially offer a one-year contract, with the possibility of renewal subject to satisfactory performance and depending on the organisation’s financial situation. We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy (https://backend.wur.nl/sites/default/files/2026-01/202507%20Werving-%20%26%20selectieprocedure%20Wageningen%20University%20%26%20Research.pdf) outlines the conditions that specifically apply to you as a current or former employee. If you have any questions about this, we would be pleased to assist you. You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, within an international and open working environment. If you are an internal employee, your current contract is the starting point. Ask your HR Business Partner about your situation specifically. We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy (https://wur.service-now.com/esc?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0012172) sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help. Coming from abroad 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 “orientation year” 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 (https://wcfv.nl/en/home/global/our-services/happy-landing-and-living/). 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 (https://www.wur.nl/en/jobs/expats-new-international-staff) 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. Important information For more information about the position, please contact Roy Bartels (Department Manager) via email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or by phone: +31 6 39267152. Questions about the procedure? Please contact Edvard Jongschaap, Sr Corporate Recruiter, via email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or by phone: +31 317 – 489 178. 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 30, 2026. The first interviews are scheduled for December 3 2026. Internal candidates are preferred to apply before 2 November 2026. Applications are reviewed regularly. Therefore, the position may be filled before the stated closing date. Screening policy. Submitting a valid Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) and requesting references are part of the application procedure. Procedure Within our selection procedure, an assessment of working and thinking level can be included as part of the process. 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. We are 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 (https://www.wur.nl/en/Jobs/Why-choose-WUR.htm) 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.

Core Responsibilities

Manage, monitor, maintain, and optimize the enterprise Veeam backup and restore platform across two data centers, ensuring business data is protected, available, and recoverable. Develop disaster recovery plans and infrastructure roadmaps, handle incidents and lifecycle upgrades, automate operational tasks, and document technical designs and procedures.

Requirements

The role seeks an IT professional with higher professional education-level working and thinking ability, enterprise backup and restore experience, and knowledge of Veeam; relevant Veeam certification is held or pursued. Candidates should also have scripting experience with PowerShell and Python, Linux experience, server and storage knowledge, data center hardware experience, network and SAN knowledge, and familiarity with data resiliency and security guidelines.

Benefits

• Flexible Working Hours
• Sabbatical Leave
• Study Leave
• Partially Paid Parental Leave
• Campus Sports Facilities
• Year-End Bonus
• Pension Scheme
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Hybrid Working