R&D Expert Water & Soil Quality

VITO is a driving force in the sustainability transition for both industry and public authorities in Belgium and abroad. Within our Water and Energy Transition unit, more than 200 professionals work on solutions to complex challenges caused by climate change and scarce resources.

As a researcher, you contribute to improving soil and water systems and strengthening their resilience against climate extremes. You collaborate with partners to develop and implement innovative solutions for drought, flooding, and water pollution. These solutions range from adapted soil and water management to technological and nature-based interventions and behavioral changes. You rely on system knowledge, data, and models to design and apply these solutions in a wider spatial context. You work with authorities, industry, citizens, and scientists in both national and international settings, within a multidisciplinary team of economists, technologists, and hydrologists.

What You Will Do

As a water quality expert, you play a key role in strengthening expertise within the soil and water domain. VITO works across the entire value chain: from data capture via sensors to the use of software, advanced modelling, and AI applications.

• You extract value from diverse data sources—field measurements, sensors, monitoring networks—and translate them into insights and concrete solutions.

• You develop and implement innovative digital applications and apply water quality models to tackle complex contamination challenges, including emerging pollutants. Within a multidisciplinary water expert team, you contribute to integrating domains such as surface water, groundwater, and the unsaturated zone. You develop and couple models across these systems to achieve deeper understanding and more sustainable water quality management.

• You translate complex data and model results into clear advice, innovative concepts, and applicable solutions for clients and stakeholders.

• You identify new needs in the field and proactively contribute to developing new services and products related to digital water quality.

• Master's degree in industrial sciences, sciences, or (bio-)engineering; a PhD is an asset.

• Experience with data collection and processing (spatial analysis, time series analysis, statistical analysis) in a water-, soil-, landscape-, or climate-related context.

• Preferably experience with automated API-based data retrieval and scripting for processing structured data (databases), sensor data (high-frequency time series), and GIS data.

• Demonstrated experience in research or consultancy within the soil and water domain such as hydrological modelling of the unsaturated zone and/or surface water/groundwater, and data analysis.

• Sound knowledge of physico-chemical processes in soil and water.

• Knowledge of GIS, Python/R, SQL, geostatistics, or modelling tools is a strong advantage.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Dynamic and customer-oriented

• Independent, proactive, and goal-oriented

• Communicative, analytical, and creative

• Eager to learn and motivated to build modelling expertise

• Enthusiastic about scientific knowledge and data-driven research, and able to communicate this clearly to non-experts

• Flexible and in possession of a driving licence B

• Willing to travel abroad occasionally for short business trips

• Fluent in English (spoken and written); knowledge of Dutch is a plus

Offer

• You will join a leading organization in technological research and science-based consultancy.

• You contribute to strengthening Flanders as an international knowledge region and to sustainable development.

• We offer a competitive salary package with additional benefits, flexibility in workplace and working hours, and an attractive work-life balance.

• You work activity-based, with at least two connection days per week in Mol and one monthly team day in Antwerp (Berchem). You can also work from other VITO campuses or from home.

• Innovation is a core value: we support and encourage continuous professional development.

An extensive overview of our projects and technologies can be found on https://digitalwater.vito.be/en