European Energy Research Alliance is hiring a Operations & Communications Manager

DESCRIPTION OF THE MISSION

The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) AISBL is the largest alliance for low-carbon energy research in Europe. Bringing together more than 250 organisations from more than 30 countries to develop shared priority-setting and research projects. EERA currently runs 18 Joint Programmes covering research in materials, technologies and systems, including policy and social aspects, aligned with the priorities for low-carbon technologies defined in the EU SET Plan. The Joint Programmes on Energy Systems Integration (JP ESI), Geothermal (JP Geothermal) and Smart Cities (JP Smart Cities) are essential parts of the EERA community, with each having more than 20 members. These members are the most prominent research groups in their respective fields in Europe.

EERA is looking for an Operations & Communications Manager to support and manage the administration and operation of JP ESI, JP Geothermal and JP Smart Cities.

You will be based at the EERA AISBL office in Brussels and integrated into the EERA AISBL team while working closely with the JP ESI, JP Geothermal and JP Smart Cities Management Boards, elected among the partner institutes. You will report hierarchically to EERA AISBL and functionally to the JP Coordinators or their representative (typically based abroad). The primary responsibility will be to support the JPs Management Boards in running the three programmes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The resource will support equally ESI, Geothermal (GEO) and Smart Cities (SC).

The selected candidate will report to and liaise with the coordination team of each above mentioned Joint Programmes for all management and communication-related tasks.

Management and coordination support

• Assisting JPs ESI, GEO, SC with the meetings (planning, communication, note-taking minutes, and follow-up actions) of the Management Board (MB) and the Steering Committee (SC).

• Advising and assisting JPs ESI, GEO, SC members, on the working and priorities of EERA and the interaction with stakeholders such as the JP Steering Committees (SC) and the JP Management Boards (MB).

• Assisting JPs ESI, GEO, SC Management Board (MB) with budget management and reporting, including preparation of financial summaries, monitoring of expenditures, and support with annual budget reports.

• Managing the relationships with member organisations, including membership database management, membership fee invoicing and collection.

• Reaching out to potential new members and supporting in enlarging the JP community.

Administrative support

• Operational management of the Joint Programmes, such as helping with event organisation, such as workshops, and the annual conference/s (General assemblies).

• Monitoring of activities and deliverables, assisting in tracking progress against the annual work plan.

• Contribution to the preparation of strategic documents, including annual reports, policy papers, and position statements.

• Facilitating the process of admitting new members and streamlining communication between the Management Board and the members.

• Liaison with the EERA Secretariat and other Joint Programmes to ensure coherence and knowledge exchange across initiatives.

• Internal communication: taking responsibility for the communication within the JPs, such as updating contact lists, SharePoint, meeting calendar, information sharing with members, etc.

• External communication: maintaining the Joint Programmes’ websites and social media channels.

• Monitoring European Research Programmes for relevant research calls.

• Executing basic project management tasks.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

General requirements

• A university degree or equivalent master’s degree is appreciated but not mandatory.

• Minimum two years of relevant work experience related to office/operations management, preferably in an international/multi-cultural environment.

• Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the EU.

Technical Skills

• Excellent and proven organisational and teamwork skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; knowledge of other European languages is an asset.

• Project management skills (related to European Research Programmes).

• A basic understanding of European Institutions and of “Research” administrative matters is an asset.

• Quick learner.

Personal Skills

• Empathy and willingness to work in a highly interactive team.

• Appetite for international/multi-cultural environments.

• Ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.

• Ability to work independently and be self-driven.

• Very organised with strong attention to detail and strong attention to communication with a group of Managers distributed over Europe.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team.

• Tactful, diplomatic and non-judgmental, able to relate to people in all situations.

• Ability to foster a pleasant and collaborative working environment.

• Highly flexible.

TERMS OF THE CONTRACT

• The opening is for a full-time position (38 hours/week).

• Work Location is 72, rue de Namur, 1000 Brussels.

• Competitive salary based upon experience.

APPLICATION

Please send your CV and motivation letter (exclusively in PDF format, in English) to [email protected], and indicate as the subject of the email “Operations & Communications Manager EERA Joint Programmes” before 30 January, 16h00.

The motivation letter (1 page maximum) should highlight your reasons for applying and your credentials for the position. The selection of the candidate will undergo a selection process and will be based on the merit principle.