News Science Officer - EUROCORES

The European Science Foundation (ESF) invites applications for a Science Officer - GeoSciences for the European Collaborative Research Scheme (EUROCORES)

The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an association of 75 major national research organisations in 30 European countries, with offices in Strasbourg (France) and Brussels (Belgium).

ESF is the platform for its Member Organisations for joint science strategy development. It acts as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and funding agencies to debate, plan and implement new pan-European scientific and science policy initiatives.

The European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) scheme allows research funding organisations in Europe and beyond to support top-class research across all scientific areas, by matching the needs articulated by the scientific community with their strategic priorities. The scheme provides a flexible framework for researchers from Europe to address questions which are the best addressed in larger-scale collaborative research programmes. The EUROCORES scheme is currently supported by the EC Sixth Framework Programme.

Mission

The principal success factors of this position are for its jobholder to demonstrate abilities to mobilise and support researchers and ESF Member Organisations, through promoting research collaboration in an inter- and multi-disciplinary environment across Europe and beyond in the research area of EUROCORES themes; to impartially support the ESF peer review processes and to represent the Foundation to the European research community and to Member Organisations.

Position Responsibilities

This position will involve:

• Supporting strategic activities by coordinating the activities of EUROCORES research programmes in the Geosciences and actively promoting scientific networking in those programmes; supporting other externally funded contracts within the overall ESF Mission;
• Organising scientific quality control, in particular through the peer review process of proposals in response to the relevant ESF Calls in this domain; and the evaluation of ongoing and completed activities and in compliance with the coordinated EUROCORES framework;
• Liaising, on behalf of the Unit, with ESF Member Organisations and with external scientific bodies, as well as with ongoing ESF-supported networks and representing ESF and the relevant scientific committees/boards and EUROCORES themes in external meetings;
• Publicising and informing the research community by taking responsibility for science communication (writing material for hard copy publication, including annual activity reports, and the Web) and liaising with the ESF Communications Unit;
• Taking responsibility for the management and achievement of budgets of specific activities in compliance with ESF Financial Rules and Delegated Financial Authority and providing necessary information to Administration and Finance allowing the regular presentation of financial reports;
• Collaborating with the Head of Unit in the management of her/his direct staff performance in a professional manner, including the timely completion of performance appraisals, regular feedback, and appropriate action planning.

Profile and Competences required

The successful jobholder should demonstrate the following competences:

Specific competences

• Ph.D. in Geosciences, preferably with a further 2-5 years research experience in Solid Earth Sciences;
• Ability to work without supervision and with substantial delegation within the context of objectives set by the Head of Unit and the Scientific Committee and to create links and promote networking of researchers through knowledge of European and national research structures (especially ESF Member Organisations) and institutions and European and international science policy;
• Demonstrable experience with peer review processes and experience of science management and scientific networking;
• Good working knowledge of European and national research structures (especially ESF Member Organisations) and institutions, and of European and international science policy;
• High standard of spoken and written English, with a working knowledge of another European language being an advantage;
• Ability to draft concise and clear scientific documents;
• Good working knowledge of MS Office systems and of electronic databases and Web sites.

Inter-personal competences:

• Action-orientated, responsible and self-managed, creative and willing to take initiatives, and continuously improvement-minded;
• Strong inter-personal and excellent communication skills within a multi-national context, including discretion, diplomacy and tolerance;
• Assertive with capability of guiding decision-making procedures and to represent ESF in the scientific community;
• Creative and willing to take initiatives and continuous improvement minded;
• Excellent presentational skills;
• Proven organisational skills;
• Basic experience/training in people management;
• Transparency in working and a team-orientated work ethic;
• Commitment to deliver on allocated tasks and respond in a timely manner to deadlines;
• Positive and constructive attitude;
• Capable of demonstrating the ESF's values: Excellence, Openness, Responsiveness, Pan-European approach, Ethical Awareness and Human Values.

Employment conditions

This full time position is offered for a short term contract ending 31st December 2008, preferably starting beginning of October 2007.

The place of work is Strasbourg, France.

The salary level will be based on experience and qualifications of the successful candidate and will follow ESF terms and conditions.

Please send your application by 17 September 2007 quoting the following reference identifier SOECLESC or to ESF, Human Resources Unit - 1 quai Lezay-Marnesia, BP 90015, F-67080 Strasbourg France.

Interviews will be held in Strasbourg in the week starting 24th September 2007.

Further details at www.esf.org http://www.esf.org/