Apply now »

Project Management Officer

Category:  Management & Professionals

1 - Working at the VUB

For almost 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and connectedness. These values are strongly present on our campuses, in our students as well as our staff. At the VUB, you’ll find a diverse collection of personalities: pure innovators and especially people who are 100% their authentic selves. With about 3.500 employees, we are the largest Flemish-speaking employer in Brussels, an international city with which we are all too happy to be connected, and around which our four campuses are located.
Are you passionate about research and development in geosciences and climate change? Do you get excited accompanying researchers and projects, thereby directly contributing to high-level scientific research? Are you a problem solver, do you thrive by taking action and leading by example, and do you want to work in a dynamic team researching issues of fundamental societal significance?

Then you are exactly the person we are looking for! The Department of Water and Climate at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is hiring a Project Management Officer (PMO) who provides project, financial, and administrative support for the bclimate and bglacier research groups and forms a link between the team’s professors and the central services of the VUB.

2 - Position Description

About the bclimate and bglacier research teams: the bclimate and bglacier research teams are part of the Department of Water and Climate within the VUB’s faculty of Engineering. These two young and dynamic research teams are composed of about 20 members (bclimate, headed by Prof. W. Thiery) and 10 members (bglacier, headed by Prof. H. Zekollari). Both teams recently secured major research funding, including two ERC grants, an FWO Odysseus grant and Horizon Europe projects.

More on:

https://hydr.vub.be/

https://www.zekollari.be/

https://sites.google.con/site/wimthiery/

Your tasks:

  • Support the management of the bclimate and bglacier research groups.
  • Administrative-financial management of the groups and selected research projects, including project and personnel management, budget follow-up, progress reporting, budget optimization and HR planning.
  • Follow-up of contractual and financial aspects of scientific services and coordination and follow-up of day-to-day operations, progress reports, deliverables, and data management plans.
  • Supporting and advising on personnel matters, finance, and research projects.
  • Actively support the securing of external funding, for instance by supporting project writing (management components, financial details, and/or content wise)
  • All-round support for research project-related tasks such as organizing project events and workshops, outreach activities, management of the website, and fieldwork (including possibility of joining field campaigns to e.g. glaciers)
  • You are the single point of contact (SPOC) for questions from the team researchers concerning their scientific and administrative tasks. You look for solutions based on your own expertise and in coordination with the central services of the VUB.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.

3 - Profile

Essential requirements:

  • Master’s degree and/or PhD.
  • Highly proficient in both spoken and written English.
  • You can easily tailor your message, both in spoken and written form, to your target audience.
  • Highly organized, with an aptitude in planning effectively to meet deadlines and an eagerness to maximise project outcomes.
  • Strong focus on detail and an affinity with numbers.
  • A born networker and problem solver.
  • Proactive, eager to learn and work independently.
  • You can make an important contribution to simplification and optimization of processes.
  • You are looking forward to thriving in an international, diverse, and inclusive environment.

Additional strengths:

  • Affinity with the scientific research fields, e.g. though studies or research experience in a related field (e.g., geosciences, environmental sciences, geography, climatology, physics, computer science, engineering).
  • Experience with consulting and/or project planning and (financial-administrative) management of academic R&D projects, such as Horizon Europe projects.
  • You understand the VUB or another university’s context and have experience working in larger (academic) teams.
  • Knowledge of the Flemish, Belgian and European financing landscape (e.g., FWO, VLAIO, FOD, Horizon Europe.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague? You’ll be offered a temporary (12 month) full-time contract at a salary linked to grade 7-8-9 depending on your competences and previous relevant work experience. The contract is to be extended after a positive evaluation. The position is immediately available and to be filled as soon as possible. The exact start date is negotiable.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career. As well as this, you’ll enjoy various benefits:

  • Full reimbursement for your home-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, or compensation if you come by bike;
  • Cost-free hospitalisation and group insurance with guaranteed income;
  • The space to form your job content and continuously learn via VUB LRN;
  • Excellent facilities for sport and exercise;
  • Ecocheques;
  • Delicious meals at attractive prices in our campus restaurants;
  • An open, family-friendly work environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract).  

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of? Apply before 17/5/2024. Send us your CV, letter of motivation and the highest degree you’ve attained (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Your application will undergo various steps as follows:

  • Step 1: CV screening.
  • Step 2: A Practical exam (optional).
  • Step 3: A final interview scheduled in week 21 or 22 (although we reserve the right to change the date).

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Wim Thiery (wim.thiery@vub.be) or Harry Zekollari (harry.zekollari@vub.be)

Do you have questions about the selection procedure? Contact Barbara Van Belle (barbara.van.belle@vub.be)

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB?

Go to www.jobs.vub.be and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues. 

6 - For office use

Contract: temporary (1 year)

Head unit/faculty: Faculty of Engineering

FTE: fulltime

Function: Management Support

Pay grade group: 7-8-9

Recrutement type: hiring

DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS VACANCY?

You can contact the person mentioned in the job description.

Apply now »