Position Project Manager

OPERAS is the Research Infrastructure supporting open scholarly communication in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in the European Research Area. Its mission is to coordinate and federate resources in Europe to efficiently address the scholarly communication needs of European researchers in the field of SSH.

The European landscape of scholarly communication in the SSH is currently patchy, fragmented and not organized enough to be efficient, particularly to address the challenge of transitioning to Open Science. This is due to several factors, such as the small size of resource providers, and the variety of technical skills and resources across the community. The nature of the SSH disciplines also adds specific challenges which are not correctly addressed at scale, such as the diversity of publication languages, the entrenchment in diverse cultural backgrounds and the need for specific forms of scholarly communication (monographs, critical editions, and edited bibliographies, amongst others).

By fulfilling its mission, OPERAS provides the research community with the missing brick it needs to find, access, create, edit, disseminate and easily and efficiently validate SSH outputs across Europe. In one word, OPERAS unlocks scholarly communication resources and enables the whole field to reinvent itself in the new Open Science paradigm.

The OPERAS AISBL was established in 2020 and we are now seeking to recruit a Project Manager for this organisation.

Job Summary

The Project Manager works closely with the Secretary General for the daily implementation and management of the OPERAS’ projects portfolio. The Project Manager will be primarily in charge of OPERAS’ coordinated projects and, on demand, support the coordination of OPERAS’ contribution to participated projects. The main tasks and responsibilities are centred around the day-to-day administration of the consortium, the monitoring of the resources, the development and implementation of the quality and risk management plans and consist of:

  • Leading preparation of the contractual documentation: grant agreement and consortium agreement;
  • Supporting the technical or scientific coordinator and the project boards (General Assembly, Project management boards), organising the meetings and writing minutes;
  • Implementing the consortium progress monitoring;
  • Coordinating, supervising and submitting the EU periodic reports (financial and technical);
  • Managing the project budget, distribution of the prefinancing, redistribution of budget in case of amendment;
  • Set up the necessary procedure for quality and risk management (only for coordinated projects);
  • Organising the EC review(s) in liaison with the project boards members;
  • Representing OPERAS vis à vis the EU project officer.

The Project Manager will also contribute to developing the project proposals and set up the Grant Agreement to launch project proposals granted. The Project Manager will be responsible for maintaining and evolving the project management processes as part of the Integrated Management System. 

Key Responsibilities (in European-funded projects)

  • PALOMERA WP1 Coordination and Management
  • DIAMAS WP1 representation of OPERAS in the coordination of the project
  • Implement newly granted Coordinated and participated project proposals

Relationships

  • Daily with the Secretary-General and the CFAO.
  • With OPERAS Co-coordinators, the other OCT members and the Secretary-General in the context of the OPERAS Coordination Team (OCT) of OPERAS AISBL.
  • With the beneficiaries of OPERAS-led projects – either through direct day-to-day interactions or through any project administration committee – to provide advice on project finance & administration matters.
  • With the governance of OPERAS-led projects to provide administration support.
  • With the European Commission’s financial and legal services for aspects around any EC-funded coordinated projects. 
  • With any other actors as required.

Job Requirements

  • At least 3-5 years of experience in European Commission Framework Programme project finances and associated legal issues or diploma in project management with expertise on EU-funded project
  • Acquainted with the principle of an Integrated Management System is an added value.
  • Professionalism and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive situations and matters.
  • Strong problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent people skills, with experience collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and effectively lead teams of staff on a variety of activities.
  • Self-motivated to learn new concepts and participate in new projects.
  • Strong verbal, written, organisational, analytical and interpersonal skills. 
  • Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and concretely in writing (project reporting, minutes, official exchanges with externals) 
  • Fluent in English; Speaking French or Dutch in addition is an asset.
  • Background or experience in Social Sciences and Humanities would be an asset.

Offer

  • The position is offered for a fixed-term period of 3 years which can potentially be extended. 
  • This is a full-time position based in Brussels.
  • Remote working and/or part-time opportunities can be considered.
  • Annual salary including bonus: 48k to 70k
  • Salary depends upon the experience of the successful candidate. Full package may vary depending on the country of living if working from a different country than Belgium. 

Equal opportunities 

The OPERAS AISBL is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. 

Process and timescale (provisional)

Closing date for applications 29 May 2023, 5:00 pm
Interviews & Short-listing1-2 June 2023
Final interviews (optional)8 June 2023
Desired Starting Date 01 July 2023

Information to apply

Please send a cover letter and your CV to HR[at]operas-eu.org. An assessment may be part of the selection process. Only direct applications from candidates are taken into account. OPERAS AISBL does not appreciate any acquisition by third parties regarding this position. For additional information about this position, you may contact Human Resource team at HR[at]operas-eu.org.

Download the call here.

Project manager – Open call
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