Head of Sector – Innovation Fund – Energy Intensive Industries and Hydrogen

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)

The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) is the successor organization of the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) and it started its activities on 1 April 2021. Its mission is to support stakeholders in delivering the European Green Deal through high-quality programme management that helps to implement projects contributing to decarbonisation and sustainable growth. CINEA implements parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, environment, and climate action: for the financial perspectives 2021-2027 the Agency has expanded its portfolio of programmes with strong focus on contributing to the European Commission’s Green Deal priority.

The main programmes managed by CINEA are:

• The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF): supports high-performing, sustainable and interconnected Trans-European Networks.
• Horizon Europe: the EU’s Research and Innovation programme for which CINEA manages the areas of cluster on Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5).
• The Innovation Fund: one of the world’s largest climate innovation funding programmes supporting the deployment of innovative low-carbon technologies between 2020-2030.
• LIFE Programme: entirely dedicated to environmental, climate and clean energy objectives.
• European Maritime, Aquaculture and Fisheries Fund: targets public support for the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the Union’s Maritime Policy and the EU’s agenda for international ocean governance.
• The EU Renewable Energy Mechanism; and
• The Public Sector Loan Facility of the Just Transition Mechanism.

The budget managed by CINEA in 2021-2027 period is ca. € 65 billion.

Working environment

CINEA is based in Brussels and has a multinational team of around 550 people. The number of staff will grow further over the coming years and the purpose of this publication is therefore to set up a reserve list, which will be used to cover the growing needs of the Agency. The reserve list may also be used by other Executive Agency upon agreement between the respective Appointing Authorities (AECEs).

More information on CINEA

Website: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/index_en

X(Twitter): @cinea_eu

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3wtAjwd

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDic9AVxO1PP1SqoKbHMwrA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDic9AVxO1PP1SqoKbHMwrA

Description of the job

Working in the Innovation Fund Unit of the Agency’s Green Research and Innovation Department, the jobholder will lead and manage a team of specialist project management staff, as well as providing them with technical and administrative guidance on the projects and methodologies used during their full life-cycle. This will include proposal evaluation, project preparation, implementation, data processing and analysis; knowledge-sharing actions and providing feedback to Unit and Department management and the Commission on the projects’ results.

The job will address the following areas covered by the Innovation Fund:

1)       decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries and carbon removal technologies including CCUS;

2)         low-carbon and renewable hydrogen production and use;

3)         knowledge sharing and data collection, analysis and processing.

The jobholder will also work closely and collaborate with a wider team of colleagues in the Agency and the European Commission.

Management and planning of the teamwork:

•         Contribute to the definition of the Unit’s overall strategic objectives, work programme and specific objectives in the thematic area covered by the sector and ensure that the resources in the sector are efficiently allocated to achieving these objectives. Actively contribute to Unit’s work and resource planning and supervise implementation of the workplan in the sector.

•         Ensure effective people management within the sector, support the team members and provide technical and administrative guidance on the thematic areas covered.

•         Ensure that all team members are sufficiently aware and regularly informed on all relevant policy and strategic aspects affecting their work and get appropriate feedback on their conduct.

•         Manage and monitor the team’s and its members’ workload and report on activities to the Head of Unit to ensure an optimal balance between workload and available resources.

Administrative and technical management of programmes and projects:

•         Ensure the implementation of the projects managed by his/her sector in accordance with the Agency’s and the Innovation Fund’s procedures and deadlines.

•         Maintain an overview of the technical progress and financial expenditure of projects under his/her responsibility.

•         Supervise related procedures and provide the necessary assurance on the legality and regularity of all transactions, including conducting ex-ante/ex-post desktop and on-site verifications when required. Actively contribute to the evaluation of procedures employed and to their constant improvement.

•           Ensure collaboration and co-ordination between the Agency and the Commission services responsible for policy issues in the thematic area of the team. Develop and contribute to implementation of effective feedback to policy making, under the leadership of CINEA’s management.

•         Support the assessment of the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the programme and projects in relation to Commission strategy.

•         Prepare, manage and monitor the implementation of administrative and technical aspects of covered calls for proposals, competitive bidding schemes and calls for tender.

•         Chair meetings with stakeholders on project-related issues and make public presentations on the Agency’s work in this area. Actively contribute to and conduct knowledge-sharing activities.

•         Manage a small number of Innovation Fund projects (including grant preparation, monitoring, approval of deliverables, contacts with the coordinator, on-site reviews) when requested.

Qualifications and experience required

A. Eligibility criteria

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more and, after having obtain the diploma, 6 years professional experience acquired in positions related to the profile of the post;
• Or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is at least three years and, after having obtain the diploma, 7 years professional experience acquired in positions related to the profile of the post;

• Or, where justified in the interests of the service, professional training in a relevant technical domain and, after having completed the professional training, at least the professional experience indicated in the table below:

Duration of the professional training

Professional experience

Less than 1 year

10 years

At least 1 year but less than 2

9 years

At least 2 years but less than 3

8 years

At least 3 years but less than 4

7 years

4 years or more

6 years

• Thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Communities and a satisfactory knowledge of another EU language to the extent necessary to perform his/her duties.

In addition, in order to be eligible a candidate must:

• be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• be entitled to his or her full rights as citizen;
• meet the appropriate character reference as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service, and;
• be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.

Please note that only candidates that comply with the Eligibility criteria will be considered for further steps of this Selection procedure.

B. Selection Criteria

Essential:

• At least 5 years of professional, specialist experience in a field of hydrogen and decarbonisation in energy intensive industries, directly relevant to the post.
• At least 3 years of professional experience in managing hydrogen or industrial projects in the field and with EU programme/project management procedures.
• At least 3 years of proven management skills, in particular ability to coordinate or manage teams and diverse tasks, set priorities, take decisions and oversee their efficient execution.
• Very good knowledge of English, C2 (written and spoken).

Advantageous:

• Very good knowledge of the Innovation Fund legal framework and methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with the relevant EC project management tools (SEP, COMPASS, Sygma, etc)
• Additional relevant professional experience obtained conducting or managing innovation activities in the thematic areas mentioned above.
• Additional relevant professional experience in project management and the oversight of larger clusters of projects.
• Familiarity with the EU’s energy, climate and research and innovation policies and legislation.
• Professional experience in working of European Institutions, and knowledge of related budgetary and legal procedures.
• Knowledge of other European Union languages, in particular French and/or German (C1).

Personal qualities essential for the position (evaluated during the interview):

• High degree of organisational skills and ability to work under pressure;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills;
• Proven ability to work as a strong team player;
• Ability to set and follow priorities.

The Agency will invite to an interview and written test phase the best candidates, with a maximum of 10 candidates.

Application Procedure

For more information regarding the application procedure, please access the following link:

Job Opportunities – European Commission (europa.eu)

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