Your role

We are seeking candidates to hire for a new, exciting role as Grants Management Officer (A2). In this role you will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the grants activities at ECMWF. This includes supporting the management of the launch and closure of Calls for Actions (CfA) and the overarching grant processes at ECMWF through their full life cycle. 

You will be part of the Grants Team, which consists of staff involved in the end-to-end implementation of a particular CfA or Prizes Competition. The Grants Team takes care of the quality assurance of the processes and coordinates and formulates input to the Evaluation Board. It comprises the Call Coordinator and Senior Grants Specialist as leads of the team, complemented by the Grants Management Officer, Technical Officers and a Financial and a Legal Officer. The Call Coordinator and Technical Officers are technical or scientific staff based in other departments and are responsible for content-driven aspects.  

As Grants Management Officer you will play an important role in the successful rollout of the new grants procedures at ECMWF and their future development.   

During the ramp-up phase, you will support the Senior Grants Specialist in the deployment of the different aspects of our grants activities. As the roll-out of the funding scheme progresses, you will focus on the delivery aspects of the grants processes.  

Besides ECMWF colleagues, the Grants Management Officer will interact with grant beneficiaries and the European Commission. This role will also involve exchanging experiences and best practices with other international organisations that are implementing grants. Occasional travel to the ECMWF office in Reading, UK, and to locations across Europe may be required.  

About the Section

The Procurement Section in the Administration Department works with scientific and technical experts, budget holders and management across the organization to procure goods and services to support ECMWF’s core and externally funded activities. With the deployment of funding actions through grants at ECMWF, this new role as Grants Management Officer has been created. 

About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world-leader in weather and environmental forecasting. As an international organisation we serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions and data that is critical for understanding and solving the climate crisis. We function as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions, holding one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world. The success of our activities builds on the talent of our scientists and experts, strong partnerships with 35 Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies and machine learning across our operations. 

ECMWF has developed a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth Initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring. 

For additional details, see

About Grants as Funding Instruments at ECMWF

Upon its decision to explore grants as a mechanism to disburse funding and support specific initiatives, ECMWF has developed a structure to operate with grants. To be able to operate grants and prizes on behalf of the European Commission, ECMWF has gone through a Pillar Review, successfully completed. 

ECMWF’s first ambition is to use grant mechanism as part of its budget implementation responsibilities under Copernicus 2.0, running until the end of 2027. The aim is to provide financing from EU funds through grants and prizes by launching Calls for Actions for aspects which focus on stimulating user uptake at national level, fostering the development of innovative applications and partnerships with other stakeholders to create user-oriented solutions. Besides Copernicus, the use of grants will also be explored for Core funded activities, DestinE and eventual other programmes in the upcoming years.  ECMWF projects a potential of 32 grants of different sizes and funding sources to be implemented in the next three years.  

We are currently establishing a new team to focus on the operation of grants. The Grants Management Officer will support the Senior Grants Specialist in establishing this team and helping ECMWF to further develop this activity and its integration within the organization. 

Your responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Grants Specialist and the overall guidance of the Head of Procurement: 

• As a member of the Grants Team contribute to documents at the CfA stage and verify and support the planning, grant agreement structure and management aspects (e.g. price, risks, information on beneficiaries).
• Ensure an efficient grant preparation and grant implementation processes in compliance with the rules and procedures in place.
• Support the preparation and implementation of the Call phase, including Call documents, evaluation tool and process and coordination of potential grantee enquiries/clarifications .
• Engage evaluators, perform eligibility checks, report and contribute to the overall planning of the evaluation phase.
• Implement the grant agreement preparation process and support negotiations as needed, coordinate and follow-up on meetings, manage records and prepare grant agreements.
• During the agreement implementation stage:
  • Monitor and follow-up on deadlines for submission of deliverables and reports.
  • Support the technical officer with the review of deliverables, milestones and project reports within set timelines.
  • Ensure timely review and submission of financial reports.
  • Implement grant agreement amendments as required and maintain up-to-date the project information records and database.
  • Check the fulfilment of the conditions triggering payment in collaboration with the finance officer.
  • Support technical officers in addressing technical and operational queries and requests from beneficiaries.

What we’re looking for

• Excellent analytical and result oriented skills with a proactive and constructive approach.
• Ability to work collaboratively, sharing expertise and lessons learnt with colleagues, including ability to stimulate and inspire different stakeholders to align to new procedures and working principles.
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of multidisciplinary and geographically distributed teams.
• Flexible attitude and ability to work to tight deadlines and pay attention to details, even under time pressure.
• Ability to work as part of a team, managing multiple projects, potentially conflicting priorities and from different sites (possibly in a matrix style).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills including the ability to recognise and deliver to specific audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrable ability to apply these to working within and across teams with staff at all levels, preferably in a scientific or technical environment.
• Client-oriented mindset.

Education

• University degree (EQF Level 7) or equivalent in a business, legal or engineering discipline or an equivalent qualification, with exposure to grants / commercial procurements

Experience

• Experience of carrying out European Union-compliant grants procedures, preferably in a grants issuing position
• Professional experience of working with operational, technical or scientific teams to develop grants actions from initial requirements gathering through to grant agreement signature, and subsequent management of the grant implementation, audits and reporting
• Professional experience of drafting grants documentation such as Calls for Actions, evaluation reports and communications with candidates
• Experience of managing Evaluation Boards would be an advantage

Knowledge and Skills

• Good working knowledge of legal and financial issues associated with European Commission’s grants and procurement contracts under UK or European law
• Comprehensive knowledge of European Union-compliant grants procedures, including differences and similarities with commercial procurements
• Experience, or good understanding, of contract and grants management tools, practices and reporting
• Familiarity with at least one electronic tendering system
• Excellent working knowledge of MS Office with considerable experience of Microsoft Word/Excel

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel you meet precisely all these criteria.

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English. A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) is an advantage.

Other information

Grade remuneration:  The successful candidate will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. Full details of salary scales and allowances available on the ECMWF website at , including the ECMWF Staff Regulations and the terms and conditions of employment. 

Starting date:     From 01 September 2024

Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station. As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking for up to 10 days/month.

Interviews by videoconference (MS Team) are expected to take place shortly after the closing date. 

Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below. 

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion. 

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States as well as from nationals of European Union Member States. 

ECMWF Member and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. 

In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy.  

Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.