Program Management Coordinator

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

Description of the job

Working in the Innovation Fund Unit of the Agency’s Green Research and Innovation Department and under the supervision of a Head of Sector and the Head of Unit, the jobholder will lead on and coordinate the work of team members implementing the Innovation Fund programme within the eGrants environment and supervise project portfolio present in the sector, as well as manage several projects directly. This will also include proposal evaluation, grant agreement preparation, project implementation and providing feedback to Department management and the Commission on the projects’ and programme’s results.

The Agency intends to open Programme Management Coordinator job in each of the following 5 areas, which will be placed in respective unit’s sectors. Applicants should indicate the job of their choice from the following thematic areas, which the jobs will cover:

1. Energy Intensive industries
2. Renewable energy
3. Energy storage
4. Hydrogen
5. Carbon Capture, Use and Storage

The jobholder will also work closely and collaborate with a wider team of colleagues of the Agency and the European Commission, namely DG CLIMA.

General Programme Development and Management

• Assist the Head of Sector and contribute to the planning, preparation and execution of the sector’s core activities related to the development of the Innovation Fund programme.
• Deputise for the Head of Sector in his/her absence, in relation to the relevant tasks
• Verify the work and documents drafted by a number of team members in the sector, e.g. operational verification of prepared grant agreements, verification of reports assessing payment requests and notes assessing amendment requests by project coordinators.
• Contribute during call opening and evaluation process, e.g. participation in info-days, briefing for experts, and quality check of evaluation reports drafted by panels of experts.
• Support the Head of Sector in the training on newcomers.
• Contribute to drawing up, managing, implementing and evaluating the annual work plan of the concerned Sector/Unit related to the programme and projects implementation.
• Contribute to the development of tools related to Innovation Fund programme financial projections, inputs for audits and monitoring activities for the programme. 
• Lead on and coordinate the work of the team related to knowledge sharing events, exchange between programmes within CINEA and beyond. This will involve regular contacts with relevant units in CINEA, DG CLIMA, as well as other Commission entities. 
• Ensure that all sector members are sufficiently aware and regularly informed on all relevant aspects affecting their work and receive appropriate feedback on their actions.
• Conduct and/or coordinate conceptual and thematic analysis and lead processes to identify, define and implement approaches for the efficient implementation of the Innovation Fund programme; keep up-to-date, further develop and continuously optimise the related procedures.
• Prepare briefings, presentations and speeches for management.
• Represent the Unit in relevant working groups and contribute to efficient collaboration with the other sectors of the unit, other relevant units in CINEA and the parent DGs, as appropriate, and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices.
• Draft notes and reports on the key outcomes of the working groups meetings for distribution in the unit and/or relevant staff in other units.
• Chairing meetings with stakeholders on project/programme-related issues and making public presentations on the Agency’s work.

Specific Project Management

• Contribute to the evaluation process (e.g. expert selection and management, discussion moderation)
• Manage projects (grant agreements, contracts or other types of actions). This includes grant agreement preparation, project monitoring, approval of deliverables, processing of amendments and payments, regular contacts with the coordinator, on-site reviews.
• Provide relevant technical guidance and support to team members

Qualifications and experience required

A. Eligibility criteria

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
• 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 3 years of project management experience in energy or industrial innovation projects in one or more of the thematic areas indicated above
• Very good knowledge of the Innovation fund programme
• Experience in coordination of tasks.
• Excellent knowledge of English (C2, in particular written and spoken).

Advantageous:

• Knowledge of EU energy, climate, industry or transport policy.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural and international environment.
• Professional experience within the European Institutions.
• Good knowledge of a third working language, in particular either French or German (C1)
• Experience in procedures and project management tools, especially e-Grants used in EU programmes implementation

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 team member;
• Ability to appreciate and follow priorities.

The Agency will invite to an interview and written test phase the best candidates, with a maximum of 20 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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