Eureka is the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation in R&D and innovation. Since 1985, governments and public funding agencies in our network have supported the R&D of over 7,000 ground-breaking commercialised innovations that have positively impacted economic growth and industry competitiveness. With several programmes, our network funds small, medium and large companies, universities and research organisations who undertake international R&D projects for civilian purpose.
The Brussels-based Eureka Secretariat supports the network’s strategic objectives, manages Eureka’s programme operations, develops and maintains IT platforms, stores data and promotes Eureka to a wide range of stakeholders and beneficiaries.
One of Eureka’s flagship initiatives is the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Commission.
The European Partnership on Innovative SMEs is a one billion euro funding programme supporting innovative SMEs collaborating on international R&D projects to realise their ambitions to bring new products, processes and services to the market. It includes two of our biggest funding programmes: Eurostars and Innowwide. The Eureka Secretariat is the coordinator of a consortium of 37 Eureka countries.
The Eureka Secretariat, based in Brussels (Etterbeek), is looking for a full-time
Programme Delivery Expert
who will have a key role in our work implementing the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The role is to provide comprehensive, effective, and high-quality business administration support.
The selected candidate will work with senior colleagues to ensure the smooth functioning of day-to-day operations and contribute to the overall efficiency and success of the partnership.
The post will require working with external stakeholders in the 37 countries and acting as a point of contact for the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).
You will be working in the small team responsible for strategy, business development and data, and in close cooperation and dialogue with representatives from Eureka countries.
The programme delivery expert will report to the Director for Strategy and business development.
Duties and responsibilities
- Assist in coordinating and managing tasks and milestones for the European partnership, ensuring timely delivery of reports and other deliverables.
- Support the production of accurate, accessible reports.
- Support financial planning and monitoring by providing administrative assistance and tracking budget-related activities.
- Monitor project timelines and deliverables to ensure timely completion.
- Analyse data from a wide variety of sources and make this accessible to senior managers.
- Contribute to the development of case studies, reports and publications showcasing project results and impact.
- Coordinate and arrange stakeholder meetings, including preparing agendas, drafting minutes, distributing all relevant documentation within specified deadlines and following up on action points.
- Serve as a point of contact between different departments to ensure alignment of project goals and deliverables. Act as a point of contact with the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.
- Provide administrative support to senior colleagues and assist with other relevant projects as needed.
Qualifications and skills
- Ability to take initiative, be a self-starter, be proactive and respond to tight deadlines.
- Ability to support project management tasks, including tracking milestones, reporting progress and coordinating meetings and follow-up actions.
- Detail-oriented with a focus on accuracy when consolidating data, preparing reports and coordinating project deliverables.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills to handle multiple tasks, track milestones and coordinate deliverables.
- Proactive in identifying potential issues and delays, with the ability to suggest practical solutions and follow through on action plans.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; ability to consolidate complex information into clear reports and presentations.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for reports, data consolidation, and presentations. Experience with project management and collaboration platforms would be beneficial.
- As a member of a multinational team: sensitivity to cultural differences.
- A level of higher education that corresponds to completed post-secondary education of at least three years attested by a diploma.
- Preferably a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related discipline.
- At least two years, preferably three years, of relevant experience in a project coordination or administrative support role, preferably within an international or public-sector environment.
- Experience working on national or EU-funded projects (e.g., H2020, Horizon Europe) or experience interacting with European institutions such as the European Commission or EISMEA, preferably in the domain of national or EU R&D and innovation activities, is a strong plus.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate stakeholder communications, manage project timelines, and support the delivery of tasks in a multi-stakeholder environment.
What we offer you
- A full-time position with an open-ended contract
- A competitive salary, taking into account educational level and previous professional experience.
- Attractive extra-legal benefits, like flexible home-office working with a homeworking allowance, extra-legal vacation days, pension and hospitalisation plans, a work-to-office public transport season ticket and meal vouchers.
- An international and dynamic workplace consisting of a team of 35+ employees from 16 different countries.
- Eureka strongly lives by the values of trust, transparency, passion, creativity, autonomy, collaboration, work-life balance and diversity across all our teams and our whole network of customers and partners.
- A nice and modern working environment, close to the centre of Brussels and the European quarter and easily reachable by public transport.
The selected candidate would be invited to start as soon possible.
Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the European Union or EEA.
Application and closing date
Please send your CV and motivation letter, completing the application form via the online APPLY button at the end of the vacancy page.
By sending an application, candidates give their consent to their diplomas and references being verified.
Eureka Network is an equal opportunities employer.
Closing date: Tuesday 5 November 2024, 5 pm (Brussels time).
Applications received beyond the closing date will be refused.
Please note that only applicants selected for interview will be contacted.
We expect to hold interview between 18 and 29 November 2024. Candidates selected for interviews will be contacted to arrange a specific date and time.
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