Regional Coordinator, Drylands

	Regional Coordinator, Drylands IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Programme, Nairobi/Pretoria

SCIENCE OFFICER Earth System Science and Environmental Management

COST is an inter-governmental system supporting European research networking. In order to accomplish its mission, the European Science Foundation provides administrative and scientific management to COST (European Co-operation in Science and Technology), its Domain Committees and its Actions through the COST Office in Brussels and corporate support services in Strasbourg. This is achieved through a support grant provided to ESF by the European Commission.

ESF seeks a full-time Science Officer in the domain of Earth System Science and Environmental Management (ESSEM) for its COST Office in Brussels.

The Science Officer position will imply the management of the ESSEM Domain, by catalysing and supporting researchers, Domain Committees and COST Actions, promoting inter-disciplinary research collaboration in a multi-disciplinary environment across Europe and beyond.

Position responsibilities:

• Developing, implementing and supporting the COST scientific networking funding scheme, and managing approved Actions for the ESSEM Domain;
• Liaising with all COST Domains Committee Chairs and other external scientific bodies / networks while providing them administrative and scientific support;
• Gathering relevant information to promote scientific impact and results of COST Actions in the ESSEM Domain, in collaboration with the COST Communication and Public Relation team;
• Taking responsibility for the management of the relevant budgets;
• Organising and ensuring scientific quality control and responding to the COST Open Call, related to ESSEM;
• Delivering and advancing specific and quality papers and reports, related to the ESSEM Actions;
• Contributing to the Natural Sciences Cluster activities (e.g. managing trans-disciplinary Actions, taking part in the development of exploratory workshops or strategic activities, etc.);
• Representing the COST Office in external meetings in Brussels and abroad;
• Maintaining an up-to-date awareness of relevant scientific and research policy developments.

Profile and competencies:

Specific competencies

• Ph.D, or equivalent research experience, preferably with a 3 to 5 years research experience in one or more areas of the environmental sciences for the Earth System Science and Environmental Management domain - an interdisciplinary domain bridging two main sectors:

o Physical, chemical and biological sciences and technologies related to Earth System processes, including Earth Observation, meteorology, atmospheric sciences, hydrology and oceanography, climatology, and biogeochemical cycles.

o Science and technology related to environmental impacts including aspects of risk assessment, biodiversity and conservation.

• Proven experience with grant assessment, review processes and general science management;
• Sound knowledge of European and national research structures and institutions as well as European and international science policy understanding;
• Excellent networking skills on international level;
• Experience in people management;
• High standard of spoken and written English, with a working knowledge of another European language being an advantage but not a requirement;
• Good working knowledge of MS Office systems, databases and Web sites.

Inter-personal competencies

• Action-oriented, responsible and self-managed;
• Creative and willing to take initiatives with a continuous improvement minded;
• Strong inter-personal and communication skills within a multi-national context, including discretion, diplomacy and tolerance;
• Assertiveness and capability to guide decision-making procedures and to represent COST in the scientific community;
• Excellent organisational skills;
• Transparency in working combined with a team-orientated work ethic;
• Commitment and accountability to deliver on allocated administrative and scientific tasks and respond in a timely manner to deadlines.

COST offers:

• A contract of unlimited duration, linked to the COST contract;
• An international working environment located in Brussels (Avenue Louise 149, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium);
• Competitive salary;
• Candidates must be eligible to work in Belgium and must have a Work Permit unless a national of the ‘EU and EEE’.

Electronic applications (motivation letter + CV) should be addressed to the COST Office and sent to job@cost.eu
Reference code: SO-ESSEM 2011

Invitations will be communicated before April 29th. Interviews will take place on May 3rd 2011. The selected person should ideally be available as soon as possible.

For general details see http://www.cost.eu

Closing date: April 10th 2011