Head of Administration and Operations

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a world-leading international life sciences research organization with its main laboratory situated in Heidelberg, Germany and five laboratories at other sites in Europe. EMBL Grenoble hosts approximately 100 staff and brings together world-class expertise in structural molecular biology. It operates at the heart of the European Photon and Neutron (EPN) Campus alongside ESRF, ILL and IBS. This unique environment requires strong inter-institutional collaboration and coordination across scientific, operational and administrative domains.

EMBL is recruiting for a Head of Administration and Operations to work as part of the management team at our site in Grenoble. Reporting to the EMBL Grenoble Head of Site, you will lead a team to deliver executive business support and oversee operations, including buildings and facilities, finance (purchasing, inventory, and budget control), human resources, travel arrangements, and event organisation, as well as stakeholder engagement, communications, inter-institutional contracts, scientific grants, and public and government relations. As a member of the Chief Operating Officer management team at EMBL, you will work closely with central services at the EMBL Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany, including Finance, Human Resources, Purchasing, Health and Safety, Grants, Communications, Legal, and Facility Management. You will play a key role in ensuring clear and effective communication between headquarters and the site, while actively representing the Grenoble site.

Your role

• Provide expert advice to the Head of EMBL Grenoble on administrative, institutional, legal and policy matters.

• Contribute to strategic planning of the site and oversee implementation as appropriate.

• Manage the EMBL Grenoble administration and operations team. This includes process review and improvement, people management and workforce planning.

• Ensure that EMBL privileges and immunities are respected and properly implemented.

• Establish and maintain constructive administrative relations with French national and local authorities.

• Foster and maintain constructive working relationships with partner organisations locally, including regular stakeholder engagement and advocating for the site. Build lasting partnerships with other international organisations. 

• Participate in management meetings, internal and external Pan-EMBL working groups and advisory committees as appropriate.

• Oversee HR activities pertaining to the site and ensure compliance with the EMBL Staff Rules and Regulations.

• Plan and manage the EMBL Grenoble budget, including regular reporting to the Head of site. 

• Oversee the work of the administration team on the purchasing and finance activities of the EMBL Grenoble site in accordance with EMBL Financial Regulations and related policies.

• Manage a multi-year building renovation and scientific equipment investment project in conjunction with the facilities team and scientific groups.

• Maintain relations with Heads of Administration of other EMBL Sites and of partner institutions. Foster productive connections with the administration teams across the 6 sites at the 5 EMBL host countries.

You have

• A degree in Business Administration, Public Management, or a related field; or

• At least 7 years' experience in administration, including 3 years in a leadership role, ideally in an international setting.

• Experience coordinating administrative functions, e.g. HR, finance, facilities etc.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Experience advocating in a multinational environment, and also in France.

• Proactive and solution-oriented.

• People management experience.

• Negotiating and drafting contracts.

• Finance and budget control.

• Fluency in English and French (spoken and written). 

Contract length: 5 years (renewable up to 9 years)

Salary: Grade 8, min basic starting salary 5.331,05 €/month (after tax and before 13% deduction to EMBL social security system) plus other social benefits.

Application

Please submit your CV and cover letter (maximum one page) in English, with the contact details of two references. References should be former or current colleagues who you have worked with and ideally one of which is a former superior. 

Recruitment process

Candidates will be shortlisted for an initial online interview. Top-scoring candidates will be invited to the site for panel interviews at the beginning of February. Referees will be contacted further to this round. 

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (select sites), on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ & individuals from all nationalities. 

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date