Job opportunities

Are you passionate about European higher education policy and a skilled project manager? FOR-EU4All is seeking a dedicated Project and Policy Officer to join our European team, based in Brussels as part of the ECIU team.

FOR-EU4ALL is the network of European Universities alliances of the European Commission’s flagship programme, the European Universities Initiative, funded by Erasmus+ as a cornerstone of the European Education Area. FOREU4ALL brings together all current and future European Universities alliances into a single structure to foster a collaborative and supportive environment for sharing best practices and experiences. This 4-year Erasmus+ project not only involves all European Universities alliances but also key higher education and research stakeholders. It will seek to engage in meaningful dialogue with the broader Higher Education sector in Europe and beyond, as well as with European Commission services, the European Parliament and national policymakers to support transnational collaboration across the European Higher Education Area.

To support the successful implementation of the project, a FOR-EU4All Secretariat will be installed, consisting of three (or four) persons: A Project/Policy Officer (Brussels, Belgium), a Project Officer (Poitiers, France) and a Communications and Events Officer (Barcelona, Spain).

The function in Brussels consists of two roles: 1) project management and 2) policy support. The work can be either combined in a single person (preferred scenario, full-time), or divided amongst two persons (part-time). This role will be based at the Brussels Office of the Project Coordinator (ECIU). Please clarify in your application for which role(s) you are applying.

The Project Officer will play a crucial role in supporting and strengthening the work of the 64 European Universities alliances across Europe towards common objectives. You will ensure the alliances deliver and report on all the exciting tasks and deliverables of the FOR-EU4All project and support the project governance.

The Policy Officer will play a key role in coordinating a policy dialogue between the alliances, policymakers and stakeholders at the European and national levels, such as. through the organisation of Policy Learning Labs. In this role, you will be at the forefront of shaping national and European policies in support of the European Universities initiative.

Relevant tasks

Project Officer:

• Overall coordination of the execution of the FOR EU4All project, e.g. ensure project’s coordination and progress monitoring across all four work packages with sound administrative, financial, technical and risk management processes;

• Facilitate proper collaboration and information flow between all project partners, full and associated partners ;

• Support the organisation of project meetings and ensure the progress of project activities and deliverables ;

• Report to the European Executive Agency (EACEA) about the project progress, in line with the Grant Agreement requirements for continuous and periodic (mid-term and final report) reporting ;

• Support to the FOR-EU4All governance bodies such as the General Forum, bringing together all alliance coordinators, as well as support for the coordination of the external advisory board.

Policy Officer:

• Support the policy dialogue with European, national and regional policymakers, such as through the organisation of hybrid Policy Learning Labs and participation in relevant meetings;

• Contribute to an open and collaborative space for addressing challenges to transnational collaboration based on alliances’ experiences, for example through the creation of case studies;

• Monitor relevant policies in higher education and research & innovation at all levels, and link them to the innovative activities of alliances;

• Ensure close links and effective collaboration of FOR-EU4All with the European higher education and research stakeholder communities, leveraging complementary expertise and ensuring active participation in stakeholder events and debates;

• Provide strategic input for the communication and dissemination actions of FOR-EU4All, including gathering data on the transformative impact of alliance with evidence on the ground both across the EHEA and the globe, in synergy with the communications colleagues.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Project Officer:

• Ability to coordinate processes in an agile and efficient way;

• Demonstrable project management experience in a European/ international setting;

• Strong organisational and intercultural skills, ability to manage time and multi-task.

Policy Officer:

• In-depth knowledge of European institutions and awareness of relevant policy-making and decision-making processes;

• Broad knowledge of European policies relating to higher education and the European Universities Initiative;

• Ability to develop and manage collaborative working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in an international environment, including external stakeholders from the European higher education and research community;

• Strong interpersonal skills, evidenced by a proven track record in relationship-building and networking;

• Experience in working with either national or European policymakers, and with monitoring, drafting, reviewing policy statements.

Both positions:

• Master’s degree, minimum of 3-5 years of relevant work experience;

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a hybrid team environment;

• Creative, innovative and hands-on approach;

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Advanced proficiency in English is required (C1 in all dimensions as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or CEFRL).

• Willingness to travel occasionally for events and meetings in Europe.

What do we offer?

The Brussels-based position will be a fixed-term contract for the duration of the project (4 years) with the ECIU Foundation. There are office facilities available at the heart of the EU quarter. We offer a competitive remuneration package based on educational qualification and work experience.

Information and application

For more information about this vacancy, please get in touch with Olga Wessels, coordinator of FOR-EU4All, via recruitment@foreu4all.eu

Please submit your application by 29 September 2024 at the latest by sending a motivation letter (incl. salary expectations, the exact roles you are applying for (Project/Policy Officer) and the earliest possible starting date) and your current CV to recruitment@foreu4all.eu. A reference check, screening or assessment may be part of the recruitment procedure. The first round of interviews is planned for 15 and 16 October 2024 (virtual).