Grants Officer

European Bioinformatics Institute

Length of contract
3 years

About the Organisation

European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) was set up to promote molecular biology across Europe, and to create a centre of excellence for training Europe's leading young molecular biologists. It is a non-profit, intergovernmental organization funded by 28 member states, one associate member state, and two prospective member states, with funding secured from external funding bodies. EMBL is one of the most highly ranked scientific research organizations in the world operation over six sites: at the headquarters in Heidelberg (Germany), the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in Hinxton near Cambridge (UK), as well as at its additional sites in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Rome (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain).

The EMBL-EBI is a world-leading bioinformatics center providing biological data to the scientific community with expertise in data storage, analysis, and representation. EMBL-EBI has a successful history in identifying and obtaining external funds to further its activities. The EMBL-EBI Grants Office supports a high number of applications for external funding per year, and the current external grant income to EMBL-EBI is more than €40 million per annum from over circa 180 active awards. Major funders include the European Commission, the US National Institutes of Health, UK Research and Innovation Councils, Wellcome, and other charitable organizations (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Cancer Research UK). The EMBL-EBI Grants Office is a friendly, highly communicative team. The work is varied, and you will have the autonomy to develop and improve processes in a dynamic, international working environment.

About the role

Grants Officer, you will work collaboratively with PIs and several other teams (e.g., Research Management Office, Budget Office, Legal Services) to provide a professional service for pre-and post-award administration. You will act as the main liaison in the management of financial, legal, and grant compliance matters on grant proposals and active grants. You will have a large active grants portfolio, including large collaborative projects. You will also liaise with the funding bodies and the administrative teams of collaborating institutions. As a Grants Officer, you will successfully identify funding sources, manage relations with research funding bodies, and understand the management of grant compliance and contracts.

You will need to be confident in conducting organized communication with and between external partners, funding bodies, legal, and intellectual property advisors, as well as other members of the EMBL administrative team both at the EMBL-EBI and EMBL-Heidelberg (Germany).

Responsibilities

• Provide professional advice to EMBL-EBI PIs on the administrative, financial, and general compliance requirements laid down by different funding bodies, both pre and post-award;
• Provide costings for applications for external funding and assist applicants in using online submission systems;
• Ensure that all internal and external administrative stages are completed on time (incl. all due diligence and institutional approvals);
• Save all necessary application documentation in the EMBL CRIS system;
• Draft collaboration agreements using EMBL-specific templates;
• Coordinate the review of collaboration agreements and contribute to the review of operational clauses;
• Manage the signature process of Grant Agreements and collaboration agreements;
• Monitor and track awards, providing PIs with relevant information on budgets, expenditures, and forecasting regularly, excl. financial reports to funders, which are managed by the Budget Office;
• Coordinate reporting to funders (e.g., NIH RPPR) as per your portfolio;
• Support PIs with invoice processing (e.g., reviewing and approving sub-awardee invoices);
• Support PIs with the financial processes associated with staff management including contract extensions and opening of posts on awards;
• Meet with PIs regularly to discuss research portfolio status and upcoming applications. Provide support to identify sources of external funding;
• Provide solutions (where possible) to problems relating to expenditure on research grants whilst maintaining auditable standards;
• Respond to general queries regarding applications and awards from other Administration colleagues.

Other:

• Coordinate, in conjunction with the relevant project manager for large collaborative projects, administrative processes relating to the submission, contract negotiation, and management of projects;
• Disseminate information on funding opportunities as required by EMBL-EBI PIs;
• Inbox management, filing, and maintaining hard copy records;
• Undertake training and development activities to ensure skills are kept relevant and up to date.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

• Proven administrative skills in a grant-making or receiving organization;
• Understanding and empathy of an international research environment;
• Experience working in an academic/educational environment;
• Experience in the administration of research grants and contracts (training will be provided);
• An understanding of the research grant process, funders, and landscape;
• High level of competence with PC Windows packages including Office (Word, Excel), and the capacity to pick up new systems quickly;
• Ability to organize and prioritize your workload to work independently;
• Capability to handle a heavy workload and meet deadlines;
• Experience in working with SAP/ Workday;
• Experience in dealing with staff from several other countries.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail;
• High degree of numeracy and confidence with figures;
• Ability to identify potential problems and solve them;
• Excellent spoken and written English;
• Ability to work independently but as part of a wider administration team;
• Ability to manage highly confidential matters with diplomacy and tact.

Required Qualifications

• Undergraduate Degree

Compensation & Benefits

• Monthly Family/Marriage Allowance 
• £272 Monthly Child Allowance of £328 per child. 
• Non-Resident Allowance up to £556 per month. 
• Annual Salary Review, Pension Scheme
• Death Benefit and Accident-at-work and Unemployment Insurance;
• Private Medical Insurance
• Generous Dental & Optical cover
• 30 days Annual Leave and Eight Bank Holidays;
• Relocation Package
• Child Sick Leave
• Generous Parental Leave
• holiday Clubs on Campus & Monthly Family and Child allowances

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the Hinxton office and remotely.

How to apply

• Send an email to [email protected] with a CV and a cover letter by 2nd March 2025 at 5 PM

Interviews

• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Policies

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

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