Project Officer, Communication and Media EMBL

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Heidelberg, Germany

Staff Category: Staff Member
Contract Duration: 2 years
Grading: 4, 5 or 6 , depending on experience and qualifications
Closing Date: 15 December 2011
Reference number: HD_00172

Job Description

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is one of the highest ranked scientific research organisations in the world. The Headquarters Laboratory is located in Heidelberg (Germany) and the outstations are in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Hinxton (UK) and Monterotondo (Italy). EMBL is seeking a Project Officer for CommHERE, a European-wide science communication initiative funded by the European Commission. CommHERE is a network of communication officers from 10 European biomedical research institutes, which aims to improve the public announcement of health research to the general public and the media. Within CommHERE, EMBL is leading a work package aiming to develop and implement a media strategy and initiate media activities and events.
The Project Officer will join the communications team at EMBL Heidelberg, which is responsible for the international communication and outreach activities of the Laboratory. The Project Officer will be reporting to the Head of Communications and will be working with leading research institutes in Europe.
The Project Officer will have several key responsibilities: He/She will be the project manager of the media work package within CommHERE and will work closely with the communication officers of the participating research institutes. The post holder will develop and implement media guidelines and act as a reference point for media work within the consortium. He/She will interact regularly with the other work package leaders to ensure collaboration and alignment of the various activities. The post holder will need to travel and take part in project meetings.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Compiling and writing a media guidelines handbook based on generally accepted guidelines in science communication and interactions with the press;
• Liaising and agreeing on these guidelines with the communication officers of the participating institutes;
• Developing strategies and consulting the communication and project officers of the participating institutes and projects to support their media work;
• Developing tools for collating and analysing media coverage;
• Liaising with international science journalists’ associations and European media colleagues;
• Organising media events in accordance within the overall strategy of CommHERE;
• Delivering progress reports and presenting the project outcomes internationally.

Qualifications and Experience

• A university degree, experience in media work and an interest in life science research. Applicants must have proven project management skills and an ability to work within an international multicultural environment.
• Applicants should have excellent spoken and written English skills, advanced knowledge in other European languages would be an asset.
• Applicants should have strong organisational and time management skills to manage conflicting priorities and to ensure work is planned, prioritised and delivered to meet key requirements and deadlines. As well as being able to work independently, candidates should have strong interpersonal skills, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels and be able to work effectively as a member of the international CommHERE consortium as well as the communication team at EMBL.

Application Instructions

Please apply online through www.embl.org/jobs.

Additional Information

EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation.

Please note that appointments on fixed term contracts can be renewed, depending on circumstances at the time of the review.