Communications Officer PRACE

Communications Officer
Organizational Unit: PRACE Association Executive Office
Reference Number: COMS1
Applications : By email to bod@prace-ri.eu
Closing date : 20th February 2012

PRACE Mission:
The mission of the Research Infrastructure PRACE is:

• the development and provision of an Infrastructure at European level which allows the scientific communities, including those within industry, to access European large-scale computing and storage systems;
• the management of the coordination between Tier-0, Tier-1 and Tier-2 resources operated and/or coordinated by the PRACE research infrastructure to deliver world class services to the European Research Community with large-scale computing and storage resource, support and training needs;
• the provision and rationalization of access to the Infrastructure by qualified European and international scientific communities, either academic or industrial, whose projects can be evaluated for such purpose.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor developments of the PRACE Research Infrastructure and inform its Members and the public through communication tools: press reviews, newsletter, magazine, Annual Reports (Scientific, Business);
• Plan and implement relevant communication actions to promote the Research Infrastructure PRACE to user communities and potential user communities, and in political and technical conferences
• Proactively support the PRACE research infrastructure’s User Forum in what regards communication actions and organization of events
• Proactively engage with the Scientific Steering Committee in regards to the PRACE Young Investigator Award and with recipients to produce success stories and dissemination material
• Prepare documents and briefings to the European Union’s and Member States’ Research Councils
• Draft press releases and handle press relations
• Develop communication material about the PRACE Research Infrastructure, including the Annual Business Report and other publications
• Manage the PRACE Research Infrastructure website and social media
• Plan for the participation of the PRACE Association in external events in coordination with the actions planned by the Association members
• Organise PRACE Research Infrastructure events
• Implement the annual communications roadmap

Required qualifications:

• First degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a Communications relevant field e.g. Business Communication, International Relations, Political Science;
• At least 5 years of experience in the European environment in Brussels
• General knowledge of the EU institutions and EU decision-making;
• Knowledge of research policy (Framework Programme) and/or the ICT industry;
• Experience in communicating science and engineering research to scientific communities, policy makers and the public
• Solid experience in drafting and publishing press releases
• Solid experience in organising political and networking events;
• Previous experience in working in a multi-national environment; sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Proficient spoken knowledge of English (interaction and production) with excellent drafting skills is essential. Additional independent knowledge of 2 other European Union languages would be an asset with at least an independent reading knowledge of French and German press material.
• Strong ability to establish priorities, work with stringent timelines and multi-task;
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal and communication skills;
• Ability to work in a team as well as ability to work under minimal supervision with high level of resilience.

Remuneration:
Remuneration is commensurate with qualification and years of experience.

Duration of Contract:
The successful candidate will be based at the PRACE AISBL office located at Rue du Trone 98-1050 Brussels on a full-time basis, for an initial period of one year, renewed based on performance for another two years. The post includes some travel opportunities. The working language is English. This is a locally recruited position; no relocation expenses or allowances apply.

Application Procedure:
Interested applicants should submit their application, preferably by e-mail, and must include the following:

• a cover letter setting out how qualifications and experience match the requirements of the job position;
• a recent press document in English written by the candidate (maximum 1 page) and the place of publication;
• a CV in Europass Curriculum Vitae format available online from the Europass website at https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/cvonline or using the template available at the website http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads.csp. Please avoid using similar forms provided by other organizations;
• the application must indicate the reference number of the vacancy announcement.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applications that do not include the press document will not be considered. The candidates selected for the interview will be asked to present reference letters and show case samples of previous published works.