EUNICE, the European University for Customised Education, is seeking an innovative and experienced Secretary General (SG) to coordinate the Alliance’s governance and management towards a greater integration over time.
Join us as the Secretary General of EUNICE AISBL and assist us to open the way towards the future of European education and research! Embrace European issues, thrive in international teamwork, and unlock your creativity and problem-solving skills in this innovative university project!
The existing synergies between the EUNICE institutions have been strengthened by the creation of an International Non-Profit Association (AISBL) under Belgian law, which will give the Alliance a legal existence and represent an essential tool to implement the consortium’s actions. It will employ the Secretary General as a neutral coordinator and facilitator. The AISBL will be equally representative of all 10 partners and will be responsible for implementing decisions made at the Board of Rectors and the Board of Directors. The BoR comprises the rectors and presidents of each university and holds authority over overall actions. As for the BoD, it is composed of vice-rectors and vice-presidents who actively contribute to shaping the management of these endeavors.
The “EUNICE” AISBL pursues the following non-profit goals of international utility:
– to create the EUNICE European University as a highly recognized and attractive actor of university alliances at a European and international level;
– to foster twenty-first century European citizenship, anchored in inter-cultural communication competencies (including multilingualism), inclusion (across an array of identity characteristics including social background, gender and ethnicity) and environmental stewardship;
– to facilitate exchanges and transdisciplinarity around research, training and innovation;
– to co-construct an open, creative, multi-centric, intercultural and people-centered European University;
– to enable each partner to be an essential component of its region by contributing to its attractiveness, competitiveness and economic development
– to anticipate the needs of society in terms of transportation, mobility, integration of people with disabilities, smart cities, the environment, energy and health;
– to facilitate EUNICE Alliance’s efforts to tackle major global challenges using the strength of European values and leadership.
THE ROLE IN DETAIL
The Secretary General (SG) is the first person to be specifically appointed to develop this structure. The SG is a key figure responsible for developing and ensuring the effective operation of EUNICE AISBL within the framework defined by its statutes and objectives. This multifaceted role as facilitator, operational secretary, coordinator, and mediator enables efficient management and implementation, fostering collaboration among alliance members for the advancement of European education and research.
The role is separated in four key areas, and as SG, you will be entrusted with the following responsibilities and tasks in each domain:
1. Operational management of AISBL and support to the Board of Directors
– Strengthening existing relationships between the different committees and serving as the nexus among different boards/ levels of governance within the Alliance such as Board of Rectors, Board of Directors;
– Actively contributing to the development of sustainable implementation strategies and decisions made at the Board of Directors and providing the BoD with ongoing support in preparing and coordinating meetings (draft working papers and resolutions, check documents legality, monitor activity), accompanying policy discussions, handling protocols, etc;
– Overseeing the seamless implementation of the Alliance projects (identifying and tackling issues, resolving delays, monitoring yearly activity plan), contracts, budget and identify funding opportunities;
– Acting as the head of the AISBL office, the secretariat of the Alliance, i.e. overseeing the hiring of additional operational staff and supervising their work.
2. Steer decision-making in EUNICE
– Facilitating all the strategic processes with partner universities, mediating if required;
– Being responsive to new initiatives, emerging issues and develop new operational strategies (by setting up policies, guidelines, and documents).
3. Mediation and legal expertise
– Assisting in mediation and facilitate conflict resolution among members in case of disagreements;
– Offering legal advice and coordinating contracts (from preparation to execution).
4. External communication, networking and promotion of EUNICE
– Representing the EUNICE AISBL and networking with key EU players: acting as the spoke-person towards external stakeholders (including EU institutions and other bodies);
– Strengthening/forging strategic partnerships with other external partners such as (European) universities, private and public entities, civil society players, research and education stakeholders and policymakers etc. in international forums;
– Fostering EUNICE vision, strategy and policies by developing and disseminating guidelines, frameworks, documents.
NB : This role description lists some of the major duties and requirements of the job and is not exhaustive.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
You hold at least a Master’s degree. Having a Doctorate (PhD) is considered an additional asset.
You have professional English skills (C1 proficiency) – verbal and written
The knowledge of French or any other language of the consortium is an asset. As the AISBL is based in Belgium, you will spend a significant part of your working time there, but you will also be required to travel to all the countries in the consortium (Poland, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Finland, Portugal, Greece, Sweden).
You can easily handle European legislation, contracts, academic and economic finance, reporting and policy documents.
You have experience of successfully operating in:
– University context for instance in higher education and science management, research policy and strategy, universities alliance, academic self-governance, higher education and research strategies and policies;
– Management (minimum 3 years of relevant experience) preferably in project management, in EU projects, coordination;
– An international context and working with a variety of teams from a wide range of countries.
You have in-depth knowledge of the following areas:
– European higher education policies and their current development, ideally European alliance initiative;
– Existing fundings and opportunities;
– EU policies, EU institutions and how they operate;
– Strategic work.
You are a genuine problem-solver, forward-thinking and action-focused who thinks outside the box.
WHAT WE OFFER
Type of contrat: fixed term contract of 6 months. Since we wish to favor a long-term collaboration, the contract will be reevaluated after six months of collaboration paving the way for a permanent contract[1]
[1] Please note that the duration of the permanent contract could be affected by the available funds and that in the event of insufficient funds (or in the event of circumstances hindering the continuation of the project), we could be under obligation to terminate the contract.
Type of employment: full-time (38 h/week)
Salary: The Secretary General of the AISBL will be an employee of the AISBL, a structure under Belgian law. The salary shall be discussed upon successful preselection will be approximately €5,000 per month ( net salary) subject to variation based on relevant experience.
Benefits:
- Up to 80% of remote working
- Meal vouchers, Internet connection allowance, insurance, reimbursement of public transportcosts, 30-40 days of annual leave.
Expected date of entry into service: 1 November 2023.
Applications deadline: 20th September 2023
Candidates must send;
– most recent and updated CV;
– a short cover letter ;
– a minimum of 3 relevant and recent work-related reference contacts.
All applications should be sent to alliance.eunice@umons.ac.be specifying the position you are applying for in the subject line.
We do our utmost to respond to all applications, but if you do not hear from us, please consider your application unsuccessful at this time.
EUNICE strives to be a diverse and inclusive community. Job offers respect the principles of non-discrimination and the recruitment procedure guarantees fair treatment of applications regardless of gender, race or ethnic origin, social origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age, sexual orientation, or political opinions
