Grants Officer

About the team/job   

EMBL is looking for a highly motivated EMBL-EBI Grants Officer to join our vibrant and diverse team. The post will be based in the Grants Office of the EMBL UK site, EMBL-EBI (Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton near. Cambridge, UK), but will collaborate virtually, and at times in person, with many teams across EMBL sites in Europe. 

The 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 organisation funded by 28 member states, one associate member state, and two prospect member states, with funding secured from external funding bodies.

EMBL is one of the most highly ranked scientific research organisations 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 those at its additional sites in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Rome (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain).

The EMBL-EBI is a world-leading bioinformatics centre 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 their 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 in excess of €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 organisations (e.g., 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 autonomy to develop and improve processes in a dynamic, international working environment.

Your role

As a Grants Officer, you will work collaboratively with PIs and a number of 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 organised 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).

Main duties and responsibilities:

Pre - Award

• 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, expenditure and forecasting on a regular basis, 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.

You have

• Experience of 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.
• The ability to organise and prioritise your workload in order to work independently.
• The capability to handle a heavy workload and meet deadlines.
• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• A high degree of numeracy and are confident with figures.
• The ability to identify potential problems and solve them.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• The ability to work independently but as part of a wider administration team.
• Ability to manage highly confidential matters with diplomacy and tact.

You might also have

• Proven administrative skills in a grant making or receiving organisation.
• Understanding and empathy of an international research environment.
• Experience of working in an academic/educational environment.
• Experience in working with SAP/ Workday
• Experience in dealing with staff from a number of other countries.

Contract length: 3 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years

Salary: Grade 5, monthly salary from £3229 after tax, excluding personal pension and insurance contributions. Plus financial allowances based on family circumstances.

How to apply: Please submit a CV and a cover letter which should be no more than two pages.

Interviews: will take place in the week commencing the 10th March 2025.

Why join us

Do something meaningful

At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity. 

Join a culture of innovation

We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential. Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements - including hybrid working patterns 
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition public holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
• Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here. 

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information. 
• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.
• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ & individuals from all nationalities. 
• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.