Trusted Jobs

1. Position information

Vacancy No.: VN21-13
Department: Administration
Grade: A2
Section: HR
Job Ref. No.: STF-PL/21-13
Reports to: Head of HR
Closing Date: 8 April 2021

2. About ECMWF

ECMWF is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It is an intergovernmental organisation created in 1975 by a group of European nations and is today supported by 34 Member and Co-operating States, mostly in Europe. The Centre’s mission is to serve and support its Member and Co-operating States and the wider community by developing and providing world-leading global numerical weather prediction. ECMWF functions as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions and holds one of the largest meteorological archives in the world. The success of its activities relies primarily on the talent of its scientists, strong partnerships with its Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies such as machine learning across its operations.

Over the years, ECMWF has also developed a strong partnership with the European Union, and for the past seven years has been an entrusted entity for the implementation and operation of the Climate and the Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the EU Copernicus Programme, as well as a contributor to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The collaboration does not stop there and include other areas of work, including High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools. It is enabling ECMWF to now provide data and products covering weather, climate, ait quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

ECMWF has recently become a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters based since its creation in Reading, UK, its new data centre opening in 2021 in Bologna, Italy, and new offices, also opening in 2021 in Bonn, Germany.

It is foreseen that ECMWF will be a major partner in the implementation of the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative starting later in 2021, together with ESA and EUMETSAT as partners. The objective of the European Commission DestinE initiative is to deploy several highly accurate thematic digital replicas of the Earth, called Digital Twins, to monitor and predict natural and human activities as well as their interactions, to develop and test scenarios that would enable more sustainable developments and support corresponding European policies for the Green Deal.

For additional details, see www.ecmwf.int/.

3. Summary of the role

ECMWF is undergoing significant change, and this is a particularly exciting time to join the Centre. We are establishing a new duty station in Bonn, Germany, which is due to open mid-2021. Key to the success of the organisation are strong HR professionals who work very closely with the line organisation to support them on day-to-day and more strategic people issues, as well as a central HR operations team that ensures that core HR processes are executed efficiently and reliably and aligned with the “One ECMWF” culture which is at the heart of the organisation.

The HR Business Partner will act as first point of contact and trusted advisor to the ECMWF team in the Bonn duty station. They will work closely with line managers in their client group to identify people challenges, support the recruitment of talent, develop staff, address any employee relations issues and enhance staff engagement. The HR Business Partner will be an integral part of the ECMWF HR team and will work closely with the HR team in Reading, UK.

4. Main duties and key responsibilities

• Advise, coach and develop line managers around HR policies and processes to enable teams and individuals to be most effective in their roles;
• Act as trusted partner to support line managers in addressing people challenges, recruiting talent, workforce planning, developing staff and enhancing staff engagement;
• Advise on complex HR issues including development, engagement, employee relations and performance management. Develop pragmatic solutions by interpreting policies and mitigating risks;
• Champion diversity and inclusion, coach and challenge staff to increase diversity through recruitment and capitalise on diversity through inclusion;
• Work closely with the rest of the HR team in Reading and Bologna to role-model the “One ECMWF” culture and virtual team working, and ensure connectivity across duty stations;
• Liaise with local and host country authorities as required;
• Contribute to a range of projects as required.

5. Personal attributes

• Excellent relationship management skills, including the ability to quickly gain credibility with key stakeholders across the organisation and externally;
• Capacity to manage multiple issues ranging from short-term operational to medium term strategic to tight deadlines;
• Strong analytic skills, demonstrated ability to work with process and data to create insight and continuously improve service;
• Ability to work well as part of a team, taking the lead on some topics, contributing to others;
• Influential, solution-oriented and pragmatic approach with the ability to advise and coach managers to build capability;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Curiosity to understand the goals of the organisation and how HR can contribute to them.

6. Qualifications and experience required

Education

• Candidates should have a degree or degree-equivalent qualification (EQF Level 6) in Human Resource Management or a related field.

Experience

• Demonstrated strong experience in a HR Generalist role, including experience in areas such as development, performance management and international mobility essential;
• Demonstrated experience working in an HR business partnering capacity, including experience of coaching line managers and building capacity essential;
• Experience of working in an international organisation, established by Convention with State-level membership, combined with a good understanding of the issues facing international organisations highly desirable.

Knowledge and skills (including language)

• Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and interviews will be conducted in English;
• A good knowledge of German would also be advantageous.

7. Other information

Grade remuneration

The successful candidate will be recruited at the A2 grade, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations and the annual basic salary will be EUR 75,178.92 net of tax. The Centre offers a generous suite of benefits. This position is assigned to the employment category STF-PL as defined in the Staff Regulations.

Full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the Centre’s Staff Regulations regarding the terms and conditions of employment.

Starting date: As soon as possible.
Length of contract: The total contract duration (with the possibility of further extension) is expected to be four years. However, please note that the DestinE Contribution Agreement is likely to be divided in phases, the first of which will last for two and a half years. The Centre is therefore required to contract initially for the same period. Extensions to complete the four-year period (which could be subsequently extended even further) will be offered to the successful candidate as soon as funding beyond the initial phase is confirmed.
Location: The position will be based at ECMWF’s duty station in Bonn, Germany, which is currently expected to open in the second half of 2021.

8. How to apply

Please apply by completing the online application form available at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs.

To contact the ECMWF Recruitment Team, please email jobs@ecmwf.int.

Please refer to the ECMWF Privacy Statement. For details of how we will handle your personal data for this purpose, see: https://www.ecmwf.int/en/privacy.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States, listed below, and all EU Member States.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.

this job offer is not open for applications