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1. Position information

Vacancy No.: VN20-02
Department: Office of the Director-General
Grade: A2/A3
Section: Communications
Job Ref. No.: STF-C/20-02
Reports to: Head of Communications
Closing Date: 19 March 2020

2. About ECMWF

ECMWF is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its Member States. ECMWF carries out scientific and technical research directed to the improvement of its forecasts, collects and processes large amounts of observations, and manages a long-term archive of meteorological data.

Since 2014, ECMWF has been operating two services of the EU-funded Copernicus Programme, namely the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services. ECMWF also contributes to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service in the fields of flooding and fire.

For details, see www.ecmwf.int/.

3. Summary of the role

ECMWF is looking for a Communications Manager & Team Leader to join its Communications Section. Under the leadership of the Head of Communications, the Communications Manager & Team Leader will be responsible for both the planning and the management of ECMWF’s Communications Team’s workload, to continuously drive innovation and improve processes.

The ECMWF Communications Section consists of two teams: one focused on providing support to the EU-funded Copernicus programme and one handling internal and external communications related to ECMWF’s core activities. The work of this team includes the organisation and management of around 100 days of scientific workshops, seminars and visits per year, the publication of around 60 web articles a year, and a quarterly newsletter. It also handles media requests from across the globe, mainly focussing on our scientific advances, as well as the management of internal channels dedicated to staff engagement. As an intergovernmental organisation, our external communication activities are bound by strict rules to respect our Member States’ national engagement and messaging.

The overarching purpose of this role is to support the Head of Communications in her functions. The post-holder will therefore be expected to be at ease with all elements of the ECMWF communication mix, with demonstrable expertise in at least two of them. The role will line manage the ECMWF communications team, except for the Events Manager. The role will also include some budget management and cost tracking. One of the key traits we are looking for in candidates for this hands- on position is the ability to quickly grasp the whys and wherefores of a changing situation, with the ability to think on their feet and come up with creative yet relevant and appropriate solutions. Key features of this role are:

• Understanding of digital platforms and management of associated media channels;
• Ability to produce high quality content on weather and climate sciences for the purpose of articles, narratives, media fact-sheets etc.;
• Familiarity with audio visual channels as they relate to communication activities, i.e. live streaming of events, webinars, recording, filming;
• Understanding of and interest in weather science, and/or willingness to familiarise themselves with this topic;
• Ability and motivation to perform a variety of tasks at strategic, tactical and operational levels as needed;
• Background and experience allowing the post-holder to both be a team player and team leader as required;
• Demonstrated experience of team management, enabling team members to realise their potential and perform to the best of their abilities by guiding, coaching & supporting;
• Willingness to support others as and when required, e.g. help with event registration, developing communication plans for announcements and publications, research factoids in support of presentations, etc.;
• Understanding of international communication, from working collaboratively with the National Meteorological Services of our Member States, to planning global announcements.

4. Main duties and key responsibilities

The duties for this position will be centred around the elements noted above, and will specifically include:

• Supporting the Head of Communications in her functions as required;
• Managing the ECMWF Communications Team workload and line-managing its staff;
• Drafting work plans for the team, monitoring and reporting on progress;
• Applying the concept of consistent and coherent messaging to all the Section’s outputs, whilst also ensuring that the rest of the organisation’s activities and outputs display the same consistency;
• Supporting the Communication network gathering representatives of the national meteorological services of our Member States;
• Ensuring that our outputs are easily accessible to those who may need them - ECMWF staff, members of the team, and partners around the globe;
• Supporting our PR and outreach efforts through the organisation of events, publications and media activities, as well as the through the live-streaming of our key workshops and seminars;
• Contributing to internal communication outputs, e.g. Weekly editorials.

Recruitment at the A3 level may be considered for candidates with clearly demonstrated experience at senior level.

5. Personal attributes

• Confident communicator with the ability to translate complex matters into simple, clear language;
• Ability to work with subject matter experts in a multitude of fields to explain technical issues and understand their needs and translate them into simple language;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to work collaboratively with other members of a team, as well as to work independently;
• Demonstrated team management experience, able to motivate and support a team of professional staff;
• Self-motivated with a positive and professional approach to management;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• Ability to work under pressure, adapting to changing requirement.

6. Qualifications and experience required

Education

• A university degree is required;
• An advanced university degree is desirable for candidates considered for the senior role, at the A3 level.

Experience

• Experience of communication within an international organisation or similar is desirable;
• Recent and relevant experience of staff line management.

Skills and language

• Very strong writing, editing, proofreading, layout and design, professional publishing skills are essential;
• Excellent organizational and planning skills. Demonstrated line management skills;
• Good knowledge and understanding of current trends in digital media/social media;
• Project management and time management skills;
• Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English. The interviews will be conducted in English;
• A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) would be desirable but not essential.

7. Other information

Grade remuneration

The successful candidate will be recruited at either the A2 or the A3 grade, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations.

The position is assigned to the employment category STF-C as defined in the Staff Regulations. For the A2 grade, the minimum annual basic salary will be £60,590.64 net of tax.

For the A3 grade, the minimum annual basic salary will be £74,764.08 net of tax.

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: Four years, with the possibility of a further contract.
Location: The role will be based in the Reading area, in Berkshire, UK.

Interviews for this position are expected to take place in Reading, UK on 6th & 7th April 2020.

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 Cooperating States, listed below:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, 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