Job Offer: German-speaking Human Resources and Administration Officer

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ALLEA, der europäische Dachverband der Wissenschaftsakademien, sucht für die Geschäftsstelle in Berlin und zunächst befristet auf zwei Jahre eine/n 

Mitarbeiter*in für Personal-, Betriebs– und Verwaltungsangelegenheiten  

(Human Resources and Administration Officer) 

Arbeitsbeginn ist zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt und der Arbeitsumfang beträgt ca. 30 Stunden wöchentlich. Die Vergütung erfolgt nach dem Tarif für den Öffentlichen Dienst der Länder in Abhängigkeit von Qualifikation und Erfahrung bis maximal Stufe TV-L 11. Der Arbeitsalltag kann flexibel im Büro oder von zuhause gestaltet werden. Wir schätzen Vielfalt und begrüßen daher alle Bewerbungen – unabhängig von Alter, Herkunft, Geschlecht, sexueller Identität, Behinderung oder Weltanschauung. 

Tätigkeitsbereiche 

Personalangelegenheiten:  

  • Erste/r Ansprechpartner*in für jede Form von ALLEA-Personalangelegenheiten  
  • Personalverwaltung, Koordination von Stellenbesetzungen, Administration von Personalübersichten (Urlaubsplanung, Abwesenheitserfassung, …) 
  • Kontakt zu Lohnbüros, Versicherungen, Rechtsberatungen und anderen behördlichen Stellen  

Betriebs- und Verwaltungsangelegenheiten: 

  • Abwicklung des administrativen und operativen Tagesgeschäftes des Verbandes, einschließlich Geschäftskorrespondenz Deutsch/Englisch 
  • Sicherstellung der Funktionalität von IT-Infrastruktur und Datenmanagement unterstützt durch externe IT-Dienstleister  
  • Beschaffung von Waren und Dienstleistungen, sowie Verwaltung von Verträgen und Vereinbarungen mit Drittanbietern 

 Allgemeine Verwaltungsaufgaben: 

  • Unterstützung der Mitgliederverwaltung und Pflege von Datenbanken 
  • Organisatorische Aufgaben (Kalenderverwaltung, Termin-, Veranstaltungs-, Reiseplanung) 
  • Unterstützung von Präsidium und Geschäftsführung bei täglich anfallenden Aufgaben 

Voraussetzungen 

  • Hochschulstudium in relevanter Fachrichtung (Business Administration, HR Management, usw.) oder abgeschlossene Berufsausbildung im Verwaltungsbereich (Bürokommunikation o.ä.)  
  • Mehrjährige einschlägige Berufserfahrung  
  • Hervorragende Deutsch– sowie sehr gute Englischkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift (Arbeitssprachen); 
  • Sicherer Umgang mit MS-Office und weiterer üblicher Software (Datenbanken o.ä.) 
  • Organisationstalent, Teamfähigkeit, sowie selbstständige und strukturierte Arbeitsweise 
  • Erfahrung in Personalwesen, Vertragsgestaltung, öffentlicher Beschaffung wünschenswert 

Über ALLEA und die Berliner Geschäftsstelle  

ALLEA ist eine gemeinnützige internationale Organisation an der Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft, die sich der koordinierten Zusammenarbeit zwischen über 50 Wissenschaftsakademien aus 40 europäischen Ländern widmet.  

Die in Berlin ansässige Geschäftsstelle ist besetzt mit einem interkulturellen und dynamischen Team, das alle anfallenden Verwaltungs-, Koordinations- und Kommunikationsaufgaben betreut und die verschiedenen Aktivitäten des Dachverbandes plant und umsetzt. 

Mehr Informationen bieten unsere Website www.allea.org und unser Twitter-Account @ALLEA_academies. 

 

Bewerbungsverfahren und -formalitäten 

Bei Interesse bitten wir um Übersendung der vollständigen Bewerbungsunterlagen (Anschreiben, Lebenslauf, Arbeitsnachweise/Referenzen) in einer PDF-Datei mit dem Betreff „Human Resources and Administration Officer” bis spätestens 6. Dezember 2020 an recruitment@allea.org zu.  

Bitte erwähnen Sie dabei, wie Sie auf diese Ausschreibung aufmerksam geworden sind. Bewerbungsgespräche mit den aussichtsreichsten Kandidat*innen werden in den darauffolgenden Wochen durchgeführt. 

Job Offer: Scientific Policy Officer (2 positions)

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ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, is currently seeking two

 

Scientific Policy Officers (f/m/d)

 

to join its team in Berlin from January 2021 for the duration of two years. The positions are offered as part-time (approximately 75%) with potential increase/decrease of working hours over the course of employment if desired.

 

Role and Responsibilities

  • Coordination and implementation of activities and projects within ALLEA’s science-policy portfolios;
  • Organise meetings of working groups with academy fellows and external experts and prepare draft statements and reports based on expert contributions and deliberations (scientific writing);
  • Organisation of consultation processes with academies and their fellows as well as with external stakeholders;
  • Support organisation of public events and dissemination activities of scientific topics together with ALLEA communications staff, including publication of ALLEA statements and reports;
  • Support and organise peer review and endorsement processes for scientific and science-policy publications;
  • Regular reporting to ALLEA Board and Executive staff, as well as to project funders;
  • Establish and maintain close cooperation with relevant European policymakers and other science policy stakeholders;
  • Conduct foresight and horizon-scanning activities and prepare draft project outlines for scientific topics (including work and budget plans) as appropriate;

 

Skills and Experience

  • At least 2-3 years of experience at the interface of science and policy, and/or science management/administration, or in higher education;
  • A postgraduate degree in the natural or social sciences, ideally with some experience in working in an interdisciplinary context;
  • Excellent oral and written proficiency in English, additional languages are an asset;
  • Demonstrated experience in managing budget lines and delivery of scientific or science-policy projects, including grant acquisition and reporting for third-party funded projects;
  • Prior experience in scientific publishing and/or science communication is an asset;
  • Prior experience working in/with European institutions, international membership or research performing organisations is desirable;
  • An established network of relevant stakeholders at the science-policy interface on the European level is an asset;
  • Proficient in relevant office software, project management, and reference management (Endnote or Zotero) software.

 

Why join us

ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from over 40 EU and non-EU countries. ALLEA operates at the interface of science, policy and society and speaks out on behalf of its members to promote science as a global public good.

You will be part of a multi-cultural, young, and dynamic team working in the centre of Berlin and help ALLEA reach international stakeholders on societally relevant scientific topics. As a not-for-profit organisation, our working environment is informal and collegial, and our team shares a dedication to work for a common greater good.

This position offers the flexibility of combining working in the office and remotely. Remuneration will depend on the level of previous experience and qualifications and correspond to TV-L 12 or 13 of the German public servant remuneration grade table.

ALLEA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.

For more information about us, please visit www.allea.org and/or follow us on Twitter @ALLEA_academies.

 

How to apply

If you are interested, please submit your digital application including a cover letter, CV and  relevant corresponding certificates as one single PDF document to recruitment@allea.org by 6 December 2020 referencing the job title in the email subject line. Please also mention where or how you became aware of this job offer. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews in the following weeks.

Download the job post here.

ALLEA Webinar on Cultural Memories & Nationalist Sentiments – Recording Is Online

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On 5 November, cultural historian Joep Leerssen and Laura Hood of The Conversation discussed why and how national cultures obstruct European politics.

Joep Leerssen, 2020 Laureate of the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, is one of the most remarkable figures in the critical analysis of ethnic and cultural stereotyping. In this conversation with Laura Hood, he gave insights into image shifts and trends of European identities.

The event was organised as a part of the Berlin Science Week 2020.

The Madame de Stael Prize for Cultural Values is awarded by ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, jointly with the foundation Compagnia di San Paolo as major supporter.

 

ALLEA President contributes to JRC workshop on science for policy

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ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno participated in the Joint Research Centre (JRC) workshop “Science for policymaking by national academies” on 4 November. The workshop is part to the JRC virtual series entitled “Strengthening and connecting science for policy eco-systems in Europe“.

President Loprieno discussed the contribution of European academies in the provision of science advice to society and policymakers. In his presentation, he argued that academies have historically taken the role of a “disinterested advisor”.

He pointed out to the importance of understanding the boundaries where academies can act or influence in providing science advice. At some point, other actors and policymakers need to take over and turn advice into concrete action.

The debate, moderated by Emanuela Bellan (JRC), covered several questions emerging from previous workshops such as:

  • how can advisers strike a balance between informal, close relations with policy side (mutual trust) and their independence (scientific integrity, public trust)?;
  • what does it mean to be an effective knowledge broker? And how can we organize such structures/bodies in eco-systems?
  • how can we improve the mutual understanding and trust of actors in science and policymaking?
  • what is the role of the public/citizens in all this?

The event included panellists Rudi Hielscher, Coordinator of SAPEA, Brian Norton, Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy, and Julian Revalski, President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Among other objectives, the JRC workshop series aims at building a knowledge base to understand in what ways and under what conditions particular building blocks within different eco-systems work and national eco-systems are connected.

Why Trust Experts?

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ALLEA’s EU-funded research project PERITIA has launched the new animation video “Why Trust Experts?“. Inspired by their principal investigator Maria Baghramian’s article “Trust in Experts: Why and Why Not”, the video invites everyone to reflect on the role of expertise in our daily lives.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown once again that experts play a key role in advising politicians and citizens. There may be no better time to ask ourselves some relevant questions about trust in expertise.

  • How does trust in experts work?
  • How is trust in science related to trust in media?
  • Why is trust in expertise important for democracies?
  • How can we learn to trust trustworthy experts?

The short animation video summarizes the key questions of PERITIA’s research in the context of today’s pandemic crisis and raises some relevant points. It touches upon the different dimensions of trust in expertise from a philosophical perspective, the influential role of media (and social media) in how we access scientific information, or the difficult balance between science independence and policymaking.

In the dedicated webpage “Why trust Experts?“, PERITIA delves into these key questions including resources. The page is available to help you learn more about the topic and find more scientific contributions to the debates from the team and their partners.

About PERITIA

PERITIA is a Horizon 2020-funded research project exploring the conditions under which people trust expertise used for shaping public policy. The project brings together philosophers, social and natural scientists, policy experts, ethicists, psychologists, media specialists and civil society organisations to conduct a comprehensive multi-disciplinary investigation of trust in and the trustworthiness of policy related expert opinion. As part of consortium of 11 partners from 9 countries, ALLEA leads the work on public engament and interaction of the project.

Academies’ report reviews debate on genome editing for crop improvement

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Since the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU of 2018, which placed genome-edited crops under the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) legislation, the scientific community has passionately debated the future of these new breeding techniques.

The new ALLEA report “Genome Editing for Crop Improvement” presents the state of the art of scientific evidence in the field and explores paths to harmonise EU legislation with recent scientific developments, while particularly considering relevant ethical and societal considerations.

The report summarises the discussions between scientific experts, policy-makers and civil-society organisations at a public symposium Genome Editing for Crop Improvement held in Brussels in November 2019, where ALLEA and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts KVAB invited relevant stakeholders and the interested public to assess and discuss the impact of the ruling on present research and developments in genome editing for plant breeding.

“Widening public discourse on innovation in genome-editing for crop improvement is a key responsibility of the scientific community, including academies across Europe. While these new techniques offer exciting opportunities, it remains vital to see the bigger picture and to also consider public perceptions and cultural differences. This report summarises these diverse strands of research and aims to provide a comprehensive overview to European policymakers and the public.” states Prof. Antonio Loprieno, President of ALLEA.

At the European level, the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU on case C-528/16 of 2018 has been met largely with bewilderment and disappointment among the scientific community involved in research in this field. Scientists are concerned that this legislation will impede European research and leave the continent lagging behind other world regions where regulation is less restrictive.

The present report provides an overview of the latest scientific evidence with respect to safety of genome-edited crops and their possible potential to provide solutions to current and future agricultural challenges. Issues related to the traceability of genome-edited crops and how this will likely affect international trade of food and feed are also addressed.

In addition to the bioscience aspects of the technology, the report discusses economic and social implications of genome editing for crop improvement, and the legal hurdles in readdressing the court decision by legislative means. The authors underline that “public participation should be incorporated into the policy-making process for genome editing and should include ongoing monitoring of public attitudes, informational deficits, and addressing concerns about certain applications of genome editing”.

 

Key takeaways from the report:

  • European legislation should follow the features of the plant, rather than the technique used to generate it, to determine its regulatory status.
  • Targeted genome edits, which do not add foreign DNA, do not present any other health or environmental danger than plants obtained through classical breeding techniques, and are as safe or dangerous as the latter.
  • Continued legislative and policy restrictions may hamper the selection of more productive, diverse, and climate-resilient crops with a reduced environmental footprint.
  • The length and cost of the authorisation process makes it, except for major industrial players, hardly possible to bring into culture and commercialise plants developed with new biotechnological breeding techniques.
  • To enhance sustainability and to reduce the usage of chemicals, access is needed to the most advanced technologies enabling the improvement of existing varietal heritage and increasing the ability to respond to new challenges of changing environments. These new technologies may contribute to a reduction of the environmental footprint of agriculture.
  • An open, honest dialogue with all stakeholders, including the public, is needed in the decision-making processes for introducing genome-edited products into the market, ensuring that the implications of market introduction are accurately communicated.

 

Download the report

KVAB report in Dutch

Everything you wanted to ask about science advice #AskRolf

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Professor Heuer is the Chair of the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors which provides independent and high quality scientific advice to the College of European Commissioners, and an experimental particle physicist. Before joining the Group of Advisors, he was CERN Director-General until December 2015.

On 3 November at 11:00, Professor Heuer will answer your questions and discuss with you how to make politicians listen and understand science and why it is important live on YouTube.

SAPEA Science for policy podcast

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In September, SAPEA – one of ALLEA’s flagship projects – launched a series of podcasts on science advice for policy. Invited experts and science advice practitioners reflect on how far we should rely on science to make political decisions,  what makes a good science advisor, what to do when the evidence is incomplete or controversial,  what happens when science advice goes wrong,  and other questions on science-policy interactions.

So far, six episodes have been published. They feature:

  • Clarissa Rios Rojas, a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge.
  • Mark Walport, a member of the SAGE committee, and former chief scientific advisor to the UK.
  • Vladimír Šucha and Marta Sienkiewicz, editors of the Joint Research Centre’s new science advice handbook.
  • Bart Koelmans, a chair of the advisory groups on microplastics pollution for the UN and EU.
  • Rolf Heuer and Pearl Dykstra, respectively the chair and deputy chair of the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
  • Peter Gluckman, the chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice, and a former chief science advisor to New Zealand.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Europe on test: the onus of the past – conference publication

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The Polish Academy of Sciences published a book based on the contributions to the 2019 ALLEA conference organized at its Institute of Philosophy and Sociology in Warsaw.

The texts collected in this volume focus on the Central-Eastern part of the European Union. The countries of this area still experience effects of their dependence on the Soviet Union and decades of authoritarian rules. These effects are clashing with the memory of the end of unwanted communist experiment, due to successful popular uprising and favorable international situation. The publication examines how the recent past of former “communist” states affects their performance in the integrating Europe, points out the problems of national and European identity, the question of solidarity and perception of interests.

“Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion” is a series of conferences under the patronage of ALLEA and hosted by selected Academies of Sciences and Humanities in various European cities. It seeks to address recent political developments and other aspects of relevance that may pose a challenge for the future of Europe as a community.

ALLEA welcomes Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research

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On 20 October the EU research ministers at a Ministerial Conference on the European Research Area adopted the Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Scientific Research, thereby strengthening the protection of academic freedom in Europe. 

Enabling scientists and researchers to follow their research interests freely and unimpeded by political constraints is one of the core principles of the European Union and ALLEA is delighted to see a strong commitment by the EU Member States to continue standing up for these rights. 

“ The Bonn Declaration is an important step in the right direction. In the recent past, the European research community has endured clear infringements on academic freedom. This declaration is a sign that we can no longer stand idly by and continue business as usual and makes a clear connection between trust in science and its independence. It is important to stress that academic freedom also involves the responsibility of the research community to openly communicate their findings not only to their peers, but also to the wider public”, says ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno. 

ALLEA, together with its Member Academies, has been a proponent of stronger safety mechanisms for academic freedom for a long time and has worked with other relevant stakeholders in the area to speak with one voice for the research community. 

Read the Bonn Declaration here.