Position description
EMBL is looking for a highly motivated Grants Officer to join our vibrant and diverse team in Heidelberg, Germany.
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, with funding secured from external funding bodies.
EMBL has a long and successful history in identifying and obtaining external funds to further enhance its research activities. EMBL currently receives more than €70m a year in such funding income from an increasingly wide range of funders. This currently equates to approximately 400 active awards and 350 to 400 applications for external funding per year. Major funders include the European Commission, the European Research Council (ERC), the US National Institutes of Health, and other charitable organisations (e.g. Volkswagen Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, etc.). EMBL also receives funding from national organisations in the countries it is based, like the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the French National Research Agency (ANR) and the UK Resarch and Innovation (UKRI), among others.
The Grants Office is a friendly, communicative team. The work is varied, and you will have autonomy to develop and improve processes in a dynamic, international working environment.
As Grants Officer, you will work collaboratively with PIs and a number of other teams (e.g., Budget Office, Legal Services) to provide a professional service for pre- and post-award grant 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 portfolio of applications and grants, including postdoctoral fellowships and large collaborative projects.
In this role, 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, professional legal, HR and intellectual property advisors, as well as other members of the EMBL administrative team.
You will need to be able to communicate equally well with scientists, administrators, and management and demonstrate a history of proactive management of projects and problems. The work is varied, and you will have autonomy to develop and improve processes in a dynamic, international working environment.
Your role
- Provide support to identify sources of external funding and disseminate information on funding opportunities, eligibility, procedures and deadlines;
- Provide professional advice to EMBL PIs on the administrative, financial and general compliance requirements laid down by different funding bodies;
- Provide training to scientists at different career stages about funding opportunities and support in developing grant applications;
- 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;
- Coordinate the review of contracts, collaboration agreements and other related grants contractual documents and contribute to the review of operational clauses;
- Manage the signature process of Grant Agreements and collaboration agreements;
- Coordinate reporting to funders with PIs, Budget Office and other teams as necessary;
- Coordinate, in conjunction with the relevant project manager for large collaborative projects, administrative processes relating to the submission, contract negotiation and management of projects;
- Meet with PIs regularly to discuss research portfolio status and upcoming applications;
- Respond to general queries regarding applications and awards from other Administration colleagues;
- Routine office duties such as the input of application and award documentation in the EMBL CRIS system, inbox management, filing and record keeping, maintenance of grant-related intranet information, and maintenance of funders’ information and rules, especially as these affect EMBL;
- Undertake training and development activities to ensure skills are kept relevant and up to date.
Qualifications
- Experience of the administration of research grants and contracts;
- An understanding of the research grant process, funders and landscape;
- Computer literacy using Word, Excel and Google Suite, 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;
- Sound communication skills, 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 may also have
- Educated to degree level;
- Proven administrative skills in a grant-making or receiving organisation;
- Understanding and empathy of an international research environment and/or life sciences;
- 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 3.925,04 EUR after tax, excluding personal pension and insurance contributions. Plus financial allowances based on family circumstances.
Interviews: We plan to hold introductory meetings with selected candidates remotely starting on 20 April 2026, with remote panel interviews likely to take place in the week commencing 27 April 2026.
Why join us
EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.
We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.
Enjoy lots of benefits:
- Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, 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;
- 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 to public holidays;
- Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable);
- Campus life: Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg), library, subsidised on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely);
- Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances;
- Benefits for international newcomers: 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;
Application instructions
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