Public Engagement Officer

In order to help us embed public engagement as a highly valued staff activity at EMBL-EBI, we are looking for a part-time Public Engagement Officer to join the External Relations team. The successful candidate will develop and implement strategically-aligned measures to increase staff participation in all aspects of public engagement activity. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with EMBL-EBI leadership and staff, colleagues in EMBL’s Strategy and Communications team and in the European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences. 

As this is a new role, you will have the opportunity to really shape it and make a significant contribution to EMBL-EBI’s public engagement activities.
 

Your Role:

It is anticipated that the role will help create opportunities for EMBL-EBI staff to participate in public engagement activities, on-site and off-site, and to contribute to training and development around public engagement skills. Our aim is to increase the number and quality of public engagement initiatives happening, and to build an approach which exchanges learning with key colleagues both locally, and across EMBL more widely.

EMBL-EBI is also a consortium member in the European Commission’s prestigious European Researchers’ Night (LifeLab) grant, led by Wellcome Genome Campus Connecting Science, in partnership with other renowned Cambridge-based scientific institutes. The consortium will deliver the first European Researchers’ Night in Cambridgeshire in 2018 and 2019. Our colleagues at EMBL’s European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences are also leading a consortium to deliver two parallel European Researchers’ Nights in Heidelberg and the incumbent to this role will bridge between these two activity streams to encourage synergies.
 

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver innovative, audience-focused public engagement in alignment with the strategy of EMBL-EBI and Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement’s culture change mission
• Promote and support staff with training and access to opportunities
• Collect, analyse and present data pertaining to public engagement activity, enabling us to report effectively
• Support EMBL-EBI staff with embedded public engagement within research funding applications
• Work closely with colleagues in the Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement team, EMBL’s European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences and Strategy and Communications team to share practice and extend reach.

Qualifications and Experience:

We are looking for a person who brings energy and a can-do attitude to this part-time role. It will be an advantage to have an outgoing personality, and to be confident in your interactions with faculty and leadership. We hope you will also be well-organised, a self-starter, focused on delivery of the key tasks and with an ability to prioritise. It is absolutely essential that you possess excellent attention to detail and will be flexible to adapt as this exciting new role evolves and develops.

Required:

• Educated to first degree level
• A minimum of two years’ work experience in the field of public engagement
• A demonstrable interest in promoting public engagement
• Good strategic vision for public engagement
• Ability to understand and simplify complex scientific ideas
• Strong interpersonal skills
• A team player
• A self-starter requiring minimal supervision 
• Confident and engaging public speaker
• Competency with IT programmes, including the Microsoft Office suite

You might also have:

• Experience working internationally.

Benefits and Application:
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation. For more information about pay and benefits click here

We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else.

If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library.