Job Opportunities

Project context

France’s leading engineering and management institution, the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), provides training in combination with a high level of scientific and technical excellence to respond to the digital, ecological, and industrial transitions. As part of the IMT network, IMT Mines Albi aims to play a key role in a transformative process with a significant societal impact. We seek to combine scientific expertise with human insights to meet future challenges. Our mission is to reinvent the world by training engineers capable of building a sustainable world by actively contributing to ecological, digital, industrial, and societal transitions. We will stimulate new economic development dynamics and support the creation or transformation of activities linked to the emergence of new technologies and industrial processes by drawing on our extensive research teams, spread across three training and research labs. Our goal is an agile, responsible and sustainable society.

The Research, Doctorate and Economic Intelligence Department (DRDIE) is accountable for the following:

• Research focus, doctoral training, innovation, and economic development activities to consolidate and promote the school’s activities.

• Promoting new scientific knowledge, proofs of concept and innovations, and their transfer to the socio-economic world.

• Coordinate the strategy and actions to protect the school’s scientific and technical heritage.

• Develop integrated support for research, innovation, and economic development.

• Provide doctoral training as part of the degree awarded by the school, in line with the scientific skills of the labs.

The position proposed is open at the RAPSODEE laboratory, which is associated with CNRS (UMR 5302). It conducts research on Particulate solids, renewable energies, biomass and waste conversion, and eco-activities. It also covers health and nutrition research. At the RAPSODEE center, the project manager will be under the responsibility of the ERC STOREHEAT project and the PHOSFORLAB Labcom Principal Investigator (PI).

Missions

In the context of the STOREHEAT ERC (European Research Council) project and the PHOSFORLAB joint public-private research laboratory developed within the RAPSODEE training and research lab, the role of research project manager will be overseen by the professor in charge of projects. The project manager will be responsible for monitoring and coordinating administrative, HR and financial aspects and relations with the project partners. This position forms part of the project manager’s role, which is defined within Research, Doctorate and Economic Intelligence Division (DRDIE). The role’s focus is the implementation phase of research projects:

• On the one hand, the professor in charge of the research project with which they are associated as a partner can focus on the scientific activities, while ensuring that these are in line with the administrative and financial framework in which they are carried out. This includes obligations towards public bodies such as the European Commission and the industrial partners.

• On the other hand, to guarantee co-steering with the objective of securing the anticipated revenues during the set-up phase, to anticipate project risks more effectively, to develop relationship with the partner company, to prepare and organize the recruitment of researchers, and to manage potential follow-up or avenues for developing the project economically.

The main objective of the role is to coordinate the actions of various administrative, finance and human resources staff involved in the implementation of the project(s) being monitored. This is done to ensure that the project is carried out properly:

• Ensure that the initial project plan, schedule of deliverables, flow of payments and expenditure, data management plan, and supporting documents, is consistent with the actual project.

• The role requires you to monitor, anticipate and respect contractual deadlines and commitments, particularly ensuring that budgets are balanced, and contracts are properly executed financially:

o It is essential to gain an understanding of the administrative and financial rules of potential public funders. Additionally, having knowledge of the Horizon Europe programme (and the ERC instrument) is crucial.

o A clear understanding of the financial reporting requirements and formats.

• To provide the professor in charge with the resources necessary to complete the research project, including those projects that are publicly funded, while ensuring compliance with the administrative and financial rules set out in the funding agreements:

o It is essential to select the appropriate service providers for the project,

o Implementing agent missions and travel,

o Tracking time spent on their research activities.

• To organize the future recruitment of PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and engineers who will form the project team.

• To arrange project progress meetings, international missions, and scientific events (seminars, symposia) in accordance with the status of the project and the planned experimental plan.

• The role involves organizing and implementing communication (website, social networks) around projects and associated events in conjunction with the school’s dedicated departments.

• Together with the project team, create an adjustment plan in the event of any discrepancy between the forecast and actual figures. If there is a significant discrepancy, inform the centre management and the project manager or, if necessary, management and coordination at European level, and then implement the corrective action plan.

• The role involves organizing and coordinating the project’s key events, and particularly the preparation of project audits by funding bodies.

• The objective is to maintain up-to-date databases that are essential for managing research projects.

• Participating in opportunity analyses at regular intervals to assess progress and identify potential areas for improvement, as well as to consider new opportunities and projects. The role involves contributing to process improvement initiatives and the deployment of research project management tools.

Skills and Abilities
Knowledge and Expertise:
The ideal candidate will possess excellent knowledge of research project management principles, as
well as a strong understanding of national and European public research/innovation funding
programmes and rules. Additionally, the successful applicant will have a good knowledge of budgetary
and financial management, as well as the rules of public management. A background in continuous
improvement approaches, in particular ISO 9001:2015 certification, would be highly desirable. Finally,
the candidate must have excellent written and spoken English skills.
Personal Qualities:
– Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective interaction with a diverse range of partners, including
academic staff, institutions, industry, researchers, engineers, lawyers and financiers.
– Interest in scientific subjects aligned with the school’s research centres’ core areas of expertise.
– Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
– Responsiveness, organisational skills and initiative.
– Autonomous and reliable.
– Ability to integrate current procedures and regulations.

Further Information
Contract employee under public law covered by the Institut Mines-Télécom management framework.
Duration: 36 months, 24 months renewable.
– Between 8- and 10-weeks’ holiday per year
– Partial teleworking possible after end of trial period
– Family supplement
– Wide range of social benefits
Any further information about the position:
Professor Xavier Lorca, Director of the Doctorate and Economic Intelligence Department (DRDIE),
xavier.lorca@mines-albi.fr
Professor Ange Nzihou, Principal Investigator (PI) of the ERC STOREHEAT and for the PHOSFORLAB
Joint public-private research laboratory, ange.nzihou@mines-albi.fr
Administrative informations:
Thomas BRENAC, IMT Mines Albi Human Resources, Tel. 05 63 49 32 23, laura.olivier@mines-albi.fr
Deadline for the application: 9th november of 2024
Important:
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, candidates are informed that their data will
be retained by the administration for a maximum period of 2 years unless otherwise specified in their
cover letter.

Candidates must also demonstrate experience in managing European and international industrial research projects.