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Scientific Programme Officer
SRI Executive Search has been retained by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to assist with their search for suitable candidates to fill the position of Scientific Programme Officer.

Background
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is the national foundation for investment in scientific and engineering research.  SFI invests in academic researchers and research teams who are most likely to generate new knowledge, leading edge technologies and competitive enterprises in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths. In this way, SFI promotes and assists the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise and employment in Ireland.
The Programmes, Enterprise and International Affairs Directorate (PE&IA) has the overall responsibility for coordinating all SFI award programmes including those involving recruitment, established investigators, feasibility studies to demonstrate commercial potential, industrial collaborations and those involving partnerships or support of non-exchequer awards. The directorate’s remit also includes the development and fostering of relationships with foreign agencies and forging strategic alliances in research and development. Company and industry interactions feature strongly within the duties of the directorate, in addition to closely collaborating with sister agencies, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA.
Relevance to enterprise is a key objective and SFI is an important part of the State’s enterprise ecosystem, together with its sister agencies IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Under the guidance of their parent department (Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation), the majority of public funds for research must now be directed towards the fourteen areas outlined in the report of the National Research Prioritisation Steering Group and therefore SFI will be focusing the remit of appropriate programmes on these priority areas
The PE&IA Directorate is comprised of a Pre- and Post-award team. The Pre-Award Team is responsible for the development and delivery of SFI’s suite of funding programmes. The Post-Award Team is responsible for the on-going monitoring and evaluation of SFI’s portfolio of awards. In addition, both teams actively contribute to SFI policy and strategy development.
Collectively, the two teams operate under the auspices of the Directorate, whose task is to implement and run a suite of programmes, as guided by the SFI Annual Plan, which provides the breadth of support to deliver on SFI’s Agenda 2020. The SPO positions will report to the Head of either the Pre- or Post-Award Teams and will be based within the Programmes, Enterprise and International Affairs Directorate (PE&IA).
Scientific Programme Officers play a critical role in the delivery of SFI’s mission. Their excellent scientific skills, outstanding organisational abilities and key understanding of national policy is essential for the Foundation to deliver an ambitious programme which funds excellent research with high impact.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general supervision of the the Head of either the Pre- or Post-Award Teams, the Scientific Programme Officer will perform the following duties:
  • Managing both impact and scientific review of proposals using international peer review, preparation of review documentation, conducting internal reviews and evaluations.
  • Engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders including applicants, grant holders, industry partners and collaborators.
  • Management and monitoring of awards including organising and conducting site reviews and preparing associated reports.
  • Annual/final report evaluation, analysis and follow-up on issues.
  • Preparation of reports on active grants and programmes.
  • Development of programme calls and grant policies.
  • Technical consultancy - internal and external, in particular with sister agencies EI and IDA.
  • Providing input to SFI policies, strategy and planning for enhancing research capability in Ireland.
  • External communication (e.g. webinars, town hall meetings) of SFI Programmes and Calls.
  • Working with the Communications team on relevant material e.g. Press releases, web updates etc. 
  • Other duties as assigned by the Director or Head of the Pre/Post-Award team.

Required Experience and Qualifications
  • PhD in an area of STEM; expertise related to one of the 14 areas as outlined in the report of the NRP Steering Group (link below).  SFI are particularly interested in candidates with experience in the domains of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) or Engineering. (http://www.djei.ie/publications/science/2012/research_prioritisation.pdf ).
  • Proven track record ideally with 3 years post PhD qualification in either academia or industry
  • Scientific knowledge and skills respected by the academic community.
  • Strong capacity to acquire and evaluate information about new knowledge and opportunities in the relevant areas.
  • Experience in and awareness of Technology Transfer.
  • Ability to coordinate and administer the SFI programme of proposal assessment, grant approval, setting of performance targets and monitoring of progress.
  • Proven ability to build and maintain a network of contacts, with intellectual and interpersonal skills that gain the respect and cooperation of the industrial and academic research community, and also of administrators and managers in universities and the public sector.
  • Ability to serve effectively as a member of the Directorate.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Willingness to travel in order to deliver effectively on your role.

Terms of Appointment
This is a five year fixed-term contract. Salary will be negotiated with the successful candidate, approximately €65k per annum (taxable), dependent on skills and qualifications. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. A range of conditions relating to pension provisions specific to the post shall apply; further details are available on request.
Expressions of interest together with a full CV (MS Word format) which highlights your experience and skills against the requirements of this role should be directed in confidence to Ms Naomi McAdam by clicking 'Apply now'
+353 1 6479208.Apply now