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AgriFood Start-ups Network Manager (m/f)

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holicstic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood start-ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

LOCATION:

The office is located in Leuven (Belgium).

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the Director of Business Creation, you coordinate the RisingFoodStars Network and you actively support AgriFood start-up entrepreneurs in their scale-up business development ambitions. You work closely with some of Europe’s best AgriFood scale-ups ensuring that they can work as optimal as possible within the EIT Food environment.

Your responsibilities include:

Running of the Network together with the Business Support Manager:
- You have a deep knowledge of the ecosystem and its members.
- You support members and guarantee them a smooth onboarding and offboarding.
- You integrate members within the ecosystem and stimulate them to participate in events.
- You organize the annual scouting, selection and onboarding process of new members.
Strategic development of the Association:
- You identify and leverage new Business Creation opportunities in line with the strategy.
- You are responsible for the planning, implementation and the reporting of activities within the RisingFoodStars Association in alignment with the EIT rules/guidelines and the EIT Food Business Creation strategy.
Business aspects of the Association and its members:
- You monitor the members’ reporting in EIT Food Business Plan and assist them in guaranteeing the added value of their activities to their growth.
- You facilitate connections with EIT Food partners and help members draft collaborative innovation project proposals in the EIT Food Business Plan.
- You keep track of the member database and report on KPI.
Exposure of the members:
- You participate in Europe’s main agrifood business events in order to promote the members and the Network.

Profile:

You hold a Master or PhD, ideally with a MBA, or equivalent through experience.
You have at least 5 years’ experience in a relevant position within start-up, innovation accelerator, venture builder, or early-stage tech investments firm linked to the AgriFood sector.
Experience in the management of EU funded projects is an important asset
You have excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, and empathy.
You are proactive and flexible, with problem solving and analytical skills.
You possess excellent verbal and written communication & presentation skills.
Ability to work both independently and in small (multi-national) teams.
You fluently speak English. The command of any other European language is a plus.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (especially Microsoft Excel).

Offer

A challenging and stimulating position within the leading European food innovation initiative.
To contribute to high-potential innovative AgriFood business development.
The opportunity to work in a human-sized, dynamic and excellence-oriented environment.
An attractive salary package in line with the position responsibilities and its context.
A full-time permanent contract.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Send your CV together with a short cover letter via Pahrtners or to recruitment@pahrtners.be.

Your application and related information will remain strictly confidential.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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Call Manager

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

EIT Food is a young and fast-growing organisation working towards a more more sustainable and healthy food system in Europe that is trusted by consumers. It is one of eight Innovation Communities established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008, to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

EIT Food is a member organisation bringing together key industry players, agri-food startups, research centres and universities from across Europe representing the food value chain in Europe. In addition to thematic leadership, EIT Food is also responsible for coordinating a multi-million euro EU grant allocation from the EIT and distributing it among its partners and stakeholders for the implementation of cooperation projects. It also manages other grants and donor funding opportunities on behalf of the Partnership.

EIT Food headquarters (HQ) are based in Leuven (Belgium) and it has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLCs) in Europe (based in Poland, Spain, Germany, the UK and Belgium), each working with and for partners in several EIT Food partner countries. The main objectives of the CLCs are to grow and support the network of partners in their region, execute regional and local activities, as well as organising thematic events.

LOCATION: Based at the EIT Food Headquarters in Leuven, Belgium.

Candidates will be required to be domiciled in Belgium.

OVERALL PURPOSE: This is a full-time position for a Call Manager to join the Grants Management Office, a unit under the responsibility of the COO. Under the supervision of the Head of the Grants Mangement Office, the Call Manager shall be responsible for the implementation of multiannual Activity Plans through the design and organisation of competitive calls and evaluations of project proposals. They shall deal with several EU grant-cycle procedures, and also have contact with Industry, Research, Universities, Start-ups and Communities, as well as grant-awarding bodies such as the EIT.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

This role has three main components:

Ensure the successful launch of open calls for proposals, their implementation and compliance with Horizon Europe and EIT/donor regulations. The Call Manager will take ownership for all stages of the call process (full details below). They will steer the EIT Food teams in the areas of Innovation, Business Creation, Education and Public Engagement to ensure the success of the calls and compliance with grant conditions. They will coordinate with the Impact, Strategy and Business Development teams within EIT Food.
Be responsible for the success of the EIT monitoring and evaluation of the call process, including the selection of the project portfolio and compliance with grant conditions.
Occasionally support the Grant Management Office with other grant-cycle process as and when required (business planning, business plan amendments, reporting and monitoring of projects).

In this context, the Call Manager shall in particular be required to:

Propose and improve processes within the necessary timeline for each call;
Create and implement a calendar of calls, ensuring they are planned within the required grant-cycle timelines and respecting funding conditions;
Coordinate all the actors involved in launching a call, from Strategy to Functional Area teams (responsible for defining the theme and content), the EIT, evaluators, communications team, other KICs for X-KIC calls, etc..;
Participate in the development of an IT system to manage the calls;
Ensure that the content and purpose of the calls are:
- Aligned with the available budget
- Aligned with the impact requirements, KPI targets and strategic objectives;
Steer the process to ensure compliance with EIT Food policies, EIT requirements and HE regulations such as openness and transparency;
Coordinate with legal to ensure disclaimers and other standard legal texts are always updated and reflected in the call documents;
Draft, review and approve all call related documents including guidelines, templates, FAQs, etc..;
Work with Functional Areas to set a scoring system (exclusion, selection and evaluation criteria) that ensures the achievement of the call objectives;
Ensure the calls are public to the extent they need to be and coordinate their publication online with the communications team;
Ensure the process allows for the collection of the necessary data as required by EIT for monitoring and reporting purposes (CORDA and others);
Set up and execute the evaluation and selection processes:
- Draft the evaluator guidelines (in coordination with the functional area);
- Manage the selection of external evaluators, including setting objective criteria, launching an open call, and coordinating their selection, ensuring absence of conflict of interest;
- Maintain a pool of evaluators based on performance;
- Coordinate with administration colleagues the contractual arrangements, instructions, travel arrangements, invoicing and payment of evaluators;
- Coordinate the formation of review panels and organize the evaluation days (supported by administration colleagues);
- Collect the feedback and scoring and ensuring all the decision-making agents in EIT food receive the information;
- Ensure all the parties are receiving the communications regarding the status of the process as needed (applicants, EIT, evaluators, etc)
- Coordinate the internal decision panels, involve EIT and ensure the process is compliant with the principles of transparency, independency, etc. with the support of legal if needed (CoI, ..)
- Communicate the final decision to the applicants and follow up on the feedback, if any;
Coordinate with legal to establish a redress mechanism and ensure it is implemented when required;
Support the COO to prepare PPTs and briefing documents to the governance bodies of EIT Food (Management Board, Supervisory Board, Partner Assembly) to summarise the call processes and outcomes;
Ensure the successful projects are transferred into the project portfolio and the necessary information is provided to the Grant Management Office for reporting to EIT.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Master’s degree in a relevant field or a university degree coupled with relevant professional experience;
Minimum five years of relevant project management experience, preferably in an international environment;
Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing open calls for proposals;
Knowledge of public funding mechanisms including EU grants is essential; knowledge of the Horizon Europe programme is considered an asset;
Experience working with the e-grants portal and/or the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is an asset;
Process-oriented, methodical and logical thinker with attention to detail and respect for timelines and deadlines, committed to delivering results;
An engaged team player, also able to work independently and flexible to work in small (multi-national) teams/matrix organisation, in a fast- paced changing environment;
Organization sensitivity and Business Acumen: ability to think outside the box, proactively detect risks and propose mitigation measures, and translate the business needs into practical solutions which comply with funding conditions;
Strong communication and drafting skills, with a proven ability to establish good communication with internal and external stakeholders. Excellent written and oral communication in English is essential;
Computer literacy in the use of standard MS Office applications, email, internet is essential, as well as a willingness to learn and develop the processes for new IT systems;
A passion for food, innovation and sustainability.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter in English in electronic format on our website before 7/7/2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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Grant Cycle Officer

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holicstic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood start-ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

JOB AND CONTRACT TYPE:

Full-time, permanent position

LOCATION:

The selected candidate will be based at EIT Food HQ in Leuven (Belgium). Having a permanent residence in Belgium is mandatory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE:

The grant-cycle officer will be an integral member of the Operations Team of EIT Food. Working with grant-cycle managers, they will support colleagues throughout EIT Food and our external partners to implement each stage of the EIT grant cycle, from business planning through to reporting. They will support the organisation to meet key milestones and secure EU grant funding, through monitoring and supporting a range of Partner-led activities in the agri-food sector.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The grant cycle-officer will support grant-cycle managers to implement key processes in a timely manner, such as:

Supporting the grant-cycle managers to improve and continuously develop processes, raising red flags where needed and proposing solutions to manage risks;
Supporting in the implementation of a new Business Planning process under Horizon Europe, including the implementation of open calls;
Managing reviews of proposals by external reviewers, including coordinating multiple review panels and consolidating and distributing the evaluation results;
Contributing to the drafting of key documents such as business plans and monitoring reports;
Supporting the Programme Managers to roll out their monitoring of ongoing projects and collating information for central reporting and monitoring purposes;
Managing the iterative feedback process with Partners at key reporting milestones;
Communicating with partners to process changes to project budgets and work plans;
Implementing key grant cycle processes through mastering the use of the tailor made IT platforms.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor or Master degree in a relevant field;
Between 1-3 years of relevant working experience;
Experience in process implementation, with a high degree of attention to detail and respect for timelines and deadlines in a fast-paced environment;
Fluency in English and ideally one other EU language;
Very good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (including Word and Excel), good IT skills and willingness to adapt to new systems;
Flexible to work both independently and in small (multi-national) teams;
Very good communication skills, service oriented and confident to communicate with international stakeholders;
Logical thinker, motivated to drive continuous improvement based on sound analysis;
Can-do attitude, driven to learn and realise impact, a self-starter;
Knowledge of the EU grant cycle, the EU’s Horizon Europe Programme or the EIT environment will be considered a strong asset.

APPOINTMENT AND SALARY

We offer a competitive salary package based upon your experience and qualifications.

Tentative starting date: As soon as possible.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter in English in electronic format on the CV Warehouse platform on our website www.eitfood.eu before 07/07/2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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intern in project manager

Warsaw, Poland

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holistic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agri-food start-ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

JOB AND CONTRACT TYPE:

Fixed term internship contract till the end of 2021 with the possibility of extension.

EXPECTED START DATE:

Ideally in July (subject to the candidate’s availability).

LOCATION:

(S)he will be based in the Co-Location Centre (CLC) North-East in Warsaw, Poland.

Occasional travel within Europe can be expected.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support the Implementation of RIS Educational and Public Engagement programmes: RIS Fellowships, RIS Public Representatives, RIS Research Innovation Network, RIS Consumer Engagement Labs
Building and managing community of participants or alumni of Educational programmes
Management and data analysis - updating obtained information on participants of RIS activities, project achievements and success stories
Coordinating the communication with High Education and Research organisations in CLC North-East countries
Participating in external events in Poland and Europe
Reporting to RIS Programme Manager and CLC Director.

Ideally, the candidate has:

Student, Bachelor or Master’s degree or equivalent years of experience in the area of project management, economics, agriculture, entrepreneurship, or food science
Interest in the topic of entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector
Very good command of Microsoft Office and social media channels for professional use
Excellent English (writing and speaking), knowledge of other language is a clear plus
Excellent written communication, content creation
Taking initiative, independent and trustworthy
Respectful of timelines and deadlines and attention for detail,
Ability to work both independently and in small (multi-national) teams
Organised, proactive, service-oriented and capable of multi-tasking

Bonus points if the candidate has:

Previous experience in educational area would be considered a plus
Knowledge of EIT activities is an asset
Experience and understanding of the agrifood sector isa clear plus
Good editorial and/or data analysis skills isan asset

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter in English in electronic format to CV Warehouse via our website before 14 June 2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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MEDIA & CONTENT CONTRACTOR (m/f)

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holistic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood startups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

JOB AND CONTRACT TYPE:

Full-time position, until end 2021 with possibility of extension

LOCATION:

The successful candidate will be part of a virtual team and will be able to work from home from anywhere in Europe.

Reports to the Head of Brand & Content as a member of the EIT Food communication team.

ROLE SUMMARY

As our lead for media and content copywriting, your primary objective will be to write and edit high-impact and media-worthy agrifood stories that help deliver our strategic goal of engaging 100 million people. You’ll be someone with exceptional English language copywriting skills, an eye for what makes a great agrifood story (and a nose for finding it), is comfortable leading on a range of content activities, and great at dealing with people from across Europe.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Act as our own in-house ‘investigative journalist’ to hunt down compelling and high impact agrifood stories from across the EIT Food community, telling these stories across our channels in multiple formats including blogs, articles, newsletters, web copy, podcasts, research papers, social media and internal comms
Work alongside our core Media & PR agency to write and edit press releases and media material and craft reactive media messages for EIT Food spokespeople
Project manage the delivery of the Annual Impact Report, coordinating with agencies
Develop an internal comms plan (employees and partners) and craft informative and valuable content for our internal community platform and Comms Hub
Update and develop copy for the EIT Food website, including blogs and lead magnets for our Food Fight podcast
Develop our email/newsletter strategy to engage our key stakeholders audiences
Manage inbound copywriting and content requests from across the EIT Food community, acting as first round reviewer on a varied mix of content
Support the Head of Brand & Content with developing brand messages and strategy.

To be a great candidate for this role you will need to have:

3+ years’ proven experience in media and content copywriting, ideally from within the agrifood sector
Exceptional English language copywriting skills with a natural flair for written storytelling, demonstrated by an existing portfolio of copywriting work that showcases your abilities across a wide range of content formats and audiences
Experience of dealing with multiple client-facing digital and content agencies
Strong stakeholder management skills, able to deal effectively and sensitively with people from across Europe of varying levels of seniority
A supportive, enthusiastic and can-do attitude, able to take ownership and initiative to get things done without supervision
A passion for food, innovation and sustainability.

Bonus points if you have:

Previous journalism and/or digital marketing experience or qualifications
Experience working on promoting podcasts, especially in food and/or agrifood
Experience working on organisational branding projects
Previous working experience in and knowledge of EU Institutions and UN SDGs.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter (including tariff/fees) in English in electronic format to CV Warehouse by 18 June 2021.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview in June 2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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Office Manager(m/f)

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holicstic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood start-ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

JOB AND CONTRACT TYPE:

Full-time permanent position, reporting to the COO.

LOCATION:

The office is located in Leuven (Belgium).

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE

The Office Manager has a key role in our organization. This person will ensure the efficient and effective management of the EIT Food Headquarters in Leuven. He/she will work closely with the HR and Finance departments to ensure processes are implemented efficiently.

He/she will be supported by a part-time Office Assistant (60%). As EIT Food is a lean organisation with a hands-on workforce, the Office Manager will be expected to carry out some tasks of the Office Assistant if they are not in the office, as and when required.

The role may evolve as the team grows, so adaptability is key.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Be responsible for the set-up, organization and maintenance of the office environment. This includes the management and administration of office-related service and supply contracts (including procurement and contract management, liaising with suppliers, creating Purchase Orders, monitoring expenses and approving invoices), and guaranteeing a presence in the office when necessary.
Be responsible for reviewing, updating and enforcing office-wide policies and procedures in close collaboration with Finance, HR and the COO.
Manage the central EIT Food email mailbox info@eitfood.eu and distribute the queries.
Be responsible for employee administration, including fleet management, staff onboarding and offboarding, etc.., and respond to staff queries with this respect.
Support the HR Manager with payroll preparation (in case of absence), in managing the open job positions on CV Warehouse (IT platform), and in creating Purchase Orders for employee-related expenses.
Be the backup health and safety officer (level 3) in collaboration with the HR Manager, and ensure that legal requirements for wellbeing and prevention are met.
Manage and supervise the part-time Office Assistant, and act as back-up when they are not present in the office for certain tasks including managing reception; handling incoming and outgoing mail; general office upkeep; organisation of meetings and events, including catering; HR administration.
Assist with travel bookings of COO and Supervisory Board members when required.
Collaborate closely with HR and Finance to execute ad hoc assignments in support of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

Bachelor’s degree (Office Management or similar)
Demonstrable experience (minimum 5 years) in a similar role
Multilingual: native Dutch, fluent English in speech and writing. Other languages will be considered an asset
Experience in an international working environment is considered an asset
Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office.
Team player that can also work independently.
Excellent communication and people
Proactive attitude and strong organisational work habits.
Stress resistant and a hands-on mentality.
Enthousiatic and motivated.
Client-oriented.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter in English in electronic format on our website before 25 June 2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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Senior Business Development & Investment Manager (m/f)

Leuven, Belgium

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holicstic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood start-ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

LOCATION:

The office is located in Leuven (Belgium).

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the Director of Business Creation, you support the agrifood entrepreneurs in their business development challenges, and you manage EIT Food’s investment strategy.

Your responsibilities include:

You manage the direct financial support and investment activities of EIT Food:

You develop a strong deal pipeline and lead the evaluation of investment opportunities.
You lead the investment process: evaluation, structuring, negotiation, and financing.
You manage the post-investment portfolio and assist in the value creation process.
You act as board observer to selected portfolio companies.

You closely collaborate with the FoodSparks® fund Manager and identify co-investment opportunities.
You coordinate the investors community and facilitate the connections with start-ups.
You contribute to the start-up strategy development and you help them in accessing finance.
You align the activities with the EIT / EU guidelines, lead the monitoring and reporting of the activities.

Profile:

You hold a Master or PhD, ideally with a MBA, or equivalent through experience.
You have at least 5 years’ experience within VC investment, corporate venture unit, start-up, innovation accelerator, venture builder or strategy consulting firm linked to the AgriFood sector.
Experience in the management of EU funded projects is an important asset
You are entrepreneurial and creative. You constantly challenge status quo.
You are proactive and flexible, with excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
You possess excellent verbal and written communication & presentation skills.
Ability to work both independently and in small (multi-national) teams.
You fluently speak English. The command of any other European language is a plus.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (especially Microsoft Excel).

Offer:

A challenging and stimulating position within the leading European food innovation initiative.
To contribute to innovative agrifood business development and high-impact investments.
The opportunity to work in a human-sized, dynamic and excellence-oriented environment.
An attractive salary package in line with the position responsibilities and its context.
A full-time permanent contract.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Send your CV together with a short cover letter via Pahrtners or to recruitment@pahrtners.be.

Your application and related information will remain strictly confidential.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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SME Strategy Specialist (m/f)

Reading, United Kingdom

Employee

ABOUT EIT FOOD:

The website of EIT Food is https://www.eitfood.eu

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food is a young and fast-growing organisation focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. EIT Food is a start-up but has the characteristics of a multinational and is operating in a European and international environment. It has 5 regional offices (Co-Location Centres or CLC) in Europe, each covering several EIT Food partners and partner countries. The members of the EIT Food community are world-class players in the international food domain.

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted by consumers.

We believe that we are all responsible for, and connected to, the food that we eat so we all need to work together to improve it. We are building a unique network of diverse partners that provide a holistic view of the food value chain, including key industry players, agrifood start-ups, research centres, and universities from across Europe, all working together to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.

Let’s create the future of food together!

JOB AND CONTRACT TYPE:

Temporary, fixed term to end December 2021, full-time preferred, reasonable part-time considered.

LOCATION:

This position can be either office-based at EIT Food’s North-West Europe regional office (“Co-Location Centre” or “CLC”), located in Reading, UK or home-based with possible travel across the North-West Europe region encompassing UK, Ireland and Iceland.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE:

To support the CLC company in developing and implementing an effective regional (UK, Republic of Ireland, and Iceland) strategy for SME engagement and support via EIT Food programmes. The role will build on existing knowledge, relationships and networks to develop a clear landscape of innovative SMEs in the sector, sub-national and national support available and mechanisms to build value for EIT Food.

The role will identify potential candidates for support through EIT Food Business Creation activities, potential new partners, and possible new co-funding opportunities. The post holder will assist the CLC North-West Director in effective reporting to key stakeholders on our activities and supporting new partnership development.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Creation of an up-to-date landscape of innovation-driven SMEs active in the sector throughout the CLC North West region. Working with partners, existing personal and corporate networks to identify the best candidates for inclusion, and outline the local innovation and funding ecosystem in which the SMEs work.
Working with Business Creation, Innovation and regional CLC Office colleagues and CLC North-West Director you will consider the landscape developed in (1) above and make recommendations for development of an appropriate regional strategy for engagement and development of innovative SMEs through EIT Food and other available schemes.

Through awareness of the various regional funding schemes you will support the CLC to seed and help develop ideas into high quality funding proposals which will deliver co-funding to EIT Food activities, involving the CLC company as a grant participant where possible.

Maintain and enhance close links and ongoing communication with EIT Food partners, colleagues and external parties in order to keep them well informed on progress of our SME strategy development.

Contribute to the preparation of grant performance information and to the analysis of grant statistics in order to inform EIT Food’s research and innovation

Supervision received

Reporting to the Director of CLC North-West, the post holder will receive one on one support, advice, and mentoring on an ad hoc basis. Additional regular supervision meetings will also be held to discuss portfolio of work, general issues arising in performance of duties, and ongoing support and professional development requirements.

The post-holder will also receive guidance and occasionally direct instruction from EIT Food’s Operations Team in our EIT grant administrative centre based in Leuven, Belgium.

Supervision given

N/A

Contact

The post-holder will work collegiately with other members of the CLC North-West team.

Terms and conditions

This post is offered on a full-time fixed-term to 31st December 2021 basis; however, the company is open to reasonable part-time and/or flexible working arrangements where these are not detrimental to performance in the role.

Occasional overnight travel within UK and internationally may be required.

This document outlines the duties required for the time being of the post to indicate the level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list and the line manager may vary duties from time to time which do not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed.

Ideally, the candidate has:

Existing network or knowledge in SME landscape across one or more of the countries within the CLC North-West region
Excellent interpersonal & communication skills
Excellent understanding of SME funding needs
Ability to influence and engage decision makers at senior level
Knowledge of European and CLC North-West-relevant regional business creation and support funding mechanisms
Experience of supporting the development of funding applications or business finance
Experience of working with entrepreneurs or SMEs
Able to engage clearly, persuasively and with authority with business colleagues and third parties
Ability to use IT systems & software appropriate to the role
Ability to work effectively under pressure and tight deadlines
Ability to take ownership of tasks, act independently responding to shifting priorities
Degree in relevant subject or discipline
Fluent in English

Beneficial skills or attributes include:

Higher degree in relevant subject
Experience of working in an innovation, finance or SME/business support environment , preferably in agrifood
Presentation and writing skills
Facilitation skills

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

EIT Food is an equal opportunity employer, offering each candidate matching the minimum obligatory qualifications and experiences an equal chance in employment and promotion procedures.

APPLICATION:

Interested candidates are asked to upload their CV and Cover Letter in English in electronic format on the CV Warehouse platform on our website www.eitfood.eu before midnight (BST) Friday 18th June 2021.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prove their background, qualifications, skills and experiences by providing relevant documents.

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