VACANCY NOTICE V/AD/RSC/77/2024

The European University Institute (EUI), based in Florence, Italy is organising a selection procedure based on qualifications and tests to draw up a reserve list1 for the posts of

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

in the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (Contract agent posts, type 3b, FGII)

The European University Institute (EUI) seeks Communications assistants for its Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS). They will be assisting in the planning, drafting and editing of content for public dissemination, and thus contributing to the implementation of the communication strategy of the RSCAS, in line with the organisational strategy.

Who We Are

The European University Institute (EUI) at a glance:

• an international organisation set up in 1972;
• a research university focusing exclusively on post- graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies, and advanced research;
• located in the hills overlooking the city of Florence, Italy.

The Institute also hosts the Historical Archives of the European Union. More on our Institution: https://www.eui.eu/About. 

Our Unit

The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the heart of the European University Institute (EUI). It was established in 1993 to complement the four EUI disciplinary departments of Economics, History, Law, and Political and Social Sciences, with the goal of developing cutting-edge academic research and using that research to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders in the public and private sector.

The results of the Centre’s research often become policy output in the form of publications and public events, where academics, policymakers, members of civil society, and representatives of business exchange knowledge and build solutions to face the challenges of our time. In doing so, the Centre provides opportunities for younger scholars and established researchers to participate in a sustained dialogue with the world of practice. This problem-centred research agenda is necessarily thematic and interdisciplinary. It also extends beyond the traditional domain of the four disciplinary departments in ways that connect with other centres of excellence in Europe and globally.

Your Key Responsibilities   

The EUI’s Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS) is seeking to recruit Communications assistants for its various units and the Centre’s central communication team to assist in the planning, drafting and editing of content for public dissemination. Reporting to the Communications Team Leader and daily supervised by the Communications Officer of the assigned units, the Communications assistants will contribute to the implementation of the communication strategy of the RSCAS, both for the central level and for the Centre’s programmes and projects, in line with the organisational strategy. One of the Communications assistants to be recruited will assist the Centre’s Graphic Designer focusing on visual communication.

The main duties may include the following:

Level of Expertise

• Acting as subject matter generalist: knowing the relevant EUI procedures and workflows as well as external trends for the successful production and dissemination of content for outreach in an academic context according to the different communications channels and their functioning and audiences;
• Acting as subject matter generalist for the RSCAS communications team for (depending on the concrete assignment):
• visual communication / graphic design; OR
• visual communication / motion graphics or visuals for social media formats; OR
• communication for executive training.

Representation/ Communication

• Representing the assigned unit(s), and where appropriate the RSCAS internally, on communication matters;
• Internally liaising with the different RSCAS units to facilitate the effective production and dissemination of content in different written and audio-visual formats;
• Supporting the development and maintenance of a shared editorial calendar that integrates activities of the different RSCAS units, including updating a shared scheduling system;
• Maximising the use of the different channels, including social media, web and audiovisual formats to achieve the best possible outreach.

Policy/ Strategy Making

• Providing assistance to the Communications Officer of the assigned unit(s) or the Communications Team Leader in the implementation of the communication strategy of the Centre and its programmes, in line with the general communication strategy of the EUI;
• Contributing to improvements to existing workflows in the communications sector.

Level of autonomy and accountability

• Possessing some level of autonomy in the implementation of assigned tasks, being responsible for own work;
• Reporting directly to the Communications Team Leader of the RSCAS; the daily supervision is being executed by the Communications Officer of the assigned unit(s).

Finance and procurement responsibility

• Supporting other administrative staff of the RSCAS with the financial and procurement processes linked to the communication activities of the assigned unit(s).

Role in administrative processes

• Assisting the Communications Officer of the assigned unit(s) in writing, editing and finalising written, visual and multimedia content to support the outreach efforts of academic colleagues;
• Liaising with the administrative staff and providing support for procedures related to the production of content, including editing of texts for outreach purposes;
• Regularly drafting and scheduling social media posts and campaigns (copy and visual) by using graphic and planning tools;
• Collecting analytics from social media to create monthly reports;
• Acting as the approving editor in workflows related to event announcements, online personal profiles, pages on training courses and research projects, etc.;
• Updating and regularly reviewing the content of the website(s) of the assigned unit(s) or the RSCAS/EUI, under the guidance of the Communications Officer of the assigned unit(s) or the Team Leader;
• Assisting in planning and implementing audio-visual projects in collaboration with the Multimedia team of the RSCAS by providing subtitles, accompanying texts and liaising with the academic colleagues involved;
• Drafting newsletters and disseminating them after due internal approval processes;
• Maintaining and updating contacts databases;
• Ensuring compatibility with the EUI corporate image and the RSCAS style guide, following colour, layout and branding specifications, as well as other internal guidelines and the EUI English style guide;
• Applying data protection policy in each administrative process and complying with the EUI rules, with particular attention to the processes related to explicit content for the use of people’s images.

Your Key Competencies

All staff at the EUI share the following competencies:

• Ethics and integrity
• Working in a multicultural environment
• Accountability
• Delivering quality and results

Competencies specific to the role include the following:

• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Knowledge – writing and editing for different formats
• Willingness to learn

The competencies mentioned above may be assessed at the written test and/or interview stage. Read more on EUI Competency Framework

What We Offer

• A role in an inspiring community of young scholars with an exclusive focus on master, doctoral and post-doctoral studies;
• A multicultural community of 1100 academics at all career stages and administrative staff of approximately 85 different nationalities;
• The commitment to a genuine culture of equality, diversity and inclusion, and to attracting, encouraging and retaining a diverse and highly qualified workforce;
• A world-class research library, the Historical Archives of the European Union, and many other excellent research facilities;
• Language courses and soft skills training opportunities;
• Access to all EUI facilities: library, crèche, cafeteria, gym, participation in seminars and workshops;
• Competitive salary package including health and pension plan;
• A healthy work-life balance in a family-friendly environment.

Read more on Work and Life of EUI Support Staff.

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically using the online application form available at https://www.eui.eu/About/JobOpportunities/Open-competitions-for-administrative-posts

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday 8 July 2024 at 23:59 CEST

Before completing the online application form you are invited to read ANNEXES I & II that represent an integral part of this vacancy notice.

Do not forget to mention that you found this job ad on the Euractiv Jobsite!